Spring Awakening & Studio Updates

March 24, 2026

 

Spring is here and I am more than ready for the change of season! Remember last year when I was a featured writer for Redfin's! You can read that here . There is some great advice on how to kick start Spring.

 

So much goodness is happening in the studio. I am oozing over it all. One thing that seems to be a common denominator in the Pilates Method is the struggle to get a concept, an exercise or an awareness. I have witnessed for myself and with my clients. I so understand the want of "throwing in the towel" over something you think shouldn't be that hard. We simply have to get our mind, the image and the struggle to collide into an a-ha moment. I've seen it, I experienced it and I'm here to work through it with you. I remember working on a really difficult dance move, or piece or what have you and I'd just go over it, over and over, oh gosh, I didn't stop till I could feel it, know it, and had embodied it, once I did all of those, then the movement became effortless, simply gliding through it. I had wonderful feedback about this subject just some time ago with a client. She decided to get out of her comfort zone and try something new. She's been giving me updates along the way and what is awe-inspiring is what she said, she said, "what I have learn through my practice with Pilates is that I can go slow, I can fumble, I can even not get it right away but I know that if I keep going and struggle through it, it will come." YES! Music to my ears. Your Pilates practice absolutely supports what you do outside of the studio. You will get frustrated at a Pilates exercise (me with corkscrew), you will want to say out loud, "this is not fun", you may even want to throw in the towel, but if you sit with all of that and go back and do it again and maybe even again, I promise you will feel it, you will know it and you will embody it.

Xoh

Pilates Fundamental Workshop Recap

What a dream! This workshop kicked off so amazingly. All of the participants came in to learn the ground level of The Pilates Method. They asked questions, they built from one concept to another and they were more than ready to head into either the Level 1 Mat Class or into Privates after the 5 weeks. I can't wait for the next one. Speaking of which the next Fundamentals Workshop will begin Wednesday April 15 and will run till May 13 at 10am. Sign up now by clicking the link

Welcome Springtime Event

I wanted to tell you about something fun that will be happening at Heidi's Spot. I'm excited to share that Heather Schweitzer will be holding a "Welcome Springtime" event on March 28th at 7pm. In this hour long "welcome springtime" session, Heather will be guiding you to releasing energy to reset and embrace the rebirth of the changing of the season. Through sound frequency, with the use of Tuning Forks, Sound Bowls and a mindful guide, you will experience a replenished body, as well as energy relaxation that will come over your body. By the end of the hour, you will be ready to welcome Spring! Sign up by clicking the clink.

Mat Classes

March Matness is coming to end and it's by far fun for me to see Joseph Pilates's work on all of the different bodies. It's funny when people ask me, can I do Pilates? I always say, "do you have a body? Then you can do Pilates." Sign up here for your next class.

In April we will be working on concepts of The Pilates Method with Breath, Opposition, and Awareness of our alignment. All good Pilates exercises that tone our bodies well.

  • Level 1 Wednesday at 11am
    Level 2 Thursday at 9am
    Level 3 Tuesday at 12pm

OPVL

Are you wanting extra Pilates Practice on the days you can't make it in the studio.. Hop onto the Online Pilates Video Library to get a Mat practice in. You can press play anywhere at any time. Each level has the Joseph's Mat Class in his order.

Woman exercising on Pilates reformer as trainer assists in a pink studio

What your Pilates Session Is Actually Teaching You

By Heidi • September 21, 2026
Personal Pilates Training is harder than you think. That’s actually the point. Most people don’t know what actually happens in a personal Pilates private session. It’s not just the exercises. It’s a process. It’s starts before you even get on the apparatus. When you first come in, you fill out a questionnaire that gives me good information about you. We talk about what your goals are. What are your needs and want? From there I do a body analysis that lets me see your posture, how does your body move doing small movements, it also tells me where your imbalances are. This is all important information so that I know how to build your body strong. The more I know and learn about your body, the more you will get out of your Pilates journey. We will have a real conversation about where your body is right now. Then we build your foundation. Firstly, you learn the Fundamentals. When we start that process, it's teaching me how you learn. What needs attention first? Are there any past injuries that are showing up when you move? Everyone’s Private Pilates session looks different from one another. You have your own unique body and unique way that you learn and move. It should look different because you are coming to me for your reason and not theirs. There is no comparing. The other nice thing about doing Privates is that you are on your own road to go through the exercises. Some times what took one client 3 weeks to learn another could take 6-8 weeks to learn. There is no rush. That’s how transformation actually happens. Just you, learning to move from within. The more I know about the you, the better I know how to train you. Before you know it, you are feeling better in your body, have a better understanding of the Pilates Method and are learning the Pilates exercises.

You're Invited to the Heidi spot Pilates Open House

By Heidi • September 17, 2026
Open House
Three people doing Pilates leg lifts on purple mats in a studio with a reformer and pink walls

If You Think Mat Class Is Easy, Read This First

By Heidi • September 14, 2026
Mat Classes Who are they for and what to expect. These questions will be answered differently by different studios and teachers. After years of teaching, what I have found is that those who invest in the fundamentals of Pilates will go further. Starting in a beginning mat class builds the foundation that actually helps you progress. Sure, there are movers who can do a plank, but are you doing it in the best alignment that will protect your shoulders? Can you isolate body parts? Are you aware of where your body is in space? That's what a Mat class is really about. This is a mind body experience. You're not just moving. You're thinking about how you're moving. Every exercise is whole body. If Joe Pilates himself were asked what any single exercise was for, his answer was always the whole body. That's exactly how I teach it; head to toe, and what you get out of it, is exactly what you put in. Think of it at like a martial art. There is focus awareness, strength, and stretch. If you walk in thinking it will be like a gym exercise class, you are going to be disappointed.
Open office gym area with workout equipment, wooden flooring, and a brick wall.

Every Corner Is Where the Work Happens

By Heidi • September 4, 2026
Where’s Your Studio? Over the years of teaching, I have taught at other Pilates studios, in a back house, my garage studio, two store fronts, in my home and now Downtown in Wenatchee in a store front. A fellow teacher said, it’s the home studios where you’re going to find the golden teacher; I think all of my clients would agree with the statement. Growing up, I had baton lessons in a garage studio and in a living room and both times when it came to competitions..we/ I always placed. When I won my Dance Title, my teacher was in a rec center 45 minutes away from San Jose in Half Moon Bay, California. I’ll go to a back alley or to some far away land if I’m going to get a good lesson from a good teacher. Where I teach has nothing to do with my knowledge, that goes with me wherever I go. I loved having my studio in my home. I was spoiled with having everything I need right in the next room. 8pm workouts, roll outs or stretches were normal for me. It was my safe haven. I loved how bright it was. It gave me more so that I can give back to my clients. The tug of leaving my home was too much to ignore anymore. It was time to separate my personal life from my professional one, and having my own space outside of home, made that possible. When I started looking, I saw my new space with the sign in the window and honestly, my first thought was, “that’s too good to be true.” So, I drove pass it… for more times than I’d like to admit. My self-made due date was coming up and the pressure at home was becoming too much to bear, so I just started calling and just like that, I got the space. Oh gosh, it’s a dream. Every studio I taught in taught me something different, and I carried all of it here. The brick wall with the windows gives natural light, that my soul needs. The three independent spaces allow for gathering times for clients to meet, a space for Mat Classes or workshops and my apparatus room is my main working space. I love that I can see the mountains, the Pybus market and watch the busyness of the world pass me by.  Would you like to come, is it? Did you know that I offer Free 30-minute Pilates Demos? You can book right through Vagaro. You can also book yourself a mat class or come in for Personal Training. I would love to show you the space. Come check it out.
Heidi in a standing side bend, one hand reaching to the floor and the other arm extended overhead

When Life Throws a Wrench in Your Rhythm

By Heidi • August 27, 2026
Back in rhythm with new posts on shoulder, neck and hip pain, plus September Thera-Band mat classes, the 3-week Saturday Series and the online Pilates video library.
Woman exercising on a Pilates reformer, balancing one leg on a curved barrel in a studio.

Hip Pain Starts from the Ground Up: Strength, Flexibility, and Alignment

By Heidi • August 24, 2026
Hip pain is simply the worst; this pain most likely comes from two things, lack of strength and flexibility. Of course it can also come from injury as well, that could look like something torn, or the cartilage breaking down which is identified as arthritis. It can also come from a lack of movement since we spend most of our time sitting these days. Hip pain can travel down to the knee or up to the lower back. So, first thing first, how are your feet? When we are standing, having our weight be in the center of our feet is top of the list. Where are you putting your weight? Toes, heels, inside or outside? It’s important to get an even weight on our big toe, little toe and heel. Think of a tripod. That set up changes everything above them. How is your gait? If your feet go any direction other than straight, you are putting a lot of pressure on your ankles, knees and lastly hip. Keeping your toes straight ahead when walking is important to check. How is your leg alignment? If your knees face any direction other than straight, just like your feet, the pressure is not good for your knee joint, the rhythm of how your hip moves in the socket will be affected. And lastly, how is your strength and flexibility with and around your hip? This joint is a ball in socket so it should move freely in a nice circular motion. From our feet up to in the hip joint there is a rhythm from how our feet are to move in our gait, how the leg bones move with that rhythm all the way up to the hip joint.  Ok- so let’s deal with it. Firstly, Rolling out. I know for some this is the dreaded part, but it really does have a strong impact on tightness. Roll out your feet, your glutes, IT band and quads to loosen any tightness imbalance caused. Then it’s interconnected between stretching and strengthen within your work. Whether you start with strengthening or stretching really is dependent of what’s going on. What is the dominant problem? Is the hip really weak or really tight? You need to work the muscles all around the hip. The back of the hip: glutes, hamstrings, the sides and inner thighs (abduction and adduction) the front of the hip, quads and hip flexors and most importantly rotation. Stretching out means getting into the front of my hip, the quads and hips flexors, in the socket by doing a figure 4 stretch and lastly a hamstring and IT band stretch. Start there and your hips will thank you.