Episode 15 - Melissa Miles: Healing with Pilates

Melissa Miles is a Pilates instructor, holistic health coach and the Founder & President of Teasers for Tatas. Melissa has taught Classical Pilates since 2009 and Holistic Health Coaching since 2010. She is currently a Lead Trainer at Real Pilates in NYC and owner of Melissa Miles Wellness.

A breast cancer survivor since 2014, Melissa has served as Pilates instructor at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Dubin Breast Center since completing her treatment there in 2016.

She founded TFT to bring the Pilates and Breast Cancer communities together to fund hospitals and organizations that provide free wellness services to Patients, Survivors, Pre-vivors and Thrivers.

https://www.melissamileswellness.com
https://teasersfortatas.org

Transcript

Welcome To Hip Talks

Speaker 1 0:00

Hello everyone and welcome to Hyp Talks. I'm your host, Katherine Hinchey. I'm a certified hypnotherapist, NLP practitioner, and SHRM Senior Certified Professional in Human Resources. After spending a decade working in the music industry, my path led me into the world of the healing arts, where science, energy, mindset, and transformation all meet. Each week, I sit down with a different healing practitioner to explore the many powerful modalities available to support our growth, well-being, and personal evolution. So come with me on this journey of discovery and learn about all the opportunities for healing and transformation that are available to all of us. Melissa is the founder and president of Teasers for Tata's. Melissa has taught classical Pilates since 2009 and holistic health coaching since 2010. She is currently a lead trainer at Real Pilates in New York City and owner of Melissa Miles Wellness. A breast cancer survivor since 2014, Melissa has served as Pilates instructor at Mount Sinai Hospital's Dubin Breast Center since completing her treatment there in 2016. She founded TFT to bring the Pilates and breast cancer communities together to fund hospitals and organizations that provide free wellness services to patients, survivors, previvors, and thrivers. Okay, Melissa, and welcome. I'm so happy to have you here.

Speaker 2 2:16

I'm so happy to be here. Thank you so much for having me, Catherine.

Speaker 1 2:20

So before we get into this, I just need to explain to all my listeners just our personal connection. We met in 1997 doing a ridiculous play together. And I've been very, very deep, close besties ever since. And, you know, when I got my diagnosis, or even before I got my diagnosis, just when I had the bad mammogram, the first person I called was Melissa because she had been through it and she guided me step by step through the whole process. And I'm forever grateful. We have so many other things. And so I might pop in and out throughout this day-to-day to, you know, share some stories with us. And we have a lot of stories over those years. Yeah, we have a lot of good ones too. So first and foremost, tell me about what part of the healing world are you working in and how is that going?

Speaker 2 3:13

Well, I'd say that the main part of the healing world that I'm working in is uh is teaching Pilates.

Friendship And Breast Cancer Support

Speaker 2 3:20

Um I uh started Pilates myself when, gosh, in in early 2000s, but I came from a family that did not exercise much. Um physical movement was not really a part of my upbringing at all. And actually, I can credit you a little bit. I remember when we were quite young in our early 20s, you said to me, also you have to figure out a an exercise routine or you, you know, things are not sustainable for you because I used to often get get sick and get colds and get things like that. And so I remember you saying that to me when we were young, and I worked for years trying to figure out some sort of movement modality that spoke to me. And then my wife, girlfriend at the time, Tina, thought I should try Pilates. And she was right, it it spoke to me, and and I've been a fan ever since. But what I was really interested in is how Pilates has a very easy point of entry. So even if you're a person who had never had any movement in their lives, Pilates um is a great sort of um, it's it's quite gentle to move into from a starting point. But

Why Pilates Works For Beginners

Speaker 2 4:35

it is scalable on every possible level. So if you are an elite athlete, there is work that can be done to both challenge you strengthen, you um balance out parts of your physical training that might get neglected. You know, if you're a pitcher, you have to your uh upper body strength, which is important to what you do. So I just found that fascinating that it could be right for somebody who had never exercised and right for someone whose life is built on physical activity and for everybody in between. So it's how I came to start teaching it. And and when I yeah, or or to practice it myself, and then eventually wanted to start teaching it as part of my sort of move into the wellness world. Around the same time that I got trained to teach Pilates, I also trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to uh sort of balance out a wellness routine by being able to offer not just in fact, not nutrition, but really sort of full wellness training. Um and I think of it more like program management of one's lifestyle, right? So working at not just what you eat, but what kinds of sort of nutrition theory kind of works for you as a person and for you in your schedule and that kind of thing. So initially, my plan was to combine these two things. I thought that I would work with people who had metabolic syndrome, like my father did. And um, I really, you know, lament the fact that he he really didn't have any strong training or frankly interest in sort of nutrition and physical health. And I feel like if he did, he probably would have lived beyond his 64 years. So I thought that would be the population that I would work with. And it just so happened that along my my journey, I, you know, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, as you mentioned, at age 40. And since that time, I've really started to specialize in working with patients who are also trying to act. That is a long answer to your question.

Speaker 1 6:39

Uh, that's perfect. And I, okay, first I have to interject one thing about your wife, Dina. When Dina was moving to New York City, she and my sister were dear friends in San Francisco. My sister says, Dina's moving to New York City. Do you know anybody who's looking for a girlfriend? And you just shared with me that you might be looking for a girlfriend. And I thought, oh, this will never work out. And so it did. And now you're married, and that's wonderful.

Speaker 2 7:11

Um we've been together uh nearly 26 years at this point, actually. So, you know, work out. Well, we are complete opposites, but it's it's one of those opposites that works, balance each other out somehow.

Speaker 1 7:25

And for, you know, going to what you're talking about with Pilates and then having that um experience with breast cancer, we can dig into that a little bit more. But then you founded teasers for tatas. And can you explain to people what that means?

Speaker 2 7:40

Sure. Yes, of course. Tatas, a cute, cute little word, uh, like boobies, I suppose. Uh, but teasers uh are a sort of the signature Pilates. And so in any Pilates workout, usually sort of the plimactic part of the workout is the teaser. So it's similar, I think, to to a boat pose in yoga, except um, except except higher. So it's sort of a body balancing on the sacrum, lifting the upper body and the legs to form a mean position. So that's why the name teasers or tatas, you know, I did take a year out for treatment because I started uh chemotherapy prior prior to surgery, and I wasn't sure that I would be able to support and spot clients while on chemotherapy. So I made the decision to not teach well in active treatment. But when I returned to the studio that fall, I saw October approaching, and of course it's breast cancer awareness month, and I thought, you know, we should really do something. I'm grateful to be back. I'm grateful for the care that we had. And I approached the owner of the studio I worked for at the time. Her name is Nicole Collet, still, still a Blevi's instructor, but now out in LA. But I asked her, you know, can we do a fundraiser at the studio? I'll plan it. But I would love

Creating Teasers For Tatas

Speaker 2 9:05

to raise some money for some of the wellness services that were offered to me at Jubend. A uh Jupin Breast Center offers things like massage therapy. I think now even access to hypnotherapy, if I'm not mistaken, but also movement mode is like yoga. Um, I now offer Pilates for that as well, you know, meditation classes and nutrition counseling and support groups and all kinds of things that are free to um patients there. And so I wanted to contribute to that. I found those things really helpful myself while I was going through treatment. And so went ahead and planned our first fundraiser. It was sort of a day of kind of Pilates circuit format. And, you know, we had, I don't know, three or four hours of Pilates where all of the teachers donated their time, all of the proceeds went to our, you know, donation to Duban. And we raised somewhere around $1,200 that day. But the following year, some of my colleagues who didn't work at that studio, but from elsewhere in the city said, We heard you did this thing last year. We would love to help out. Could we come and teach? And so that second year, I had teachers from all over the city in our little studio. And from there, it has started to grow. And last year was our biggest year, 10th year and our biggest year. And we had 106 partner studios across the US and Canada and Belgium. Now we support, I think, uh around 50 different um hospital breast centers and organizations that provide those kinds of lowness services to breast cancer patients. And in addition to that, we've started just this year offering direct to patient services for the first time. So we offer a free weekly virtual Pilates class on Thursdays. It's taught exclusively by survivor instructors like myself, but but we have about 10 or so and growing um instructors that uh were sort of that we rotate through each week. So anyone who has been impacted by breast cancer, a survivor, revivor patient in active treatment, can join this class and benefit directly from from Pilates.

Speaker 1 11:21

That's really amazing. I know you have been doing that for Duban for many years for their patients, but this is like open to people all over because it's on Zoom, right? It's on Zoom now. So any anybody from anywhere can join, absolutely. And what does somebody need to join a Pilates Zoom class?

Speaker 2 11:40

Ah, just a mat, really. And um, and without a mat, I've had people join class and say, I'm joining from my hotel room. I put down the towel. Um, and that works as well. So, but I feel like in the post-COVID era, almost everybody has a yoga mat rolled up in their in their closet somewhere. So that's

Free Virtual Pilates For Patients

Speaker 2 12:00

that's all that we need.

Speaker 1 12:02

All right. So I need to start talking a little bit about you. So, first thing I need to point out is you have the most unique accent I think I've ever heard. People are often asking me if you're English or what, and I remember you telling me, no, it's because I'm from and you corrected me on how to say the name. Um right, and now I'm gonna butcher it, but it's not Nevada, correct? It's Nevada, it's Nevada, exactly.

Speaker 2 12:34

And the Nevadans know this apparently, but yes.

Speaker 1 12:37

So does everybody in Nevada speak like that? Absolutely not.

Speaker 2 12:41

Um, I don't know, I don't know where it came from. I but I will say so both of my parents started their careers as journalists. Neither of them stayed in that for their entire careers. But both of my parents were very precise with their own language. I think that was the start. You know, you and I, as you mentioned, both have theater training. So I think that possibly had an impact on it as well. But I I also did a student exchange when I was in high school, when I was a junior in high school. And weirdly, it has nothing to do with why I have partner studios in Belgium, but my student exchange was in Belgium. And I feel like, you know, I was 16 years old. Um something about I think

The Voice, The Accent, The Cueing

Speaker 2 13:25

speaking in a foreign language, but also, you know, anytime I was speaking in English with people when I was there, most of them, you know, had drink br in British English. So that accent, I don't know. I think I feel like I came back with perhaps a slight affectation that never went away because I don't know, it landed right or something. I don't know. I don't, I don't know how to explain it, but that's that. But I get the same thing, you know, and I do Insta-Lives or other interview situations for teasers for tautists. People ask all the time. And I'm like, no, I this is just me. I don't know. It's the weird Melissa accent.

Speaker 1 14:00

Oh, and love it. You would be great hypnotherapist because you would put people right under that accent. And it'll be like, comment is happening here, and they'll go right into hypnosis.

Speaker 2 14:10

It helps also with teaching Pilates, actually, because Latis is a movement modality that has very specific language, right? So it's it's all about mind-body connection. And the idea is that the student approach practitioner is meant to key in to the instructor's voice and instructions and both anticipate but wait to follow exactly what the instructor is saying. And so in a very busy studio, I it's a skill that has to be learned by clients to tune into their instructor's voice during their session. Otherwise, you could get easily distracted by all of the other things that are happening. So I think it's kind of probably helpful for my clients that I have a very distinct vocalization style because being into my voice is is a little easier for them, perhaps.

Speaker 1 14:55

Well, absolutely. I I can attest to that personally because I've taken Pilates classes with you and it's just always wonderful and it's very clear. And it's not always the case when you go to other places. Uh, the other thing I have to point out is when we first met in our in our 20s, and you were explaining to me about this magical place you grew up that was so unlike anything that I'd ever experienced, which was Elko, Nevada. And you explained to me that there was this annual cowboy poetry festival that happened every year around your birthday at the end of January. And I thought, what is that? And I need to go to that. And and we did, we did. We we got on an airplane for your 30th birthday and had an amazing time. But so tell me, what was it like growing up in Alco, Nevada?

Speaker 2 15:55

It's funny that you remember me talking about it as a magical place because honestly, I mean, looking back at it, yes, indeed. But you know, it's a small town in the American West and a little bit isolating for that reason, right? You know, it's in northeastern Nevada and and I have such a hot soft spot in my heart for it now. And I recently went back again to the cowboy poetry gathering and like fell in love with Elko all over again and found even more appreciation for it than I had before. But as a small child who actually found it somewhat isolating, the closest cities

Elko And The Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Speaker 2 16:30

were either Salt Lake City, which was about a little over a four-hour drive to the east, um, or Reno the Bat, which was a five-hour drive to the west. So really um a unique part of the world because there wasn't a lot except the town itself, sort of. You know, I mean, there were some some smaller towns in the area, but not very many of them. So so that was one thing. But, you know, it's a high desert climate, beautiful mountain ranges that's super extreme temperatures, and and all of these things kind of, I don't know, came together to build, I don't know, I feel like some grit and the people that grew up there. I felt when I was younger that I didn't have enough culture in Elko, which is such a funny thing. And I couldn't wait to get leave and go to New York and have all the culture. And of course, I lived in New York City since since I graduated high school, really, since I since I left Elko. But but in the going back, the thing I realized on this last trip is that wow, all of that culture and community that comes with sort of building creative projects, it's all there. I wasn't I wasn't looking for it or wasn't able to see it because that is the place that I grew up. But this is the beautiful thing about the cowboy poetry gathering. It's it's a place where you know people who live in and appreciate uh the American West or or agrarian culture in in general come together and share not just poetry, but also music and plays and wrath and their jewelry making and their rope making and all kinds of things. So it's a it's a really special, unique festival. And as I was sitting there, I went in 2025, like January 2025, and as I was sitting there watching some of these sort of longtime performers at the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, I thought, oh, it's it's so interesting that that what I wanted was this sort of creative community. And it actually was here. I just, you know, I don't know. I was thinking Shakespeare was was culture and not recognizing that that what was right here in the environment that I grew up in is its own really powerful creative cultural itself.

Speaker 1 18:46

I remember the year that we went, uh it I think it was the 20th anniversary maybe of the festival. I have a kid somewhere. It could be 20. Um because you know, an Elko has a very large Basque population, right? And and you were the one that introduced me to Piku and Punch. Um and I promised we won't spend the whole phone, we won't spend the whole episode talking about Elko, but this was really fascinating because um every year they have a different artist in residence, and that year they had these Mongolian throat singers because Mongolia had a big has a big horse sort of culture as well. Also, one of the big like headlining bands that year was this band called Hot Club of Cowtown. And we ended up in the Western Folk Life Center after, you know, the day was over. And the two bands, the Hot Club of Cowtown and the Mongolian throat singers, were having a jam session together. And it was absolutely one of the most spectacular, mind-blowing, culture-clashing, fun experiences of of my life. So thank you for that.

Speaker 2 19:57

Thank you for bringing me to that. That uh yeah, that was that was amazing. It really um yeah. That was that was a special one. Also, hot clander cowtown was back again in 2025, by the way. So I got to see them. And to hang out with them again? I I didn't get to hang out with them again, but um, but did get to hear them uh a few different times over the course of the weekend that we were there. But it turns out they they perform in New York uh fairly frequently.

Speaker 1 20:26

So I I have seen them in New York, but yeah, that's so funny. Well, we have to go see them again. Yes. So do you feel like you're, you know, I mean, obviously you explained to me about why Pilates and getting into Pilates, and I didn't realize that I was a Tibasi friend, but I'm glad. Um that but just even just having this sense of wanting to be a healer with it, because that is really your approach about it. Do you think that has anything to do with your upbringing, or how did you come to that?

Speaker 2 21:01

As I mentioned, you know, my family, you know, worked really hard on conditioning the brain, did not work really hard on conditioning the body. And I think as partly because of that, I often felt uncomfortable in my body. And that really is sort of what what drove me into this sort of idea of working in in the wellness arena in general, is the idea that we as humans should feel comfortable and not even just comfortable, but joyous in our bodies. And I did not have that experience for, you know, much of my life. And and even uh, you know, in my theater training, you know, was grateful to be introduced to some movement modalities and and also, you know, forced to take dance classes and all of that kind of stuff. But it was miserable for me

Learning To Feel Good In Body

Speaker 2 21:55

because I really felt like for other people it was very natural to be on these. Physical apparatus and work them and move them. And to me, it really did not feel natural to me and often felt uncomfortable to me. So when I first started taking sort of private sessions where I was working on Pilates apparatus, I realized immediately that, you know, I could have movement experiences that actually felt good. And when I had a movement experience that felt good, then all of the other things I was trying to do, whether it was something with my brain or maybe something with my, you know, creative spirit, I had more access to that if I also have access to this freedom in my body. So I think that's is kind of where I started with Pilates. And I, you know, trained with instructors and alongside new instructors who came from the dance world. And sort of for them, you know, like movement was part of their life. It was, you know, completely natural to them. And sometimes sort of the way they communicated with the world. And so for them, Pilates was a way to sort of continue that. And for me, I was coming to it from a different point of like, I need an instruction manual of how to operate this thing. And Pilates was the instruction manual that taught me sort of how to how to do that. Now, Mr. Pilates himself was uh interested in uh he he really felt that conditioning the physical body was the path towards happiness, basically. We felt he has a great quote where he says that, you know, everyone should be able to, I'm butchering the quote, that to uh something to the effect of that everybody should be able to do their daily tasks and duties with zest and pleasure. And um, and I love this idea because uh, you know, I I think we we do have to condition the body and and continue to do that over time throughout all the changes that the body goes through over time. And Pilates is a is a great way to do that. So, you know, when I was in my 20s, 30s, uh, when I started training, I think when it was maybe 30s and in my 30s when I started training to become an instructor, like I said, I was really learning more about how to be comfortable and confident in my body. And then as time has gone on and changes have happened to my body, right? Like just the natural aging process, having Purani be able to adapt with me along the way has been great. And then certainly when I was in treatment, you know, everybody is encouraged to try to have gentle movement modalities while they're going through chemo and radiation and uh, you know, the gamut of potential uh treatments for breast cancer or cancer of any kind, uh cancer of any kind for that matter. And then Pilates became a way that I could keep moving, but but very gently. And then afterwards, um, after having you know bilateral masultomy and initially reconstruction, Pilates sort of became a way for me to rebuild my relationship with my body. And that was important because I found and heard in support groups so many women, I think, come out of breast cancer angry at their body and sometimes disappointed in their bodies, right? For feeling betrayed by your body, for letting them down, feeling betrayed by their body. I really felt like also the body is sort of the path on the way to sort of feeling better and feeling old again, you know. So being able to tap into the things that I still have. So maybe my upper body was weaker, my you know, tech muscles were being stretched over implants and so weren't uh weren't very strong, and things in my body looked

Movement Through Treatment And Menopause

Speaker 2 25:45

different to me in the mirror than I was used to, but there were all these other things that I could do. My body's helped me find all of the strength that I could access and then also start to work on rebuilding the strength and flexibility on the places that that had, you know, been impacted by this. So yeah, it's been a roadmap figuring my way through it. And you know, I don't know if it's talked a lot that, you know, women who have hormone-positive breast cancer go into early menopause, especially younger women who have it go into early menopause. Itself is is it brings so many changes to the body and uh and can bring discomfort, right? And pain, and there's uh dryness, and there's the joint pain, and there's the inflammation, and there's all of these things. But again, sort of movement and consistent movement can help with all of those things. Yeah. And so, you know, I've been through breast cancer and I've been through, you know, I I I continue through survivorship on that road to survivorship. I've had a preventative hysterectomy. I eventually had my uh implants, my prosthesis removed. That's a whole story in and of itself, and and then have had to work to repair my chest muscles since then and everything. But Bapalades has helped me through each of those steps by helping me tap into my strengths and then gently rebuild the places where I have rubic. I don't know if I answered your questions.

Speaker 1 27:14

No, you know, I have this, and I I really want you to share the story that you tell at Teasers about Eve. Will you tell that to her? Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 2 27:25

And so in Gentry was one of Mr. Karate's, Joseph Pilates um, well, students uh in the Pilates world we call his students. The students that he had, that he personally trained to become instructors. They're known as the Pilates elders, and there's about six-ish that are fairly well known. Romana Krasanowska is the one who is sort of well known in New York, and many classical Pilates instructors, actually, all classical Pilates instructors sort of teach um in the method that he taught to her and she passed down. But but there were others, and Eve Gentry was a modern dancer who started working with with Mr. Pilates in the in the 40s, and she I think she came to him with an injury. Actually, it was back pain, and you know, she was she was dancing 10-hour days that can hurt the body in general. And so she came to him to help sort of rebuild strengths and all of that kind of stuff and worked with him for some time. And then in 1955, she had been working with him for some time, but she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And because it was 1955, things were a little different, right? First of all, they went into surgery,

Eve Gentry’s Comeback After Mastectomy

Speaker 2 28:42

not knowing whether they were going to do a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. And so she went into surgery and she woke up to find she had had a radical anastectomy. And at that time, they did not just take the breast tissue, they actually took a lot of the tissue in the chest wall at that side, including the pectoral muscle, just completely removed the cell. And it was common at that time. So women who've had anastectomy weren't then able to lift the arm of the affected side, even higher than shoulder height. They had to keep it low. They could use, you know, use the hand and everything, but they just couldn't lift that arm anymore. Well, Eve was a professional dancer and was devastated by the idea that she could no longer use that side. And after healing from surgery, went back into the studio with Mr. Pilates and was so upset. And he said, in his German accent, which I don't do, I have this weird accent, but I don't do a German accent. But he would say, don't worry, refix. That's what he would used to tell his clients who came in injured. And so she worked with him for about a year, and he developed additional exercises for his system specifically for her to help her rehab so that she could rebuild strength or build even more strength in her back muscles and in all kinds of compensatory muscles so that she was able to lift her arm overhead. She didn't have the pec muscle to help, but she could use everything else that had gotten stronger to help. And so about a year after her surgery, she was able to return to the professional stage. And she did that in a dance that she choreographed, where she entered the stage, leaping onto the stage with that affected arm lifted overhead, which to me is sort of such a triumphant and beautiful story. And so anyone who is a Pilates instructor knows this history, right? We still study Roll Street and we study all of his elders and their stories. And so this is something that I knew from my Pilates training. I knew this story. But when I was diagnosed, you know, you start to grasp and try to keep yourself from spiraling. But one of my sort of true norths was like, okay, Eve was fine and Eve got through this, and I could get through this too. And so I love to share that story with patients that I need. And when I'm sharing Pilates with those patients, because, you know, we have tools available to us to help ourselves feel better. You know, we're not out there curing cancer. There are amazing people who are trying to do that, but we can help ourselves, and we can help as a lot of these instructors, we can help the breast cancer community sort of feel a little better in their body. And to me, that is worth so much.

Speaker 1 31:32

That's amazing. And I love the idea that you can age with this modality in a great way. I mean, I know a lot of dancers who had to retire because they're first of all, they it's such an ageist dance world is very ageist. I mean, it's getting better, but it's got a long ways to go. And that just, you know, their whole and and athletes too, that that their you know, careers end at such an early age. But with Pilates, you know, being an instructor, do you feel like you could do this until you retire? Yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 32:09

Okay, to do it till um, I don't know, for a very long time. There's a Pilates instructor who is in her 90s. Her name is Mary Bowen. And she, although she was not taught by Mr. Goladi to become an instructor, she was taught Pilates by just Pilates himself. And she was also, I mean, interesting. She's also a Yunyan psychoanalyst, and she has sort of combined those worlds. That's kind of in her career. But I've been privileged to see her do interviews and workshops a few times at Pilates Method Alliance meetings. And I always think, like, I want that to be me. I want to be, I want to be D3 and still comfortable and strong teaching Pilates and, you know, running around a conference at Pilates Conference Hall, just like all the 20-year-olds. Like that's that's what I that's what I hope Pilates can do for us.

Speaker 1 33:01

One thing that we haven't really touched on that's really quite special about you, Melissa, is that you are now not only a Pilates instructor, but you're an instructor for Pilates instructors. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Speaker 2 33:15

It's a part of my job that I really love. Um, so I am a lead trainer or teacher trainer for Real Pilates here in New York. Real Pilates has, gosh, somewhere around 20, 20 to 25 host studios across the country and the world, actually. And yeah, because I've found Pilates to be so important to sort of help ground me in my body and give myself a positive relationship in with my body. It's really rewarding to be able to teach that skill to other people who want to do this work. And I would say even to educate those people because you know Pilates has had a big, you know, surge, right, in the last five, 10 years for sure, but even more so in the last five years. I think this is because social media basically it has sort of exploded everywhere. And so getting to sort of find people who are interested in in Pilates, perhaps because of what they see on Instagram, and give them

Training Pilates Teachers And Lineage

Speaker 2 34:15

all of this sort of like grounding history about who Mr. Pilates was and the kind of people that he taught. You know, Eve's story is so amazing, but all of the people he taught had equally wonderful stories, you know, and and break backgrounds and went on to do and create interesting versions of the message and everything. And so sort of to be able to share that with um Latin instructors is amazing. And a mode of Pilates that I teach is classical Pilates, that is um through the lineage of Romana, Romana Krisanesca, who tries try to stay as as close as possible to what Mr. Pilates originally taught. And so being able to sort of pass that on and help them see the benefits of that in their own body and how they can benefit other bodies is pretty special.

Speaker 1 35:05

How do people find you if they want to study with you or if they want to become involved with Teasers for Tata's? Tell us how they find you.

Speaker 2 35:15

A couple of easy ways, right? My website is Melissa Miles Wellness. You can find a way to contact me on there. And if you're interested in looking more at what Teasers for Tata's does, it has grown into a bigger organization with a wonderful board, a volunteer support team, and our website is teasersfortaz.org. You can take a look there, and there's contact info for all of us on there as well.

Speaker 1 35:40

And you're always inviting other partner studios to join, correct? Absolutely.

Speaker 2 35:45

The more, the merrier. And, you know, I guess something that I didn't touch on that's very specific to the Pilates world is a couple of different approaches to the Pilates method. Like I mentioned, I teach classical Pilates, but there are a lot of contemporary methods out there as well. And one thing TFT aims to do is sort of make a very safe community place for both of those worlds to exist together. I think early in Pilates history, those two worlds were somewhat adversarial. And TFT loves the fact that we actually are building a network, a collaboration of studios from all different backgrounds where we can celebrate what each other do and then come together to help the breast cancer communities. So, yes, the more, the merrier. You

How To Join Or Partner With TFT

Speaker 2 36:30

do not have to be a classical Salatis studio, but all movement is helpful. And all you need is the interest in helping this community.

Speaker 1 36:40

Would you like to lead us through something before we close out today?

Speaker 2 36:44

Let's see with a little something that is a way that I usually end a session. So, and it's very funny because you know, Glasgow Pilates in particular, we're we're very specific about order. There is a way to begin and there is a way to end.

Speaker 1 37:02

Hey everyone, if you're listening while you're driving, if you're listening while you're driving, and come back when you're safely somewhere, where you're safely somewhere where you can listen and go into a nice.

Speaker 2 37:17

But this particular exercise is one that um sometimes I begin a mat class with and also end a mat class with. And it involves a standing position. So of course, anybody is welcome to join, but don't do this if your attention needs to be elsewhere, like you're crossing a street or something like that. Make sure you have your attention on the work. So you'll stand in what we call Pilates stance. So I'll I'll describe what that is. First of all, it's with your feet in the V. So the heels are together, the toes are apart. It is not like a dancer's first position. It's not that wide, it's just a face distance between the two big toes. So it's a fairly narrow V. But do make sure that that V

Standing Powerhouse Guided Practice

Speaker 2 38:00

is created because the tops of your thighs are turned out to move the feet into the V, not because just the ankles have turned out. In that position, you'll take your arms all the way up to the ceiling, take a deep breath in. And on an exhalation, try to pull your belly button back to your spine. And Pilates, we call that a scoop. And just let go of that again. So you'll take a nice deep breath in. And on the exhalation, scoop your abdominal muscles back to your spine. We'll add on to that. Take a deep breath in. And on your exhalation, scoop your abdominal muscles and also try to harm the sides of your body towards the midline, right? So now all four directions are hugging in towards your spine. Let's do that again. Deep breath in. And on the exhalation, scoop your abdominal muscles, hug the midline. Then we'll add one more thing to that. Take a deep breath in. And on the exhalation, scoop your abdominal muscles, hug the midline, and think of engaging your seat. So, like you're lifting from the backs of the heels up the backs of the legs through the glutes. Good. Now you're connected to what we call the powerhouse. We'll take another deep breath in. And on the next exhalation, lift up on your toes and lower the arms so they're just hanging right in front of your hips, shoulders nice and low. Make sure the backs of your legs are still zipped up from your heels all the way to the seat. And now take a moment to turn your head and look over your right shoulder. Make sure the rest of your body stays nice and strong. You're still up there on your toes. And then you'll turn your head and you'll look over the left shoulder. That's it. Same thing. Try to zip up the backs of the legs. Then look forward. Maybe take another sip of air. And on the exhalation, lower your heels and lift the arms back up to the ceiling. So now we'll do that same thing, but we're gonna add the breath. So here we go. On an inhalation, lift up on your toes, lower the hands in front of your hips, hug the backs of the legs. Hold your breath this time. Turn it out, look to the left, look to the right, look forward, and exhale, lower the heels, lift the arms. Let's do one more. Here we go. Inhale, lift up on your toes, hug the heels, lower the arms, feel your shoulders drop away from your ears. Maybe then expand the chest, expand the rib cage as you turn and over your right shoulder, look over your left shoulder, look forward, exhale, lower the heels, lift your arms. I feel like we have to even out, do one more. Here we go. Inhale, lift up on your toes, lower those hands, find that deep scoop, lift to the left, look to the right, look forward, and finally exhale, lower the heels, lift the arms, and then from your palms out. And then take about full counts to start to lower your arms down by your side. As you do that, you grow a little taller and taller and taller. And when your hands reach your guys, you are ready to go on with the rest of your day.

Speaker 1 40:55

Wonderful. Thank you, Melissa Miles.

Speaker 2 40:59

You are so welcome, Catherine Henshey. I love that you are doing this podcast, and I really, really appreciate your having me on. It really is an honor.

Speaker 1 41:11

You've been listening to Hip Talks, original music by Tracy Moore and the Jazzy Fat Nasties. Podcast Editing and Sound Engineering by Zachary Trainer. If you like what you heard, please like and share and follow us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you make a comment, I promise I will respond. Give a love to live you give to give.