By Niki Ritzinger
A few folks in the Chilkat Valley are
carrying themselves a little taller since taking Pilates classes with instructor Kami
Trimble.
A dancer and trainer, Trimble teaches
Pilates, a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen and
balance the body by working muscles of the torso, including the abdomen.
Think of combining the benefits of yoga
and sit-ups, and focusing breathing in a way that increases lung capacity and circulation.
Joseph H. Pilates developed the
discipline during World War I to help injured veterans regain their strength. His
rehabilitation program focused on six principles: centering, concentration, control,
precision, breathing and flowing movement.
He used the term “contrology”
to describe use of the mind to control the “powerhouse” core muscles of the
body. His philosophy focused on the postural muscles to help keep the body balanced and
provide spinal support.
Pilates built fearsome-looking machines
with names like “the Reformer,” “the Cadillac,” and “the Ladder
Barrel” to promote strengthening by use of resistance. Designed to help bedridden
patients, the Cadillac was made from bedsprings. “The equipment looked like torture
devices,” said Trimble.
Dancers and gymnasts picked up on
Pilates’ techniques in the 1920s, but the next big advance came in the 1980s when the
discipline caught the attention of medical professionals.
Working with physical therapists,
Canadian ballerina Moria Stott Merrithew formulated the Stott Pilates program, applying
Pilates principles to physical therapy and the understanding of the natural curves of the
spine. Pilates spread rapidly as a fitness regimen.
Trimble grew up dancing, with training
in jazz, tap and modern dance at an early age. She majored in exercise science and minored
in dance at the University of Montana, where she studied ballet and also performed in the
university’s dance troupe.
Trimble said a semester class in
Pilates helped her discovered its benefits, its focus on deep, core muscles improving her
dancer’s form and technique. “I was the first person at the university to apply
Pilates and dance in my thesis. Now other people are taking their coursework in that
direction,” she said.
She trained for 100 hours at the
Pacific Northwest Pilates Studio in Portland to become a Stott-certified Pilates
instructor. After graduation in 2003, Trimble worked for the Montana Athletic Club in
Missoula,
assisting a physical therapist by
incorporating Pilates techniques into therapies. She also taught water aerobics and
Pilates classes. She prompted the club to open a Pilates studio and started Pilatesbased
rehabilitation.
“Pilates is really good for
rehabilitation. It helps prevent back pain and injury. It’s great for any sport or
even shoveling or driving a car. It teaches your body to use the proper muscles. You learn
to use your core to move instead of back muscles or joint muscles,” Trimble said.
Trimble found herself in the Chilkat
Valley when her fiancée invested in a local winter sports business. She taught Pilates
last winter at The Covenant Life Center.
Betty Banaszak organized the class for
about a half dozen women who had been receiving physical therapy. Not only was Banaszak
impressed with Trimble’s ability to “scale-down” exercises for seniors, she
also felt respected.
“Kami was very sensitive to our
abilities with our age. She helped us tremendously. She was very good with us,” said
Banaszak.
Banaszak noticed a difference from
working with an instructor rather than trying the exercises on her own with a DVD or
video. She realized after working with Trimble that she had been doing most of the
exercises not exactly in the correct form.
“It’s pretty important to
have a trainer in the beginning. There are subtleties that make a big difference,”
said Banaszak. Said Trimble: “Pilates is simple movement but if you don’t know
how to incorporate the deep, stabilizing muscles, it can throw off the rest of your body.”
Trimble currently is teaching beginning
mat Pilates class on Wednesday and Friday mornings at The Chilkat Center for the Arts. The
basic class teaches students to think about working their body from the inside out.
“I’m very impressed with her.
She’s very educated,” said novice student Christy Fowler.
Since participating in a few beginner
classes with Trimble, Fowler has noticed a change. “It has made me more aware of how
I’m carrying myself. I’m sitting straighter and there is a difference in my
posture. It’s enlightening,” said Fowler.
“We could see a difference
immediately in our core. We walked differently and carried ourselves differently,”
echoed Banaszak.
Trimble
said she would also like to start an intermediate strength training class. “I would
love to teach more classes. Movement is such a vital experience for the body.”
