[tilley]

Hi there,
Been a bit out of the Balance/LM loop for a while but been back on board at a couple of local gyms in Tassie since Feb. It's great to be back into it after 2 years of just teaching Pilates mat classes.
Anyway, have a missed something? Where is everyone and where are the posts on the latest releases?!!!!

Anyway, have done Balance 52 a few times now and will be teaching it for the first time this week. Personally, I found parts of it pretty challenging, the balance track in particular.

I like most of it though..........some of the music is a bit dubious but I assume that has come around since these silly PPCA free issues right?

Highlights for me were the hip track, core track and frd folds. I love Set the Fire to the First Bar and have done for years. The core track is like a dynamic Pilates class jammed into one song - but it is fun and there are good challenges. Any frd folds with gorilla pose is a winner for me and the repetition of the tai chi is lovely.

So any tips/comments from people that have been teaching this for a while?

Cheers,
Tilley

[Special]

I haven't been teaching Balance. I did this release at workshop and I learn the first 3 tracks.
It seems lovely but I never did get around to looking at it all properly.

Must feel good to be back.

[Mel]

hey tilley, did you get the PPCA free version or the original version?

I'm not teaching a permanent balance at the moment, so I haven't learnt the latest release. Did it at the workshop though, not really sure how I feel about it. Last release though was the best ever, in my opinion, in a long time.

[grandnat]

For me Balance is a revelation at the moment with Jackie Mills continuing to turn out excellent moves choreographed almost lovingly to well selected music. Also the programme is very popular in Edinburgh and my classes are consistently full with waiting lists which just adds to the great feeling Balance evokes in me.



Tai Chi (Airplanes): Unexpected music this. A quiet piano introduction, followed by a modern pop chorus then moves into the sort of rap verse we rarely hear in Balance. The two moves are very simple and effectively repeated verse chorus verse chorus. It's only just over three minutes long and is a short sharp introduction. Nevertheless this is the track I have received most requests to change and the feedback is that it is too repetitive. Personally I feel it is too short to be repetitive but sometimes there is a groundswell of opinion so I am changing this one soon.



Sun Salutations (Daylight): I was just starting out as a Balance participant the first time this exact same piece of music appeared as a Sun Salutation in BB18 (though for the detail geeks out there this time the track has been edited so that it is about a minute shorter). The moves are refreshing with a complete departure from the usual Sun Salutation sequence with Child's Pose, Striking Cobra, Warriors One and Two and Three Legged Dog all making an appearance. The sequence is very quick as the track is quite up beat and as suchit is very challenging for new people. But the flow of the moves is so different that this stands out amongst Sun Salutation tracks. I assume that the music was edited for timing reasons which is a shame I would have been tempted to try and use the earlier, longer version and maybe increased the number of salutations from 4 to 6.



Standing Strength (Give Love): The flow into track 3 is achieved by repeating the first part of the sun salutation sequence and this sets up the standing poses well and also provides a well needed couple of rests as the track progresses. Again quite a number of quick changes but by the end of each side the lead leg is burning and screaming for a break. Once again, as in recent releases, Jackie has overlaid subtle modifications to the Yoga poses that form the basis of the track and this adds to the interest. By the time we are in wide legged intense pose just waiting for the music to finish our legs are just about done in. Don't let people come upright until they can't hear the music at all.

Balance (If I could Turn Back the Hands of Time): So just what we need after a tough standing strength is a tough balance track and this really does challenge us to the extreme. The slower music helps to lower the heart rate, and the natural flow from pose to pose helps disguise the intensity of what is going on but by the end there is an epidemic of wobbling going on. I always tell my people that wobbling is good - in this track I'm not sure they believe me. The Tree to Half Moon to Warrior 3 is a great sequence.



Hips (Set the Fire to the Third Bar): Now the pace slows right down as we sink to the floor for the hips track. I love hip tracks that allow you to teach breathing and you need to breathe deep to get into these exquistive poses. For people who work their legs hard by running or in cardio classes this deep Swan Pose is perfect. With forehead on the floor it feels deep - and I almost want the track to be longer so we can stay down and enjoy it even more.



Abs (Love Generation): Well this abs track was already quite well known even before I launched it. We had all heard the rumours that it was nine and a half minutes long and had been winding the classes up about this on coming storm. I think they were disappointed when it turned out to be only slight less than 9 minutes. Some have critisised this for being two fragmented, others have said it doesn't really work the abs. Well once to "hear" the music changes the flow is actually quite good. And even though you do have to work hard to keep the effort in your abs rather than your legs - if you can it is a tough one. The knee to elbow cycling works well. I started counting my class down on the final 8, then cunningly adding another 4 on at the end (i.e. starting to count down the final 12 if you know what I mean) - and this has turned into a game over the weeks. You know you have them when you start to count down the final 8 (or so they think) then add another 12 then a final 4. They never do any more that the choreography says - but it works on getting them focussed.



Others have critisised the Lola Pose. It is difficult but you have to teach it in a fun way. And once people get over the preconception that it is all about arm strength - then they can achieve lift off.



Back (Crossfire): Holding Camel pose in this track for long periods makes up for the rapidly changing sequences earlier. In fact I can't remember ever being given the chance to explore Camel in as mucg depth before, let alone have time to demonstrate 2 other varients. The Cat, Child's Pose and Striking cobra is a nice flowing contrast to the initial static poses and by the time we finish in Bow Pose everyone is ready to have their strings cut so that they can flop back to the ground.

Twists (This Ain't a Love Song): Very quirky music and a necessarily quick series of twists. We are in and out of this one before we have time to think.



Hamstrings (Stop Crying your Heart Out): Another Leona Lewis track and another one of her songs that provides an almost cinematic build up to the finale quite similar to "Run" which was used in BB46. Gorilla Pose is give room to breathe and extend before the music gets louder and we finish in a flowing return to the Tai Chi moves from the opening track. Great climax - but not quite the end...


Relaxation (Eternal OM): Using this first, short, relaxation track to keep people in a wide leg forward bend to stretch their hamstrings for a little longer is a subtle way of scuppering the plans of people who usually dive for the door before the relaxation starts.



Relaxation/Meditation (Lux Mundi): The music is a little bland, but after that climax we don't want anything complex.



So yet another great Balance release with some real differences. The Sun Salutation and the Abs track are almost experimental in their use of different exercises and I am certainly in favour of this. If the quality of Balance releases continues on this path then classes will remain full and waiting lists will grow even longer.

[tilley]

Lovely to hear from some of you! Thanks for a very extended explanation of how this release is going for you Grandnat.
Mel, I had to buy the PPCA free version which is a real pain. My gym is able to have original music but LMAus had sold out. It has the horrid LM announcement at the start stating that is is cover music. Not exactly a great intro to Tai Chi! This would be my main critism of this release - that I have to listen to lousy versions of each song, especially Love Generation which sound silly!

I have been teaching this for a few weeks now and generally the feedback is good.

T1 - Short, sweet, not really very 'zen'....
T2 - Lovely, nice variations!
T3 - lots of time to get into the poses, good to have the twisting pose which is different a refreshing.
T4 - hate R Kelly....can't get beyond it!
T5 - Love this song, have done for years! Simple chorrey, long poses.
T6 - Long and challenging! I like the variety of moves, however, I would do that many with the back track in a full Pilates class with 5 years of teaching experience!
T7 - ok, music is a bit dull!
T8 - hmm, ok, not very challenging!
T9 - ok, music is boring. New moves are nice but it all seems a bit short!
T10/11 - LOVE these tracks, really set a beautiful vibe and feel for chilling out!

So that's about it from me. Lola is ok, it's more of a laugh than anything! I have short arms for my torso and find things like this and the ab lift from 33 really impossible! But it's all good and no-one takes it to heart!

Hear from y'all soon!