Michael Miller Pilates

There is only one gold standard, and it is not the PMA

The only gold standard that exists is Joe's.

Joe created the standard before he died,
even before he came to the United States.
(hurts, doens't it?)

The PMA seeks to rob Joe of the standard he created
by created their own standard.

All these big training programs aligning with (having created) the PMA
are trying to pull a fast one on you, the public. They are trying to deny you direct access to Joe's method, and have you seek their approval, when they don't even understand the method they're teaching. Money doesn't matter to the inner circles of pilates, the prize is prestige.

If am wrong where are all the challengers? Who wants to debate what really makes Pilates what it is. There aren't any, because they'd lose.  So, when you can't win, what do you do to a challenger? You ignore them, and hope they go away.

I have news for you, the pilates world is still the wild, wild, west, and anyone and any body (say like the PMA) are making whatever they want of pilates.

And there are still and will be many different teacher training programs. What the PMA is trying to do distorts the Pilates Method. It ignores the fact that pilates has an essence of it's own, that it is it's own gold standard.

pilatesstyle magazine is a tool of the rich

Throughout history, the rich and powerful have owned and used newspapers, magazines, radio, and television to pervert public opinion in their favor. The pilatesstyle magazine is one such magazine, and all the while it spues it's own agenda, it bleeds money in the promise of exposure through advertising right out of the body of pilates community. Look at the main advertisers and you see whose interests the magazine serves.  Follow the money, and with pilates, there is now a lot to follow.

Michael Miller Pilates World Wide

Greetings!

Hope your new year is off to a good start!

I'd like to thank my friends who hosted me recently in Annapolis, Philadelphia, Chicago, Peru, Argentina, and Brazil.  These are great studios to learn more about Michael Miller Pilates.

Upcoming, I wll be in Dubuque, Madison, Chicago, Costa Rica, and Indonesia.

Hope to see you in my travels, or at the first Michael Miller Pilates Convention in Boulder this summer.

You can always find my schedule by clicking on my calendar on my homepage:

http://www.hermit.com/michaelmiller/calendar/info.htm

If you want to schedule a workshop, get in touch!

Till then, breathe well, be fluorescent...

Michael

Michael Miller Pilates makes sense.

www.hermit.com

http://michaelmillerpilates.typepad.com/michaelmillerpilates/

The order of Pilates Mat exercises

The order of the exercises is the message of the method.  Once the order establishes the meaning, what you add in, what you take out, what you change, will only re-inforce or dilute that meaning.

Only when you understand why the order is what it is are you in a position to change it, or add to it, or to take away.

Everyone seeks to establish their immortality by adding an exercise (or even a series) to the mat. I say the mat is a polished poem of movement.  The real accomplishment would be to take something out and have the whole still preserved.

The mat points to an idea, the order was set before Joe got on the boat to come to America.  So all these efforts to diminish Joe's work by inflating the contribution of others, like Clara, or Romana, or Ron, etc... ignores history, and the meaning established in the early days of Joe's work.

It would be much better for us if Joseph had just started something that we add to and refine, our egos would like that much better. The rub is, until you understand the meaning of the original order of the exercises, you are little more than subjectively tinkering with what you don't understand. Sad, but true, and the whole pilates community is doing it.

The ultimate cue...

Principles, where from, what order?

http://pilates.about.com/od/whatispilates/a/Principles.htm

These principles became part of pilates in 1980, long after Joe died, in the book by Friedman & Eisen, Chapter 3 The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning. If you look for these pivitol principles, listed as such before this book, directly from Joe, you're gonna be looking for a long time.

When you refer to these principles it seems obvious you would refer to control first because it is the name of his method "Contrology". Then concentration because of Joe's assertion of it primary importance, the others, center, precise flowing movement riding within the breath are fine with me.

"Pilates is so much more than concepts, but keeping these 6 principles in mind has been key to real progress for many Pilates students."  Sure this is true, but it avoids what pilates could be that is more than concepts, and relies on a second generation synthesis into principles to offer meaning to something that is clearly much more than that.

Swim upstream, look for original material, make your understanding from there.

Testimonials

(statements testifying to the benefits received / character references / letters of recommendation / expressions of appreciation)

Thank you for your interest in Michael Miller Pilates.
I was finally convinced that the only way to say
what I wanted others to know about my brand of Pilates
would be if I asked you to say it for me.

Help me, help others, to understand what Michael Miller Pilates means to you.
Please add your testimonial by making a comment!

I used to have my testomonials on my web site at www.hermit.com. Now you can place them here as a comment. Thank you for your kind words!  Michael

Kill the messenger, ignore the message.

Hi “_______”,

I hope you had a good new years. It interesting that your email to Michael Miller was forwarded to me. However, as someone who is familiar with your standards of professionalism, I am curious on how you have come to know about him and what you think.

As someone who has met the guy and listened to him as nauseum, I have learned a little about Michael Miller. You can read on his website his bio which shows that he started to teach what he called Pilates before he had any real experience in it (less than 10 classes). He then went on and took a few workshops and proceeded to call himself a Pilates instructor without ever getting any certification or full training. His educational background is also lacking in the exercise sciences. Nevertheless, the man is so full of himself, that he claims to know the only true interpretation of what Pilates is. He states that Pilates is an "idea". Yes, like hey, I've got an idea. I'm going to quit calling my class a stretch class and start calling it Pilates. To make such a statement (Pilates is an idea) is like saying ballet or singing is an idea, and completely ignores the associated methodology and skill learning that is involved with the tradition. One doesn't need to listen to him very much to realize his disillusion. He actually thinks he follows Joseph Pilates philosophy and technique, even though Joseph, in his writings, refers to his work as a "method" and a "system", never as just an idea. Miller has lot's of photos of others doing Pilates exercises, but any instructor with a good teaching manual has similar photos plus essential information that describes the mechanics, cueing, form details, etc. Pilates did not teach with photos, ask any of those who actually studied with him.

I really wouldn't care about what Michael Miller thinks except that he usually is critcizing others as not being authentic or not knowing real Pilates. He has commented before on other's work in the field, including mine, without any real knowledge or experience of what their work is like, going simply with presumption and ignorance based on his "idea" of what they do. He preaches disdain and contempt for anyone who doesn't think like he does, positioning himself as the almighty authority. It is negative, close minded opinions like these that do nothing to advance the science of fitness.

Sorry, but I thought you should know. Would love to hear back from you.

Hope you are well.

Peace,

=========================================================================

Hi “_______”,

I hope you had a good new years. It interesting that your email to Michael Miller was forwarded to me. However, as someone who is familiar with your standards of professionalism, [it seems you are good at judging standards of professionalism and about to demonstrate some of your own]
I am curious on how you have come to know about him and what you think.

As someone who has met the guy and listened to him as nauseum, [I think you mean “ad nauseam” and that must have occurred at that affair where I was the keynote speaker, and then we chatted while you tried to sell your t-shirts.]  I have learned a little about Michael Miller. [This is completely true.] You can read on his website his bio which shows that he started to teach what he called Pilates before he had any real experience in it (less than 10 classes). [and you would be the one to decide what “real experience” is?  In the military, field promotions are the most prized.]  He then went on and took a few [few?] workshops and proceeded to call himself a Pilates instructor [I am a Pilates instructor.] without ever getting any certification or full training. [Oh, if only that were true!] His educational background is also lacking in the exercise sciences. [First, it was you judging standards of professionalism and now it’s you judging educational backgrounds in the exercise sciences. Do you apply this same incisive judgment to Romana, Ron, Kathy, Eve and all the others that are still alive teaching Joe’s work?] Nevertheless, the man is so full of himself, that he claims to know the only true interpretation of what Pilates is. [I do, and, I do.] He states that Pilates is an "idea". [It is.] Yes, like hey, I've got an idea. I'm going to quit calling my class a stretch class and start calling it Pilates. [Or Yogilates?] To make such a statement (Pilates is an idea) is like saying ballet or singing is an idea, and completely ignores the associated methodology and skill learning that is involved with the tradition. One doesn't need to listen to him very much to realize his disillusion. [Really, if you are going to try and insult me say it accurately: “his disillusion” is meant to read “he is delusional” right?] He actually thinks he follows Joseph Pilates philosophy and technique, [I do.] even though Joseph, in his writings, refers to his work as a "method" and a "system", [It is.] never as just an idea. [An idea is never “just” an idea. If an idea is at all, it is everything unto itself.  Joe’s “method”, Joe’s “system”, Joe’s “idea” is complete unto itself.]  Miller has lot's of photos of others doing Pilates exercises, but any instructor with a good teaching manual has similar photos [Not similar.  Cheap imitations perhaps.  I will put my photos up against any in the world for their superior lines.  And “lot’s” of photos? How about every exercise on every piece of equipment?]  plus essential information that describes the mechanics, cueing, form details, etc. [essential to whom? You? Do you think that the running average of 2 million visits to my web site are from viewers who only speak English?]  Pilates did not teach with photos, ask any of those who actually studied with him. [I have, and he did. Just look at all those photos he took, I’m sure he never referred to any of them.  And here is where you try to slip in the assumption that you have to talk to someone who actually studied with him to get to what he was teaching. Not so. I profess you can get to the essence of the system, the method, the idea itself from Joe’s pictures, Joe’s film, and Joe’s words. No need to rely on those with self-serving ambitions.]

I really wouldn't care about what Michael Miller thinks [oh, I don’t believe that at all.] except that he usually is critcizing others as not being authentic or not knowing real Pilates. [That’s true people can’t teach what they don’t understand.] He has commented before on other's work in the field, including mine, without any real knowledge or experience of what their work is like, going simply with presumption and ignorance based on his "idea" of what they do. [Oh, so I never heard anything of what you said during your listening to me ad nauseam, or from that class of yours I took, after which, when you asked me what I thought I responded that I didn’t see any Pilates.] He preaches disdain and contempt for anyone who doesn't think like he does, [You really think so?]  positioning himself as the almighty authority. [Not me, Joe, it’s his idea.]  It is negative, close minded opinions like these that do nothing to advance the science of fitness. [Or to give poachers free rein.]

Sorry, [I wish you were, but I don’t think you really are.] but I thought you should know. [Should know what? Your judgement? And help me understand why it matters.] Would love to hear back from you. [Looking for, or needing reinforcement?]

Hope you are well.

Peace, [right.]