Happy Autumn

November 2, 2022

Happy Fall, or in proper terms, Autumn! Who’s happy that the smoke finally let up this past month!? I know I am. I feel completely robbed of the last warm days... not going to lie, that first day of crisp air, set me into a frump! I absolutely needed my trip to San Jose, right in the middle of October..days after the temperature changed. I was in a sun dress! I looked around a few times and had to laugh at the Bay Area people just dying for cool air, they were dressed in Fall attire.. I kept saying myself, they have got to be hot, while they kept asking me, are you warm enough?... lol. It’s always nice to “walk down memory lane” to see just how far we (as a family)/ I have come. I’m blessed to be where I am.


Just a heads up that the studio will be closed November 17th- 27th back on November 28. It sounds like a long time, but Thanksgiving is in the mix. As for Christmas time, as of right now the studio will be closed December 23-26 and December 30- January 2nd. I will need to move the Mat Class times a bit as my daughter needs to be picked up from practice at 10. Mat Class will start at 10:30am, look on the schedule for that change.


The topic of this newsletter’s Pilates talk is: How do I convince people that Pilates is for everyone, my friends and family? 

Well, the short answer is, you can’t. If Jesus went to his hometown to preach the gospel and no one listened-what makes you or I think we can convince people that Pilates is for them? I have encountered on more than one occasion where a husband will gets dragged into a Pilates session, and it just doesn’t turn out well or the friend says, I just know this would be great for my friend. The heart is in the right place, but we all know that we can’t make anyone interested in something. For example, myself- my son was in Tae Kwon do and every year they had a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day kick boxing class. I have ZERO desire to scream and punch while making my face look like a monster. HELLO! I’m a dancer, I was taught, you do not show pain, you do not vocalize discomfort, you smile and get through it. So, being in this class was soo out of my comfort zone, but I was going to do it since my son asked me to. 1) I couldn’t stop laughing, I looked and felt ridiculous 2) I was doing movement that was so aggressive that I couldn’t help but ask myself, what are these people so angry about? Picture it, me in a deep squat, hands in fits, punching the air, kicking the air, being all angry about nothing... well, I imagine that sometimes that person we dragged in also thinks: these Pilates people are huffing and puffing, and flapping their arms in the air...what is up with this equipment...get it? lol BUT kick boxing people LOVE it and us Pilates enthusiast LOVE Pilates. So, really what we can do is when people ask about Pilates, tell them why you love it or tell them in what ways it’s helped you and encourage them to give it a try, by going to a free demo, or invite them to drop in on a Mat Class. When people ask you what you do that makes you seem timeless and effortless in your extra circular activities, you tell them that you do Pilates... then maybe even tell them where you were before Pilates and where you are today. That’s the best we can do. In the meantime, we know that we aren’t waking up with back tightness, and if we are, we know how to get out of it, we aren’t hunched over that we need to wear a back strap that pulls our shoulders back and we can get down to the floor and back up with ease. As I have learned over time, setting an example is one of the best ways we can encourage others.


 Heidi Garcia

Woman doing a Pilates reformer exercise on a machine, wearing blue leggings and a pink top.

Why Your Shoulder Pain Might Be Affecting More Than Just Your Shoulder

By Heidi • August 7, 2026
Shoulder issues, be it injury or pain, it’s important to know that this is such a complex joint. This joint essentially is just “hanging” there. The ball sits inside the joint but the socket is not as deep as the hip joint and it’s just muscles and ligaments that keeps this joint in place. When it comes to problems with the joint, it can literally affect a lot of places and a lot of things. It can affect the neck, upper back, the chest, the arm, the elbow, the wrist. It can also disrupt your sleep and everyday living, think reaching for something up high, putting on clothes, driving or carrying things. Pain in the shoulder joint can be from the actual joint like cartilage loss, ligaments that are torn, or muscles like rotator, deltoid, latissimus dorsi, teres major (and more). Pain can also come from come from a lack of shoulder blade stability. Instability can look like the inability to hold a plank, slouching, heading pulled forward and poor posture. When we are looking at the front of the body, there’s the front of the joint. Here we will see tightness in the pec that can cause issues as well. Bottom line is to be mindful of this fragile joint. Pay attention to heavy loading when not ready, keep it stretched for maximum rotation and fix issues right away so it doesn’t freeze up. Once the joint stops doing full rotation on its own, you’re in trouble. That’s usually when the neck problems happen, elbow issues come up and the wrist can become affected. In the end, be nice to your small shoulder joints.

We Take Pilates Seriously, But It's Also Seriously Fun

By Heidi • July 30, 2026
Hey Friend-  YOU made this celebration everything it was. The response was so overwhelming. Thank you, past and present clients, for your accolades. I know each one of your stories, they are knitted in me and how each of you have inspired me to continue teach the method we all love, Pilates. I loved how each person was sharing each other’s stories and in turn was inspiring each other. We all know that not all Pilates sessions need to end in a Teaser. Becoming a Pilates teacher wasn’t a dream of mine.. no, no, somebody else is living that- but it has become my purpose and that goes far beyond a dream. There are times I will think back to a time I had with a client and just start laughing- We may take Pilates seriously, but it’s also seriously fun, do you have a time in mind? Email me back and tell me, we can laugh together. Overall, I think the best compliment I received was: “so heartwarming hearing all of the positive comments from your clients. They truly love you for the help you provide. Keep up the good work putting a smile on their faces.” From after injury or surgery, improving performance in a sport and completely reshaping a body, I can’t wait to keep going! I’ll see you in the studio. Thank you again, for your trust, your commitment, and your belief in me Heidi
Patriotic striped and star-spangled cups with sparklers on a festive table

Happy 4th of July!

By Heidi • July 3, 2026
Happy 4th of July! May you be around friends and loved ones to celebrate this amazing day that makes our Country incredibly special! Something happened in the month of June.. I have to admit; I was in the middle of life when all of sudden it hit me. When I realized I gasped! Then I had to stop, reflect, then realize that I kind of dropped the ball on this one… but don’t worry I’ll be making it up. Do you know what it was? Well, no need to wet the pallet and ponder I’ll tell you- You guys, we’ve been in the new studio for 6 MONTHS!!! Say what!? When I came into an awareness about it, these were the things that came to mind. Firstly, YOU! My heart is full of gratitude towards you. I am so honored that you trust me with your body to build it into a body that makes you feel strong, confident and keeps you doing what you love to do. Doesn’t it feel great to be able to move with such ease in life and our activities? Secondly, our new space is a dream. Some years ago, I was out on a walk along the river one very cold day, and I was thinking about what my business coach and I were talking about. She told me to go dream.. What would I want my studio to look like? I did just that, believing it in my heart that it could come true? I can’t say, but I can say I just threw it out there. I wanted my studio to be in a brick building near the river so I could see the water. Every day, when I walk up into the studio, it’s a dream.. A dream that came true. I am seriously filled with joy. I want to thank you for your understanding of all that I have had to personally go through. The floor may not be perfectly cleaned every week, I may have missed the date on making a new plan for you . Thanks for figuring out where the extra rolls of toilet paper are and referring people to me. I may have been a little elsewhere at times, but I promise I am giving you my best step forward. I feel loved and supported by you. Thank you. I love seeing all of you have a sense of pride walking into the studio. Thank you for showing up, being excited to come to your Pilates session, and creating a camaraderie among each other. Heidi Come join the fun to celebrate our 6-month Studio Anniversary! Tuesday July 14, 6pm, If you are planning on coming please sign up so I can plan accordingly. Thanks.
Woman performing suspended Pilates exercise on a reformer machine, wearing blue leggings in a studio.

Curiosity in Motion

By Heidi Garcia • May 27, 2026
The countdown is on until the first day of summer and I am here for it. My California soul will be fed and my sun dresses are dusted off. But I digress… Something that is happening across the board at the studio is the curiosity of the Morris Hardware building across the way. Majority of you ask the same thing, “what’s in that building?” Finally, a client who knows the owner got our answer, it’s nice when a new person asks I have the answer. It seems majority of you have a strong opinion about the new painting that is happening across the way as well. This is equal to the curiosity of what is in the building. Both of the things got my thinking… could we have curiosity about certain things around our Pilates exercises … I do know for a fact that everyone has a strong opinion about their least favorite or favorite exercise so that is taken care of. But back to the curiosity, I would hope that at some point in your practice you start being curious about the movement itself or your body in relation to the exercise. What I’ve noticed with my 25 years of personal practice and for sure during my 23 years of teaching is that when I started becoming curious of body and movement, change happened and I see that with my clients. The clients who stop during their session and ask questions, notice something about their body are the ones whose movement becomes quality. It’s no longer just zipping through the exercises to just check it off. My teacher’s story of curiosity was when she couldn’t do Rolling Like a Ball, her teacher asked her, “do you want to explore why this exercise isn’t happening?” Mine was Curl and Reach; I had to get curious as to why I couldn’t keep my pelvis stable when doing this exercise. I know exactly where I was (in my Costa Mesa apartment) when I stopped and got curious for the reasons and teaching myself to find the control within the movement. It was at that point that I really understood how Pilates is at its finest, a corrective exercise system. In the book, “Contrology Handbook, A Guide to Joe Pilates’ Method” by Sandy Shimoda it states, “Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.” I challenge you to start becoming more curious within your own practice and ask questions, that is how growth and change happens. Heidi

Spring 2026

By Heidi • April 24, 2026
Hello Pilates Enthusiast! Spring is in the air so it’s only appropriate to say “God Bless you!” “Gesundheit!” “¡Salud!”, there covered them all. There are some great workshops coming in May check them out below, sign up and share with a friend! It has been noted that my schedule is filling up. The best course of action is to sign up ahead of time; the other best action is to put yourself on the waitlist. When I see that you are on the waitlist, if any time opens on that day, I will reach out to you to see if you want what has become available otherwise; if the time that you waitlisted for becomes available, it will be yours. Please remember the 12-hour cancelation policy. All the details are below. See you on the Mat! Heidi

Spring Awakening & Studio Updates

By Heidi • March 24, 2026
Spring reflections on the Pilates journey, upcoming workshop details, Welcome Springtime sound healing event, Mat Class updates, and online video library offerings.