Power Within Pilates

Discover Your Inner Strength

Power Within Pilates

Discover Your Inner Strength

Award-Winning Boutique Classical Pilates Studio

The Method

At its most basic level, Pilates (puh-LAH-teez) is a form of body conditioning that, using a combination of specialized apparatus and mat work, develops strength and flexibility through controlled movements.

Developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates in the 1920s, the work specifically strengthens the abdominal and lower back muscles known as the “Powerhouse.” In every Pilates exercise the muscles of the powerhouse are recruited first. Then that muscular engagement must be sustained while the body is worked as a whole, integrated unit throughout the exercise.

Originally called “Contrology,” the art of controlling the body, Pilates incorporates six basic principles. These include concentration, control, centering, precision, flow and breath. Yet Pilates is more than just a workout. Joseph Pilates considered his work to be a philosophy of exercise and of ultimate health. He encouraged people to make the connection between the exercises and their daily lives. He maintained, “never do ten pounds of weight for five pounds of movement” and stressed quality over quantity. The Pilates method creates balanced bodies, restoring the natural harmony, which enables people to move freely and joyously within their bodies throughout their lives.

Although Pilates is nothing new, it has been receiving a lot of press recently. Its rise in popularity can be attributed to celebrities such as Madonna, Kate Hudson and even Oprah who reveal it as the secret to their long, lean bodies and to the medical community, which embraces it as a way to further the progress of physical therapy patients. Even the fitness industry has jumped on the Pilates bandwagon equating the work with their newly coined phrase “core strength.”

However not all Pilates is the same. The Pilates industry has been deregulated since 2000. That means there is currently no standard of education or excellence to which Pilates instructors must adhere. In this era of exercise videos, infomercials selling home equipment, mat classes at health clubs and Internet Pilates certifications it behooves the consumer to be informed. The terms “Authentic,” “Pure,” “Classical,” and “Romana’s” Pilates refer to the system of corrective exercises that was originally created and advocated by Joseph Pilates. “Authentic” Pilates has stood the test of time and delivered amazing results.

This system includes over 500 exercises and uses a combination of both the apparatus and the mat work. Specific exercises are chosen based on the unique needs of the individual client and work the mind and body together to achieve the goal of overall health and fitness. At Power Within Pilates we maintain the integrity of Joseph Pilates’ work and in so doing, our clients benefit with results they can both see and feel.

Meet Carmela

Owner/Instructor Carmela Ramaglia is a second generation, classically trained authentic Pilates Instructor. After more than 1000 hours of coursework, seminars and apprenticeship under the tutelage of teacher trainer Dorothee VandeWalle, she was certified by Joseph Pilates’ protégée, the late grand master Romana Kryzanowska. Carmela has over a two decades of teaching experience in the Pilates method and opened her studio in 2004. She picked the name Power Within Pilates because a client mentioned, “that’s how Pilates makes you feel inside.” Carmela sees Pilates as a practical tool for helping clients discover their inner strength – both physically and metaphorically – and it is with an open and grateful heart that she shares this powerful and transformational work.

After several years of teaching Pilates, Carmela embarked on her second career as a wellness consultant. With an international audience representing more than 58 countries, Carmela is quickly becoming recognized as a leading authority in clarifying and healing the issues surrounding diet, exercise, self-esteem, body image and weight loss.

In addition to Pilates, Carmela empowers women to ditch the diet drama, banish body shame and reclaim their lives while optimizing their physical results. Her signature “Happy Calories Don’t Count®” method is the result of reverse engineering the process she discovered during her own journey of healing and transforming her own painful issues around her body and her weight.

Through writing, speaking, group and private coaching, she helps women all across the world create a body and life they love. Her books include Happy Calories Don’t Count (neither does unhappy exercise) and the award-winning Food  Is Not A “Four-Letter” Word.

Most recently, Carmela has added the Spinal Flow Technique® to her repertoire. She was searching for a modality to better support her aging parents, and was pleasantly surprised with the improvement in her parents’ health Spinal Flow® helped facilitate. Her healing boutique is located in the heart of historic Issaquah. More information is available at the Spinal Flow Healing Studio website.

After suffering with chronic lower back pain since I can remember, Carmela’s 1:1 Pilates sessions were the only exercise I was able to make it through. My back has felt better, after only 10 sessions, than it has in years.

~ Laurie Shank
Renton, WA

I’m currently training for a triathlon and putting my body through a lot of stressful workouts. Pilates is a great cross-training workout that actually combats some of the muscle soreness from other forms of exercise. I always feel more relaxed after a workout with Carmela. Plus, Carmela is always fun to work with because she’s always so happy and energetic.

~ Mike Kellen   
Bellevue, WA

Carmela, you are amazing and an AMAZING instructor! My A$$ thanks you!

~ Debbie S.   
Seattle, WA

You help me connect with my body in a way that no one else does. It makes such a difference. Thank You!

~ Linda P.   
Mercer Island, WA

I feel better MENTALLY after a workout with you. You could totally charge more – you’re like a therapist!

~ S. Manhas   
Mercer Island, WA

The Studio

Power Within Pilates is an award-winning fully equipped, Classical Authentic Pilates Studio serving clients from Seattle, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Issaquah and Bellevue Washington.

Each of our instructors have undergone rigorous training and are certified by the late Romana Kryzanowska, master instructor and Joseph Pilates protègèe. In addition, all of the equipment is custom built by Gratz industries, based on Joseph Pilates’ original, exacting designs.

Founded in 2004, Power Within Pilates was one of the first Pilates studios on the east side and the only “Classical, Authentic” studio in the Newcastle area.

One of the hallmarks of Power Within Pilates is its relationship-based, body-centered approach. Carmela quickly realized that her role as the studio owner/instructor was not simply to “put her clients through their paces,” but to be a relationship coach between her clients and their bodies. After a lifetime of abusive and body-bashing workouts, Pilates helped Carmela heal her relationship with her own body - she finally began to feel good in and about her body. This became the foundation of Carmela’s Happy Exercise® principles, a component of her Happy Calories Don’t Count® Method. Knowing that becoming truly embodied helps create optimal health, vitality, well-being and joy, Carmela uses Pilates to help her clients really tune into, listen and connect with the wisdom of their bodies. (Of course Pilates is not the only form of Happy Exercise®, it was simply the inspiration.)

Today, Power Within Pilates operates out of a private residence and clients are taken by referral only.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The promise of Joseph Pilates is that, “In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in twenty you will see the difference, and in thirty you’ll have a whole new body.” Every body is different, but the Pilates promise is a fairly accurate guideline. What’s important to remember is that you will feel the results before you see them. We check in with our clients at the ten, twenty, and thirty session marks to see if they feel the Pilates promise is valid and they tell us it is.

While Pilates and Yoga both develop strength and flexibility, they are fundamentally different disciplines. At its core, Yoga is a spiritual practice with a history of thousands of years. Derived from a Sanskrit word that means “union,” Yoga positions are held for certain periods of time with the physical and mental challenges being the holding of each pose. The original goal of Yoga was to achieve enlightenment.

The Pilates method was developed in the early 1900s by a man, Joseph Pilates. It was originally called “Contrology,” because strength and flexibility are developed by controlling the body through movement. The practice includes work on the specialized Pilates apparatus and on the mat. The goal of Pilates is to create uniformly developed and balanced bodies, restoring the natural harmony that enables people to move freely within their bodies.

Yoga and Pilates are different practices, although they complement each other nicely.

Absolutely not! The Pilates industry has been deregulated since 2000. That means there is no current standard level of education or excellence to which instructors must adhere. Instructor training programs vary greatly in quality – from a weekend workshop to comprehensive programs, which include hundreds of apprenticeship hours and written and practical exams. And many current instructors do not hold any type of certification. Furthermore, because the Pilates name is no longer protected by copyright, anything can be called “Pilates” even if it has nothing to do with the method that Joseph Pilates created.

Great question! The quality of Pilates programs in gyms and health clubs vary greatly, both in terms of class content and in the education level and quality of the instructor. Oftentimes, Pilates programs are offered simply to attract or appease members who want to try Pilates and the management staff running the club have very little understanding of its power or its depth. And most facilities only offer mat classes with a high student to instructor ratio. Generally speaking, Pilates instructors in those settings are fitness professionals who hold certifications in many styles of fitness and Pilates is a quick certification they can add to their repertoire through a fitness continuing education program. They sacrifice depth in one discipline for breadth of many and often don’t understand the subtleties of the Pilates work which make it so powerful.

At Power Within Pilates every instructor has gone through a rigorous, comprehensive Pilates training program. Instructors have the necessary knowledge to create safe and effective workouts. Every client starts with personal attention and can chose to stay with private sessions if desired. Programs include work on both the apparatus and the mat and are built to address each client’s specific and individual needs. The owner of the studio has a background in education which helps her to effectively teach the method and communicate its nuances, rather than simply lead the client through a series of movements. Finally, Classical Pilates has stood the test of time and, by maintaining the integrity of Joseph Pilates’ original method, our clients benefit with results they can both see and feel.

The Classical Pilates apparatus includes a wide variety of pieces of equipment. The various apparatus use spring tension, straps to hold feet and hands, and supports for the neck, back and shoulder to assist the client in accessing the deep layers of muscles that must be recruited before beginning a Pilates exercise. The resistance of the apparatus provides both challenging tension and stabilizing support throughout the movement of a Pilates exercise. Work on the apparatus develops strength and flexibility more quickly than work on the mat alone.

The key to Pilates is not that the body is performing certain “Pilates” movements, rather it is that the correct muscles are recruited while performing those movements. And that is a very difficult thing to teach or learn through a video. Furthermore, many individuals have poor body awareness and misperceptions of their alignment. The smallest adjustment can change the entire exercise and its efficacy. This is why many Pilates instructors continue to include private and semiprivate sessions in their own practice. It is essential to have the outside eye evaluating the work. And generally speaking, Pilates videos are limited to the mat work. If a client is at the intermediate or advanced level, a quality Classical Pilates video would be an acceptable supplement to a Pilates studio program. Just make sure you maintain the same safety and intensity of the workout as you would in the studio.

Please wear comfortable clothing that is easy for you to move in. Workout apparel does not need to be skin tight, but more form fitting is better than overly baggy as it helps you better see your alignment. When choosing what to wear for bottoms, please be aware you will often be in positions in which your feet are in the air or above your head. You will not need shoes, please remember your socks. Please make sure that your attire does not have protruding zippers, buckles, snaps, etc. that can scratch and tear the equipment. Please refrain from wearing perfume and heavy lotions.

A minimum of 3 private sessions and instructor approval are required to begin semi private sessions. This gives you time to develop a deeper understanding of the work and time to learn your program. In a semi-private session the instructor is working with two clients who may not be doing the same workout. It is important that you can be fairly self-directed so that the session is a good value for your time.

I started doing Pilates with Carmela only a few months ago and I have already noticed significant improvements in my posture, energy level, strength and flexibility. (And I look better in the mirror!) I have never before have had a workout that I actively looked forward to. I always feel better after my sessions with Carmela. If I go into the studio with aches and pains I leave without them. Carmela is great at identifying areas which may be problematic and working to strengthen and correct them without too much strain. Aside from all the physical benefits of Pilates I also really enjoy Carmela’s personality. She makes the workout fun. Thanks to Power Within, Pilates is something I intend to keep doing for the rest of my life.

~ Shemaleiah Smylie   
Seattle, WA

Pilates has made a huge difference in my life. I’ve been in a couple of accidents that caused damage to my back and to my right leg. Pilates has been amazing for my back. The daily pain I used to feel from the knots in my back are gone. I believe one of the reasons it has been so good is that I have had good instructors teaching me Pilates. Carmela has been one of my instructors for a little over 4 years. She is a wonderful instructor. Not only is she good at explaining the moves and how to do them correctly, she will also modify the move if it would not be good for my back. She will push you and make you work hard, though she won’t push you over your limit. With all the improvement in my back and the change in my flexibility, I know that I’ll be doing Pilates for a long time to come. I encourage everyone I can to give it a try. It’s an incredible workout and Carmela is a great instructor.

~ Tara Pinson   
Seattle, WA

Working with Carmela has been fun. She is a very positive person which makes me look forward to working with her. While there are several of the Pilates exercises that are repeated every session, Carmela does a good job about adding in new things and mixing things up so the workout continues to be fun as well as challenging. The hour flies by and I always feel that I get a great workout without feeling worked over. I have noticed a difference in my strength and have lost inches from my waist – an additional benefit to the health benefits of the Pilates workout.

~ Louise Mnich   
Issaquah, WA

Discover Your Inner Strength