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Got strength? Got flexibility?
You can get both with Pilates as Mabelle Bastien,
a New York Guild certified instructor has proven.

Kelly Arbor

Pilates is not just another exercise program. After developing a regimen to strengthen immobilized patients in Europe, Joseph Pilates immigrated in the 1920s to New York City, where the method won adherents among ballet dancers wanting to stay in tip-top shape. The Pilates method has recently blossomed into one of the most sought-after conditioning programs. Enthusiasts include Madonna, Patrick Swayze. Vanessa Williams, Sharon Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kristi Yama-guchi and Jamie Lee Curtis.

On Maui, former swim and volleyball coach and long-time resident Mabelle Bastien completed the grueling 600-hour training program that led to her being one of the three New York Guild certified Pilates instructors in the state of Hawaii.

'To preserve the body, you need to stretch and strengthen," said Bastien.

 "So you can do yoga and stretch, stretch, stretch for two hours, and then go to the gym and do strength exercises for an hour. Or you can do Pilates for an hour, which stretches and strengthens at the same time."

Unlike many other work-out regimens, Pilates claims not to leave a tired body tired in its wake. Instead, sluggish muscles are given a wake-up call and there is a feeling of invigoration. An out-of-shape beginner may feel interesting changes after one or two sessions.

"It starts in the mind." Bastien explained. "It wakes up parts that haven't been awake."

This body-mind connection occurs in Pilates in part because there is more attention to fewer movements, "Its not mindless aerobics, where you are so busy keeping up, you don't know what you arc doing." she added.

Instead, the body builds up a memory of the new way of moving, uniting muscle groups that are often disconnected. Using the abdomen, lower back and buttocks as a power center, or "power house," the body can move with greater freedom. In a short time, students seem to stand taller.

"It is basically movement that restructures the body," Bastien explained.

Joseph Pilates told his students, "You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 30 sessions and have a completely new body in 30 sessions,"

Although training is available on a variety of specialized equipment many results are achieved with "The Mat" repertoire, a series of abdominal and spine exercises which are built upon controlled breathing. Bastien coaches mat students to reach a higher level of "contrology," a term Pilates coined. At first, the rhythm of the lessons is relatively slow, but after a few sessions of learning how to work the muscles more efficiently, the lessons build to a more aerobic pace.

Keeping the proper Pilates stance is a necessity, something that is not widely understood, she explained. The stance and other subtle refinements of the method were handed down from Pilates to Romana Kryzanowska, the master teacher whom Bastien apprenticed with.

In the certification course, she also studied the range and characteristics of each muscle group in detail. As a former swim coach, Bastien had an eye for subtle differences in movement, which can change an average swimmer into a championship swimmer.

Because Pilates uses the power center as the source of the movements, someone recovering from injuries can practice Pilates. While still a beginning student. Bastien found she was able to do Pilates after a whiplash injury,

"I couldn't do hiking, jogging or surfing, but I still could do Pilates she said.

Since many of the exercises are done on the mat, a relaxation effect is also at work, "Who can't get up for lying down?" Bastien quipped.

While Pilates has appeal to students of all fitness levels, Bastien herself is no slug. To get in to the New York program, Bastien, a sports coach with 20 years experience, had to audition. She took an 8-hour written exam in the course of her 600 hours of training, and at the end of the year-long process, passed a 16 hour certification exam, which 60 percent of students fail on the first try, according to Bastien.

But buyers beware. A number of fitness teachers have only had weekend workshops, Bastien cautioned. Although the New York Guild spent years in court to try to protect the Pilates trademark, they didn't succeed in having exclusive use of the name.

Bastien offers classes and private lessons at her Paia studio, as well as classes at the Maui Country Club.  For more information Contact Bastien at 573-4111.