Pilates, Dance, and Personal Growth

Hello. It's Amber World. Can I hear you? Can you hear me? I can hear you. Hello? I hear you. How wonderful. Hey. Do I need headphones? Didn't occur to me? Nah.

I had I had Bruce on. I had Bruce on a couple months ago. And, He had, like, 2 devices going at the same time and was speeding back. Mhmm. Oh. And we couldn't fix it. It was very challenging. But you're good. My next question. But first of all, can everyone else are us talking right now? Yes.

Everyone can hear us. Hey, everybody. How do I make it so my phone my computer doesn't bring gino blaying or make noises? Because I need it for my microphone. We'll figure it out. Alright. It doesn't this is so cash. This is like, Dylan Christie are having a chat.

Right. Well, then And we have friends with us. How fun is that? Family. I'm happy birthday, Kathy. Present family. Yeah. My mom returned 90 last week, folks.

How about that? Let's hear from Mama. I was back east. We had a big party. 70 five people came in my sister's backyard. I got strict fence on my chin too. This is really good looking.

Okay. I'm gonna add it up to here. Christie. See. Alright, Nick. It's so nice to see you. Great to see you too. This is super fun.

So This is actually a tradition in our little chats here that I got from you, but you don't even know it. Because you said to me once Joe Pilates said you gotta out the out breath to get in the in breath or some sort of thing like that. Do you know the quote? Yeah. Well, usually it's said in a interesting German accent by the friends I have, but, it it is along the lines of you've cut it out the air to in the air and then he's related to out the bad to inhale the good. Well, that's what we that's how we start every live with guilt session.

Because I I use some mangled form of that quote with no German accent. Until everybody, we're gonna do three forced exhalations, and then we're gonna take freebies on the inhalation. So we push the air out, And then we just get the free rebound, and that's how we homogenize our group. So let's do it. Okay. So it doesn't it could be out your nose, out your mouth. I don't care.

I do it on my so you can see it happening for the timing of it. But okay. Here we go. So now now we go. And then the free rebound. Oh, I love that. Let me go out again. And take the free rebound.

I'm a Pilates teacher. Hold on. And then how we go again, and we enjoy the free rebound. And then because you, Christie Cooper, are my guest, I'm gonna start with a poem. Aw.

That's why not. So I'm gonna read a poem. It's called inevitable son. I didn't originally write them with titles, but when I put it in a book, I had to make titles. So so I could make an index and a table of contents, and then I forgot to put numbers on the Pilates.

So it didn't really matter. The pleasure, the pleasure of knowing who you are. The pleasure of knowing who you are comes upon you like a joke. Whose meaning first escaped you, compounding multiple waves of murph. To mistake a shadow or the sun or to believe, even insist that the sun does not exist because a cloud obscures it is really quite absurd.

The joke, of course, is on us. We are the ones who carry it out. My yoke is easy, and my burden light. What weight we feel ourselves to bear lasts only for the moment. Between punchline and understanding.

Before shadows and clouds, in truth, unbounded by gravity, pass. The levity of a brilliant and inevitable son is ultimately obvious and irresistible in its power to lift us up and perfectly expose us. So here we are exposed So, folks, Christy made me a poet. Just for a time. It was a little chapter when, phones came out of me, and Christy made a little book for me and said, look, you're writing a book.

I was like, what? I don't know how to write a book. Certainly not a book of poetry, but she made it proof she went on to one of those online things put together some some stuff I had written. And, and I was thunderstruck and kept on writing. So We've been able to share that with many people since then. In fact, I just ordered another, like, 400 for tree books and $9000 worth of books. I just got delivered to my doorstep a couple weeks ago to bring out on tour.

So thank you, Christie, for the inspiration. Any folks know who is here? I need to wait, Benjamin, before you say that. I need to say, no, you were the poet. I just showed it to you.

That's it. That's all. Okay. Go ahead. Alright. Whatever. Slap down your compliment. You're welcome.

Thank you. Be without me. There we go. That's what I wanted to hear. Okay. So Christy Cooper is an astonishingly accomplished human being. Now you guys gonna have to suck it up and take it.

Who was 1st is amazing a list Pilates instructor. Who then co founded this monstrous company who's got a whole studio in Los Angeles and in in carpenter, Riva, Pilates Anytime with our wonderful partners Ted and John, and they created the biggest baddest assets online Pilates resource, in the world. But on top of that, The reason why it's so successful is because well, John's the business guy. Amazing. Ted is the web guy. Amazing, but Christy is the content person. And because of her unbelievably deaf capacity to connect with people. Got all of these people who were antagonistic to each other, frankly, under one roof.

That's crazy. You could be like Ben Franklin or something. You you you I just in your capacity to to bring, like, parties together. As a diplomat. You're a diplomat.

Now we're gonna add on Christy is also, well, athlete of crazy and comparable abilities. First time I saw Christy Du Pilates at her studio. It was like watching a triple black belt martial artist, the level of focus and mastery over the simplest movement. Like, you ever see those, what do you call them, those tyco drummers? Right? And they're like, they're like, strike the Tycho drama. And, you know, like, and the whole audience is like, ugh, what happened? You know, it's just like a person hit a drum, but it's like something different was expressed there due to the focus mastery and intensity. That's how Christy does Pilates. Now we gotta add on.

She's a historian. Because Pilates has a history. And and no one really told it. And having a media company to help support the effort of telling that story, Christie has repeatedly documented the history of Pilates in a number of super cool films. Whether it be about Joe himself or about his 1st generations of teachers and interviewing people all over the world, literally. And that's a standing thing now that exists, not to mention a website with a bajillion.

Not one bajillion, but maybe several bajillion videos. With all of the Best Buy's teachers on the planet. Some of them in this room. Yay. Thank you for coming today. So thank you all for joining me here today to welcome Christie to live with Gilm.

So we can chat about all that and about movement, dance, personal growth, and your journey because I think it's a compelling thing to share with folks because you've come a long way. Thank you. I hope so. I mean, I hope I I feel like I've come a long way, but I also hope that it is compelling or even interesting. So I'm gonna lee let you lead the questions that you need. We're turning the tables on you. We're still waiting for the intro, so I'm gonna Christie has interviewed the most amazing people all over the place, but for interviews you, this is your mouth.

It's like, turn on the table. Because folks kinda know. So you started young with Pilates. What? You were like, a kid. Yeah. I I was. I started to take it at 13 and teach it at 15. It wasn't a really clear avenue for me to feel comfortable in the new city and at the age I was.

You know, when it tells you to inhale or exhale, you're like, I can do that. I belong. If I can Read it in, breathe it out. Now. So Did you find it compelling because it engaged your own physicality or just gave you something to do as a kid? I found it compelling because I I lacked control, not in my body's per se, but in my, you know, like, any teenager I suppose, but it was also City, I I also it was 1983. So it was the time of you had to be skinny as out email or you or nothing.

And Yeah. At least that's what I thought. I now know that was never true, but that's what thought. And you thought Pilates might get you there? Oh, yeah. It wasn't just Pilates at the time.

I was going to total workout. I was Uh-uh. Thinking I was an aerobics teach. Yeah. Yeah. But Keith was the one that made me realize I actually am strong. Like, when you introduced the athlete aspect of me, that took many years for me to even Like, I'm not the athlete was what I came up again.

I'm not the athlete, but somehow when you when there's a program and a system and something you could follow. And the way I learned it was even with music and beats and, you know, I could do the 8 count thing. It was it was a way to feel like I could do stuff with my body. And it it totally could be that. Yeah.

And your teacher was Kathy Cory was my first teacher. And Kathy Cory was Oh, sorry. Okay. Let me back up. I Kathy Cory was my friend's mom. And so she held a teen class. Oh, nice.

And so we'd walked a bunch of us would go down after school. And Kathy Cory is what, you would consider a master teacher. You know, she's worked with many of the 1st generation teachers. I don't that's about as far as I go with that term, just like if they were there with Joe, they're they were there. And but Kathy, is still active in teaching and, with trainings and helping preserve Joseph's legacy as well through her efforts in the Munchen Golf flied back, conference, which I I'm getting the I won't be able to name it off the cuff, but yeah.

So she she worked with Ron Fletcher, a little with Kathy Grant. Youth gentry. She did a lot of recording. So she I didn't know it then. I didn't care. I was just like I feel good. It's my friend's mom, and I feel good. Yeah. Perfect. But that was such that's a a nice intro.

We didn't He didn't learn it from nobody. But I now know much much as is the case in the martial arts lineage seems to be important in Pilates, for whatever reason, maybe only because there was a charismatic founder and and you wanna have some connection to that, much like Rolfers will feel like, oh, I studied with the 1st generation Rolfing teacher chair or someone who studied with the 1st generation. And it same thing in in that community where there's a charismatic founder who's who's insights and perceptions and systems create a lasting contribution. I can see the parallel there. Yeah. Yeah. I've yeah. Definitely.

I think I'd also think lineage is important. And, you know, in two different ways, really. Like, in starting a business, it was one way. And and and in reality, it it's just the truth. I don't know if you want more on that, but Well, you you also stay a lot with, Rail Sacowitz. Right? Yes. Yes. There was a a moment in between Kathy Murakami, and there was a lot of change going on in the industry at the time with what you could or couldn't say it was Pilates. And then It's so although I'd gone through it, well, back then kind of a formal training, even though there were no formal trainings, Kathy's really organized And it played out well, but then it was like, okay, now I'm gonna align with a different company to do the same thing I just taught you.

And so that's sort of a handful of friends of mine. And I got to meet rail. And that really inspired me. To say the to say the Yeah. His his way, really took me to another place where I needed to go at that time. And then working for him also really helped. Yeah. I mean, you you traveled the world for real. Right?

And what is his called rails Pilates. What did you call it? Oh, sorry. It's Bassi Pilates. Bassi Pilates, b a s I. Body Arts And Science International.

Yes. And and when I went to a work for him, it was just to work for him because I was so inspired. And then I was like, can you just write this down? For the future. He's like, yeah. So you've you've done this before. You should you should reference that. But, yes.

And so and he was offended that I would say god forbid you ever aren't here, but that you were so inspiring a around this work that I've been playing around with all this Anytime, why don't you put it down? And, And that was after taking his certification. And, yeah, he did look. He's, yeah, he's one of the leaders out there for sure. And, yes, he took me all over the or sent me all over all I should say. Uh-huh. It's awesome. Teaching Bazi Pilates. Bing Porham specifically is mo certain modules. Yes. So where'd you go?

South Africa comes to mind first as where a lot of my friends are now. And I feel like his home. I've been to Turkey. I've been to China. A lot through Southern California, of course. And there's more.

I know. I forget. They're a lot a lot. Like, I'd never been Anytime. And then through his structure, which is a good one. I was like, I'm on on my way to Istanbul. Yeah. I ambassador for Pilates to the world.

And I guess you have a unique perspective then. I'm just like What does movement mean at different places? Like, in other words, I've been dissecting, you know, will all ladies from New Jersey most of my career. And and people, like, asked me a question about Anytime, and I'm like, well, Here's how it looks in Willow Old folks in California and New Jersey. And and I'm like, because I don't know how bodies move or act or what are the habits of people in Istanbul or in China or in all these places that you've been.

And it makes me curious, like, our bodies different and different cultures so that you have to like, bring them into a common, vocabulary and conversation from different places. Right? I I don't think the bodies themselves are so different. I think, the cultures certainly are. I've made a few mistakes and words. I didn't know were words I should not be using in that culture. Or, And in in some ways, like, I'd go to China, and they didn't have a word for fitness. So they didn't they were told, like, this is your next step in your training to work here at this gym, and it's Pilates.

And so they were just, like, eager. Not interested. I mean, maybe interested. I don't know. It was it was the translation was hard to figure that part out, but they were they were eager. They were like, right. Okay.

And so whereas, there I think I don't I can't name a place, but where people are Tell me more. This is mean. Why? And so that's kind of the fun part of the job, but certain cultures, yeah, it wasn't so much the bodies were different. It was the attitude around the world. Like, I will conquer this challenge more I will do anything rail says and you're not rail So what does he really think? I mean, that was a fair amount of that going on.

But but in general, I think once people start if they're interested really in Pilates itself, I think there's something to be said for a method that or a system, and rail really has a a system where once you know it, you can plug in things that are different for the different people. So it's not so homogeneous, but it it is, it lets whoever you are step into the model. So eventually. Mhmm. That makes sense? Yeah. And you went from that.

Having established yourself as a Pilates teacher, and having your own private practice in addition to teaching Pilates, then then someone came knocking on your door, Ted and John. I want people to understand, like, some of the the background here because there's so much you you have such a footprint. It's like I wanna I wanna track it all. So you get a knock on the door from your friend's husband. Right? Yeah.

So tell us about that. Alright. So my friend, Erica, best friend, high school, is married to Ted, And Ted was designing websites in the early nineties, which, you know, it's a big deal. He it was a sound. I think he was a sound major. Anyway, He'd listened to me saying, I wanna go on vacation, but if I don't if I do, I don't I'm gonna lose all those hours. Like, so I have to build up the hours to get the hours, and that's just, like, it's fine for now, but I'm gonna probably do this my whole life. So at 80, it's gonna be harder to, you know, like, there's no retirement plan. There's no And it's there's no, like I got sick.

There there there was even anyway, so so very limited leverage. Right? It's your presence doing the thing. No leverage. Yeah. Many folks in this community here are body workers who end this problem Okay. Intimately of not having any leverage other than the hours that your body and mouth is flapping and hands are working. Yeah. So I'm at dinner with Ted and Erica one night.

And he's like, so, aren't you a master by now? Cause I'd been doing Pilates long enough. It's for anybody to say that, or any certainly lay person to say that. And he's like, why don't you have a product? Make a video, and I'm like, it's a big video.

That's a blast for me. You know? That's a blast for me. Yeah. Even if you could, it wouldn't be me. You know, it would be rail or it would be Kathy Corey or it would be somebody else, not me. And he was like, well, let's just try a podcast.

We'll do a video podcast. We'll give it away for free. And I'm like, okay. If you think this will help me go on vacation, get some interns and not have to work, you know, hour by hour, minute by minute, you know, And, this is just hysterical to me that the basis of of founding Pilates Anytime would be that you'd get a vacation, and then you ended up working your ass off for. That's funny, actually. No. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, okay, but back to the vacation options. Yeah. But I love I didn't I never wanted to stop what I was doing, so I couldn't figure anything else out.

Mhmm. Like, now I'm good. I like it. I don't need vacation. You know, I don't I mean, I do. I took vacations.

It's not that I didn't. It was just like, you know, then you gotta ramp up to 10 hours a week for a little while if you're really going at that level. And I yeah. I was. So So we did the podcast, and we did it in the same studio that Pilates Anytime is now. It was not our studio at the time, and It was so laborious. It's actually on Pilates City Chime. Like, I think it's still there.

We we might have archived it, but it's, It's not bad. It's just weird. And it was in 2008 or something like that. It was too healthy. And we did it, and we're like, okay. Yeah. You live in LA. Live in Santa Barbara, and this is never gonna ever do work.

You know, we rented everything, and it was gonna be given away for free. And so that was that. And then a year later, that John with his partner at the time, they had done other things. I didn't know John. John, they said, are you ready now? And I was like, again, are you kidding me? Absolutely not. I've got a name from myself now.

Not really big kind, you know, in my head, I was like, I can't mess with the only thing I have. Mhmm. And they showed me YouTube. And at the time, YouTube was only 12 or maybe 15 Pilates, and it was Pilates. And, a million hits per video hip hop music for booty only. And I just thought if I don't do something, I would, loose everything I think is important that my my livelihood, my passion, my so so that's that's really, really what got me to to go give it a shot. Not only can we do it because of those 2, I couldn't do it on my own no way.

And but because I'm not real. I'm not Kathy. I'm a student of Lattice. I I never, you know, I don't go to Romana because afraid to, and it's in New York. And so all these things, it's the the tear the landscape behind my everything I knew was It it felt Pilates. And then all of a sudden, I was like, no, I can be the one to say.

You can put Ramana next to rail next to so and so, next to so and so. Because they're not in the same way, technically. And everyone deserves the right to have access to better wellness. And It may be it's not gonna be Pilates, but I think I can drive that one home. Mhmm.

For people. Yeah. And some are along the line. Do you acknowledge your own voice in Yeah. Right? It's you.

And if having Say more. Well, you're on voice in the community as a teacher and representative of, lineage of work, a body of work, that you know as well as anybody that you have mastered as well as anybody that that you you didn't know Joe Pilates personally. And yet you've embodied, the work and also, paid attention to all of its nuances in every corner of its expression. And I think from my perspective, because I have Watch the lies of lies Anytime and met virtually everybody's, you know, in the community. Thanks to you.

And I think that you carry forward, in particular, something that I think is unique in the community, or maybe not unique, but maybe it's just that you, you know, every teacher is gonna have their emphasis and something that I noticed that you bear witness to for Pilates is it's potential as a driver of personal growth as a driver of going deeper into yourself as a spiritual being, which I think I And, again, I don't know if that thread is you or if it's Joe or if it came from somewhere else, but regardless of where it came from, it comes forward through you. And I would love to hear more about that. First of all, I wish that bio. Like, what you just said, I wish I'm gonna put that on my bio. Can I see This is being recorded? No. It's it's it's I can say I have learned so much more since starting Pilates Anytime. What I knew starting it and where I felt the green light or had to do with the recognition that sounds cliche. I'm not alone.

Like, like, but also I wanna know more. I do have profound, like, through Pilates, I can know who I am, just literally based on the method I learned. The way it and what I choose and when I can do something when I can. But I I've learned way way more. And I think I wanted to. So I but I was like, I can't go here or there.

And I think what I brought to the table was the intention to leave it better than I found it. I knew it was territorial times. 2010 is when we started it, or 9, technically, but 2010. And I just thought, what if you could experience a little bit of Ron, a little bit of j, a little bit of Romana, a little bit of rail, a little bit of Kathy, a little bit of and then decide where you wanna go, and then go to that city and learn. Like, just felt I think what I brought to the table was I knew I would leave it better than I found it based on inclusivity based on recognizing community because that's what I would have wanted. And, I think that that was maybe the the most I really brought to the table early on was was no. No. No. You can have this. We can do it for sort of well, very excessively in terms of price.

And, yeah, those 2, Ted and John made it really, really easy, not even started getting crazy. That wasn't easy at all, but, but they made it possible that they they kinda opened up my eyes to we can't let Elizabeth Lara, not be seen. We can't let Madeline not be seen. We can't let Rebecca or Amy, you know, it's like it just It's all here for the taking. And if you have to be in that city and they have to work that hard, people are gonna miss out. Oh, and Sorry. You you gotta stop me soon. And it was it was this notion at that time that it was only for celebrity only for the Pilates, only for the.

It was like, no, I'm not rich. I'm famous. I'm doing something that's making me feel better. That maybe I can go out and do something to make me rich to famous. You know, it it's it's that's that's where I felt like I brought my stuff and it was like, Nope.

Here's the big picture. Everybody wants some form inclusivity and options. That's such a deep nugget because in in the world. There's a lot of, What do you call it? I mean, your intention there, Ted and John helped create a container to hold an intention To include, to bring together, to make community rather than divide community, to take a divided human community, and make it a whole thing.

That's a model for the planet. Completely. Just saying. I agree. Because it could just get uglier and uglier by splitting and splitting and splitting. So who you said that, and I says, I mean, behold religion.

You know, as a student of religion, you start a all religions are basically cults with a charismatic leader charismatic leader dies and it keeps going. A cult that keeps going after the charismatic leader dies, we call that a religion. I have a PhD in this. I I feel justified in making that statement. And so what often happens when charismatic leaders pass on is that their communities splinter to the to the ends of the earth arguing about what he said and what she said, and it turns out that he or she said all of those things to all all of those people and that it can never be reduced to something. It's not finished in a single box.

I'd have all said, one thing to somebody. And then she said, the exact opposite thing to another person who needed to hear the opposite thing. And then the 2 of them duke it out until their graves literally saying, no. This is what and we hold our terms so absolutely because we've learned it from the founder. And yet, I think you recognize in the core of your being, for the sake of the whole community that the umbrella can hold us all.

It almost words out of my mouth, I was gonna say it was like umbrella, but I the part I haven't mentioned is the teachers themselves. I mean, pictures who did travel. And I am not including myself in this in terms of rails travel, but a lot of times I have been to conferences where you just didn't get paid? It didn't get paid. It was like, ah, we didn't have enough people. Okay. And so that was also part of this umbrella.

It was like, let the teachers know how important they are in spreading and keeping this alive, you know, back to that YouTube video. It looks like this is gonna be gone in a Pilates. And if it stays like this, if that's what people think Pilates is, of course, it's a trend, but it's not a trend. So what do we do? We show everyone I've already named, but, like, let them know. But don't just go come and help us build business. Let us remind you who you are and how you have already like, the the sheer fact that Pilates anytime exists is based on the shoulders, I'll say.

I wanna say backs, you know, shoulders of so many people. That if I didn't if we didn't take that into account. What's the point? You know, it's like they've already done this preservation. This to me has always been an step in preservation of a method I care about. And I don't want it to be turned into something else because now I'm at the time older as older than 13, 40. So I've been doing it that long.

And I was like, how do we save this thing because I know I'm gonna be doing it, and I don't want it really cool or thrown out with, you know yeah. I'll stop. Kathy has a hand up. Usually, I'd wait till the hour before I but she's so keen. She's so on the edge of her seat. Kathy Yo. Kathy Yo. Well, I can't hear you, Kathy. Yo, because you didn't unmute.

So I'm gonna unmute Kathy. Am I is it better now? Better. I mean, it's it's altogether possible because they can't hear you rather than just see your lip. All the way from London. We've got a new government.

Anyway, I I hear what you're saying, Christie, because First of all, Pilates helped me as a ballet dancer and Gil dissed ballet. When I first met him, he dissed it. And so he and I have been going back and forth but I've learned so much from him through his course in terms of, you know, bone and then going into the musculoskeletal. And now even with, a malady that my husband is enduring I can talk to the physios because of guilt. I love you guys. So I'm forgiven. You are. You are. But, anyway, I hate 100.

Have you and from what it sounds like, Pilates has really evolved a lot since since Joe, and you've done a lot of has it or getting a head tilt. Depends on who you ask. But but Okay. So it's interpretation from from messenger to messenger. But then a little bit, but nothing. Not as much as maybe it's, like, the world has changed is what I would throw in there.

Yeah. I I agree. And, you know, you spoke about how you went to South Africa and China, and I've been to both of those and taught dance there. And there's there's a real hunger for them to learn the best way to do things, and they I mean, the difference culturally as as Gil pointed out is fascinating to me because I don't know if it's it's technology that has made us less participatory in a fist the physicality of movement. Clean the question, though, because I wanna be able to answer it. What is it about culture, or is it It's it's well, how do you use anatomy? Do you use it in order to to with your students to say, you know what? You're not gonna do more than 20 sets of 100. Or don't go on to 5 screens. Exactly what happened after I took Gil's class.

Eight times just putting it out there. Christie is an anatomy junket. I I mean, I'm I'm into it to that degree. Right? Now do I care whether biceps attack never have? Do I care about where the vagus nerve is.

I know that's, like, I'm gonna get, like, you get don't hang up. It's it's seriously like, What I came away from as someone who studied anatomy all the way through kind of. Now I never cared, but I knew I needed to understand the whole. And that's what I walked away with was, like, the whole. So what happened for me specifically, like, really specifically, My practice change overnight, that very first Chorus skill, I think you probably know this, but Anytime, if you haven't heard it, it's it was when that client would come back in and go, I feel it here, but I think it might be my shoulder, and I think it might be this I used to like I loved the puzzle game back in the day.

But I I would just look at them and go, I don't know. What do you think? Because I do what I came away with, the sum of it was We know more than we let on. And sometimes practitioners will tell you what they know even though in the back of their minds, they may just be well, often are guessing. And that's me. I'm talking about me right now. So so when I had the freedom to go Don't know.

I I I literally changed my practice. When someone would say, why can't I exhale? I would go tell me, like, or don't tell me. You know the answer, you know, like, because you can breathe. Obviously, you're here. But so that's what changed from me. And I I think do I use anatomy?

No. Not like that. Not when I teach, I don't use it like that. I use it more like, feeling sensation, or that's just me. I think a lot of people do use Anytime, and I'm not against it. Just my own personal, you might call them spiritual retreats. Every time I would go to one of Gil's courses, it was me reconnecting with the reality that we are, more than a muscle or more than What do you call it now? Fill film me fashion. Sorry.

Like, it's more it's all of it is it's it matches our own intention. And so if I could help somebody feel better, it I didn't care. I mean, yes, I cared if their calf was messed up or or whatever was messed up, I would deal with that. But it it wasn't just the calf. It was it was the wholeness of that person and what person, having injured myself recently, it was it was that, like, how do you deal with, like, a hurt finger when it affects your whole body and not to mention your mind. And that's where I think Pilates the part I really like about what he was saying mind by spirit connection.

I feel like that, resonates. I think I don't agree with everything you said or did, but I I do think that that is what I latch on to. Not so much Anytime, even though I dive into another course any day. So it it just reminds me of the more that we all are, even even as I look at a form. That's all. Yeah. It's really interesting because my ballet, Sorry, Kathy. I just thought I'd get you to unmute there.

Just clicked off for some reason. You unmuted me. You devil you. Anyway I have a twitch. A Twitch in my ear. Just twitched.

It happens when you're on the road, doesn't it? So, so I I I had a great career as a ballet dancer and I wanted to impart that to other students for the next generation of dancers. And, of course, it would include Pilates because I found Pilates to be structurally very sound, you know, and as long as you didn't overdo it or whatever, but, and I found very good teachers who talked about the fashion, talked about, you know, don't look at it in the individual muscle or, and and things like that. And and, so you know, it's been great being with Gil and Another question? Was there something I'm missing? Is there another question? Yeah. So when your teachers so you train teachers. Correct? I used to.

You used to. You no longer train teachers. So, well, then the my question would be, how do you impart to them? What you're you're trying to how do you give them? Here's the phone. Here's the answer. You are authentic. You are 100 percent authentic.

You are you tell them what you know. You tell them. Like, that's what I like, You know, if I'm speaking through rail, I still have my own presentation of it. I still can impart my own authenticity. That's the answer. It's it's like, it's not about the, again, it's not about the point to point to point to point to point to point to point. It's like, here's the points I've been taught to told to teach, and then you impart, or here's the method, you impart the reality of who you are and what you can offer them, and the authentic authenticity of what you know and what you don't know.

That's the answer. Thank you, Christie. Thank you, Kathy. Great. Okay. Ciao.

Bye. Authenticity. I love it. Read it all I'll I'll go to the chat. On a chat, but I can't yeah.

I'll I I go to the chat later. Okay. Alright. So because I can't read it and do it the same time either. But so what we'll do is, another 15 minutes or so, we'll check-in on the chat and go down the list and see what folks come up with. Alright. So folks feel free free to put stuff into the chat. But we can't address it in real time because then I wouldn't be with Santa Christie.

So I love that message there. And it's so key for so many of the people in the audience here who are teachers, of course, and to be like, yeah. You don't gotta be a just a pure ape of, I don't mean to disparage apes, by the way, but, imitator, you know, like, or representer of, but you just gotta be yourself to your thing. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. At more? Well, just that. It it's just that. Like, I mean, the best literally, the best teachers walk in the room. And they forget to be authentic sometimes. Mhmm.

And Amy, if she's still on the we both got very good at going Okay. They just left the room, you know, like, for whatever reason Mhmm. You're being on camera. I mean, I I was running around a little I sat down in this chair too. I get it. We all get it. But is to to go no. No. No. Do you know, like, you're here for a reason.

And that that that is a profound statement, and it's true. And you're here for this reason, this time. So just do what you normally do. There's no more or less. And that's being authentic. And that and that's all we asked for. And, when they would kinda take that Forest, exhale inhale.

But right. And that's when the videos would come out, like, in one one go. No editing. Oh, I mean, editing always, but no Not a lot of cuts in between. Yeah. Yeah. You have spent a lot of time watching Pilates teachers teach on camera. You are a connoisseur of that authenticity at this point then.

I've never thought of it that way, but, yes. Absolutely. I I agree with that. Yeah. Mhmm.

Because that's what you wanna share. Right? You wanna share some There's no formula. There's no I mean, I had rules in the early days. You can't bad mouth someone else, and you can't bad mouth the manufacturer. Just come in and do what you do. And that we gave that up early on because people were just more petrified to show themselves, really.

And then once we could get them comfortable and, like, it got worse, the 2nd 3rd year, I'll be honest. Like, 1st year, they're like, whatever. Sure. I'll do it. And then, and then, a fair amount of time begging on my part to get really, you know, our leaders that come in. And and then once they did, making sure that they understood that they're safe. And all they had to do was what like, they're that's why we brought them here.

It's like, do what you do because you are the leaders, and that's hard for people sometimes. I think. So back to anatomy. Okay. Because Kathy brought up Anytime.

And I hadn't mentioned that in in my string of It's tempting to give this accounting for our audience of you. You you, I know you through dissection. Mhmm. Right? We met in the dissection lab. And, You weren't a big fan of this for us. I recall.

And and this is the thing. I know that each professional modality comes into the lab because I've had the privilege of being exposed to a great many modalities. Everyone kinda shows up with their favorite tissue, you know, the tissue that's that they anchor their practice in, whether it be your golfer, talking about fascia or massage therapist, talking about muscle tissue, chiropractic talking about nerves and bony alignment, whatever. Whatever the favorite is. I know that the favorite of the Pilates folks who came to my class was never the visitor.

It's like, you're just trying to make them darn things go away. I should be vacuum packed in there. You should have a core like a like a like a tent pole. It shouldn't be. So the reason we say knit maybe up and could armor herself. Hello.

Yeah. So let's let's talk about that. And and and what it what it means to give a context to the person's favorite tissue. Number 1, because I consider that to be my job. Right? How do I help build Like, I don't mind people having favorite tissues or anchoring their practice in a particular, texture, but then how do you give context and greater meaning and a a bigger container for that favorite thing.

So it has deeper meaning. So that all that core work you do suddenly has is ornamented with the viscera and and and not barren of it like a boring Christmas tree. Okay. So that's the question. It's just just just, conversation starter more than a question. Like, how you know, How did that develop for you and change your practice maybe or your idea? I think, again, when you're right, for it I was layer by layer, I was different. Like, the skin, I was like, you know, all the metaphors that come out of it. Wow.

It's hard to get past skin deep, but my fingers hurt. You know, whatever it is. And then the the let's not even talk about subcutaneous later because that was just that really threw me. Based on who, I guess I am, but then we gotta have the bushels. I was cool. I'm like, ugh.

I'm just gonna sit here on the sew ad. For the next 3 days. Y'all deal with the viscerous stuff. I happen to be my first time on a table with belly workgroups. So they were they really exaggerated health. Okay. And I was like, I don't even know that that's in there. I I have a wall over mine.

You should ditch it. You know? So so how I kinda dealt with that was recognizing again the wholeness of it all. And recognizing, the words that would come out of my mouth might have been more like be more supple. Let the excel, like, actually filtered down. I remember you talking about things about the the lungs, with the breath, and the massage to the heart.

Those were things that started filtering out for me that allowed the diaphragm to do its thing. And and out of that, people could move again. You know? They could move a little better. Even. That I was happy with a little better, but that's how I, I would kind of recognize my own armor around I don't wanna go to the guts of things.

But if I need to and you need to and it's in the context of Pilates and this method, I can start to see. Oh, some of my word choice was awful for you. Like, I encouraged you to close-up knit. And so with those people who had trouble breathing or who couldn't bend their backs or, you know, with no other issues. So I'm talking about healthy people. It was like, oh, the subtleness of it.

And then that's when I go back to Joe. He watched the cats, and he watched the animals. And if you've ever seen a cat jump from here to there, it's or a French bulldog. And as a kid, maybe he's watch lately. It's like they have supernatural powers to just get from here to there.

I don't know, but I'd ask because he's thinking about it or because he's scorned. I need to exhale at the right time. So, so life, I think, Pilates for me kind of movement for me is an extension life. And so if you are bracing all the time, and as a teacher, you're teaching people to brace all the time, which I think I was. That's where I was like, oh, okay. Stop.

This, like, That's the best I have for context. I love it. There's another element, I know it's important to you that I'd like to hear more about because having just described some of the containing stitching, knitting, holding, controlling aspects of Pilates. I know that you personally have balance that out with dance. So tell us tell us about why and how and and what for with dance and Pilates because they're not just any dance, but Yeah. You've it seems like you balance your it's kinda like young yogis will balance their practice with yin yoga.

And Christy balances her lifelong practice of Pilates with dance. Right? There you go. That was it. That's it. Nope. We just sat in a nutshell, folks.

No, I got maybe to the point I didn't wanna get too psychological about it, but I first, for when you say Pilates and Dance, Almost everyone assumes I am a dancer in the traditional sense, like ballet, chat, whatever it is. I'm not and I used to go, I'm not a dancer, but I'm a mover. That was like a big step for me to say, I'm a mover. And Okay. Have you not, like, shared a dance floor with, like, usher. Oh, yeah. Okay. No. But you're acting like I was on stage with him. No. He's turned around.

There he was. Yeah. That doesn't count. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Like, in my my dream of being a Janet Jackson backup dancer is not probably gonna happen, but it still could. So it's just all. No. Yes. I have.

And taking it really far back from me, the tension growing up that I didn't understand made me dance in the pool. I'd pretend I was, I guess I should say Simone Biles when really it was Nadia Komenichi back in. You know, I'd be like, in the pool going, I can just it was letting off steam. It's, I watched my pug shake when he's mad at me, and I got He just shook it off. And so it was a lot of that growing up. And a lot of, It's necessary.

I had to shake it off. I did not play sports. I didn't. So you call me an athlete. It's a tricky thing for me because I I now think I am, but most of my life, I didn't. So I would literally just dance as if I were on stage as if someone was watching as if, but all alone, or if I were the gymnast, if I were the. So Yeah. I still do that.

I've sort of forgotten the actual question, but the context is, like, if you don't move and you're you're not alive. And and for me to to be to move only in a regimented or rigid way, it's just not the truth again of the homeless of who you are. So I can only make the analogy of my own 7 years doing tai chi. And it's a form. It's a pattern. And if we just it we take up such a pattern to expand ourselves and Tai Chi expanded me up to a point. And at that point, I had to shake it off.

Like you say, and I had to move any which way, Anytime, any like you did. I I felt I I have experienced that same thing where you do this rigid thing for years years. And then it's like, this can't be all there is to movement. And it's not to diminish. It's usefulness or the expansion that it offers you. It's not to put down valet. It's not to do that.

It's just to say that that container expands the uncertain ways. And then there are other ways that a person becoming a whole person or stepping into themselves of the whole person will need also to add to their movement story to expand as human being, to add dimension to it, to to get into other nooks and crannies that no Pilates behavior will ever reach. Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. And I I I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but here it goes.

Talking about being authentic. I have known so many professional dancers. Like, almost all of them that come through my doors. And when it comes to a party, they're like, We've been waiting for someone to make way to go. And and that that was interesting to me because I'm I'm like a you know, I sure knew what he was doing when I ran into him, but it was also, like, these other people that I revere for Prima Ballarinas.

Literally, they were waiting for the queue. And I I think that is the the that we do that in all walks of life, that we wait for the queue of what we're allowed to or what we wanna do or what really feels like right. And, that surprised me. And that's where I kinda got defensive, like, I'm not a dancer, not because Y'all aren't great and stuff, but I'm actually trying to live over here in a different way. And I I actually can't help, but I don't no, I can't do any of the stuff they can do.

And and so I that was just an interesting thing. And I I think of that Well, I think of like, when people can just dance, and they're not taught, and they can move in certain ways. You talked about nooks and crannies. I think that is some piece of tapping into more of yourself. Than when to inhale and when to exhale. So for me, yes, it is an absolute freedom.

It's it's joyful. It's when I see people that can't move, I'm attracted to them. And and I I'm like, what do you know? How did you even think of that? Are you a day no, you're not either. I mean, yeah, obviously, they are. It's just interesting. Like, where what did you tap into that allowed you to be able to do that? That's what I I think that's interesting. Yeah.

And I do that just to shake it off mostly. Sometimes I'm like, my god. I'm pretty good. Other times, I'm like, alright. Not not now.

I've seen some of those recordings that you and Johnny's studio y'all are having a party. Yes. I mean, again, he's he's one of those people. I don't know where he got it. I have no So let's tell folks.

So you have your friend, your partner. John. My love. Yes. Johnny, your love. And Johnny is a amazing hip hop dance teacher. I have thrilled to watching y'all's recordings that you do sometimes and that you post on your, Facebook page, and they are a whole group of people having so much fun that never fails that they end up laughing and clap at the end of the day. So awesome. We pulled off the the dance and You know, even within that, you're all personally expressing yourselves even though you're doing something together.

Yeah. Like so Johnny did that for years with his, then wife for that's what they did. And then he became a doctor of Easter medicine. And so but even still, when he shows up, And Texas friends, that's what's happening, what you've seen in the last few years. It's like, I mean, there's the physicist, that, you know, there's me, there's just all different walks of life come in, and it literally is like all he has to do is go 5, 6, 7, 8, And we're like, you know, we're we're just like hitting it with each other. I don't know you, but I don't care. You know, it's just it's just shaking it off in such a brilliant way.

Yeah. Yeah. That's what I think. That's awesome. I'm sorry. No. I'm not. No. But I I mean, really to the point, like, I think that we are all movers.

How we do it is your decision. For me because so much of my early life was like, I will do this, and I'll be on the straight narrow. I will do this and no one will be upset. I will do this and I will get a good job. I will do this and then I took your course I'm like, ah, shoot. None of that mattered.

So now I'm like, And and and that's where and that the dance is always in the background trying to moderate it, but I think ultimately we just need to embody ourselves as much as you can, whether it's Pilates or yoga or running or learning, I think that's movement, all of that's movement of Anytime that gets you to go. I wonder. So we're talking about dance as path to embodiment here or Pilates dance movement in general movement as a path to embody. And what I'm hearing you say is that embodying is becoming yourself. Did I did I hear that, or did I just want that up? I'm I'm I'm maybe still learning that. But, yeah, I think embodiment is like the closer we can get to who we are, the better.

And I maybe dancing isn't it for everyone, but I I personally think it is. And I don't mean dancing, like, in a hip hop class. I mean, like, when you're feeling whatever. This is a common feeling I sometimes have And then you can be like, in 5 minutes. Then you're you're a better human.

You're bet you're more open. You're so or it could be anything, but some version of, like, getting out of yourself for a split second. Yeah. Yeah. You should see what I'm gonna do after this song. I feel like I lost this video.

You be careful on that trap. So are you open to chatting about that a little bit? They So, Christy had an accident head injury, concussed, I saw you shortly after it, maybe months. Still having trouble. So 2 months. 2 months after.

2 so 2 months afterward, I remember seeing you trying to figure out what are those darn forks knives and spoons in the dishwasher doing there, and how do we get them to the drawer? There was, like, this whole, like, it was, like, something that was not a simple a simple leap I mean, there were gaps missing in the connection between fork from dishwasher to drawer. And I have incredible empathy based on that experience and others since then with other concussed friends, and how ProFound a project it is to heal. Yeah. And and grow and return to reassemble yourself when the container gets busted.

In that way. Can you talk about that little journey for us at all? Yeah. It's still it's been it was 2016. However many years that is later. I was never gonna though.

And, and I was happy. I was, like, moved into new lives. Happy. I was ready to dance, and I did anyway, I fell and I I slipped. And I I hit my head really hard. And lived alone and did not, like, when you fall on your head, you don't know that you're broken. So I cleaned the house. And, Anytime, of the journey after that, was couple days later, I I had been knocked out. So it was I got lucky.

Let's start there. I got very lucky. Nothing blood, and I got lucky. And it was just a mild concussion. The next 7 years would suggest otherwise, but, I got lucky. I don't know. Where do I go with that? It was tough.

It was really tough. It was, surprisingly tough. I'd even had help again. I mentioned, the my Johnny doctor, if Easter medicine, he had a hyperbaric chamber. Like, how lucky was that? On day 1. And so I did that.

And I don't know how much it helped, but it probably did. And it was it was just hard. It was hard to not know where the forks and knives were. It was hard to look around the house and look like somebody had ransacked it. And even though I'm the only one there, it was hard to go into a grocery store and have to leaving because I couldn't handle the lights and not.

It just was hard. It was really hard. I don't know. It was really, really Yeah. No. And I And it gets better for anyone watching with concussion, and probably someone is. It gets a lot better. Yeah. I don't think Vicki's here, but my sister was concussed about, a year and a half ago and still just it's a big struggle.

And I think the hardest thing to convince a concussed person of is that you really are injured and this really is gonna take a while. Because it's invisible. I just know you might have a hang on your head or something for a month, but then there's this cognitive shift, visual shift stimuli are different for you. And could you you couldn't probably couldn't dance quite the same way afterwards either. I imagine to come out to recover your movement is what I'm curious about.

Okay. Or could you? Anytime who's concussed? I wanna I will answer that for sure. The the concussed part of things is, Shoot. What'd you just say about that? Okay. This is not it. If this is just me losing my train of thought, but it's it's It's literally nobody wants you to have it, including you. So you'll fake it. You have a good day, and you'd be like, I'm back.

And at the minute you get overstimulated, in my case, it's not pretty. Like, different form and take. It's just not pretty. So back to the dancing, I absolutely had to do it, and I was so afraid to do it because I was also embarrassed. You know? I'm embarrassed. I fell on my head.

Who does that? And I had to do it. I put on bicycle helmet one time. Last time for, like, 5 seconds. I'm like, nope. If I go, I go. Nope.

Because because it really the dance, it the dance literally was the only thing that made me feel normal. I couldn't feel bad. I mean, I was afraid, so I was maybe hesitant, but it was it was the only thing that made me feel normal. So I did do it pretty much right away. That was, you know, I wasn't nice to friends or family or anything else, but I danced.

Mhmm. And now? And now? Tancing it. Yeah. It you're Now is now is good. Now the light is the light comes first.

The darkness is last. Dancing for sure, in whatever form, whether it's a few minutes on the trampoline or a few mostly not, mostly it's just doing it. And when Johnny teaches, I'll take his class, of course. And, it's it's as imperative as it ever was, but there's much more light around it. There's not fear anymore. So you're a you're a story of hope for folks who have endured this.

I imagine there are several in our audience. I hope so. What I can tell you is that it's super common. And some of us struggled more than others. So I I hate to put my journey on someone else because mine did take a long time for me. I didn't have to learn to re walk top, but it was it stimuli was really hard for me.

Organization, which was kind of my thing before it was hard. So I don't wanna make anyone scared, but I do think that whatever is happening, it does get better if they made it through those first few days. And if they're I can't speak to someone who's really gotta learn to walk and talk again. What I can speak to is the common concussion that children get and we all get just by bumping your heads. And I think that yeah.

When I I wrote about it once and it was pretty dire at the time, but it's it's no. It's way better. It's getting life is still happening. Yeah. Absolutely. Woo hoo. Hoo. Or Kathy, she had her hand up for another 10 minutes, but I wanted to wait until I questioned Anytime, and then she had to go hopefully, she wrote something in there.

Let's look at the chat. Thank you, by the way, for sharing about that because not everybody wants to talk about Yeah. Things that hurt like that. It's emotional, but it's it's also because so many people. Oh, blifin had reverb in the audio and fix it. I'm glad to hear that.

What makes Bazi different from Joseph Pilates, old testament versus new testament? No. Not really. It's just a structure. He he was able to take what he knew and synthesize it in a way that made it very easy for teachers to have these blocks to be able to go. Here's all the information that comes in this block. Block. He's and he's just so inspiring as a speaker.

It's not so different. It's just his version of presentation. Nice. TJ says authenticity counts. I'm with you TJ. And by the way, TJ, I had to bring one coffee mug on my tour.

Thank you. Roberta. TJ gave me that mug when we visited. Uh-huh. Oh, Marguerite. I'm so glad you're here. I love you, my dear.

Question, Christy. I appreciate what you have brought to the Pilates world. This is from Ann Willett. Thank you. My primary lineage is studying under Ron Fletcher, although he had a little to know knowledge about anatomy. I've come to believe his approach, especially his floor work, compliments all the research in the fashion Movement world. Sounds like you bring your authentic spin on it in, which sounds perfect in your own experience, you would find it as getting better or worse relative to integration of Pilates and fascia worlds with all the club Pilates on the rise.

That's a fantastic question. I could write a paper on that question. First of all, she's up. And you're right, of course, that, Ron wasn't so much about you start here and you go there and he just wasn't. He, he happened to be studied, and he was right about his form of precasted reading. So there's that. And so what's the end of that question?

So do you find it getting better or worse relative to integration of Pilates and fascia worlds with a side comment on that? I think it's tricky. Our our worlds connect our have worlds collided to a fashion world and Pilates world make sense together. Yes. Absolutely. They make sense together.

And I think let me just I have to just look at the end of this question. Oh, no. Yeah. No. They still absolutely are together. And if if you if you take, There's no separating any of this. You know, it's how are we gonna deliver it to people who get the message?

I think they're not even close to separate. I think club Pilates and reformer classes, and all the things that get people moving are not only critical, but the way it's flowing. You know, so does it relate to FASHA? Of course. Do I hope that people would go to learn a little bit more and see the whole system course. That I've I wish for that, but at the same time, I'm back to if we can get people moving, if we can get people wherever however, obviously, the fashion's gonna come in with that. If they're interested in the fashion world, we've got all these people, Robert's life, Gil Hedley, that are right there, Tom Myers, ready to talk to you about it.

And Elizabeth Larkham, Madeline, they're all right there to talk to you about it. And, yes, it absolutely is a merger, no matter how we deliver the method of movement. Maybe. Yeah. Hi. I'm sorry. I'm driving. This is Anne. This is Erin.

Yeah. I appreciate that. I think it's more about, I mean, I totally agree with you, on that. And I've certainly married the the worlds. I think it's more, I think my my is you just because you have such a great pulse on the industry itself from a broad range is more about this kind of this kind of direction that Pilates is taking with this. I put club in parenthesis so as not to be speaking about a specific industry or specific business, but that we're it's we're sort of losing our name in that direction, I think, of the purist of those of us that are truly see the connection through through movement, see the alignment, and and are stunning with Robert's life and, you know, all the people. So I I guess I just want to know what your your take was on the industry of Pilates in general. Are we just going the wrong direction right now? Getting away from this true true connection that we have naturally I would say no. And I would say I had, like, 15 more seconds to think about this answer, but I would say in the same way that I started Pilates Anytime 15 years ago when I was afraid that YouTube at 12 to 15 minutes was gonna take away everything I'd ever learned or or make it something else.

So So so there are ways to do that. I I think the direction Pilates is going is more indicative of the world the world that needs to move wants to move can't wait to move. And if they can find a way to get into Pilates, is the case may be, then they are are they're one step closer to understanding their fascia. They're one step closer to understanding how their wellness can be better in in just a given hour, how they can be a better person. I'm I'm now I'm kind of giving you some hyperbole, but no, I don't think it's going in the wrong direction. I think it's going in the direction it's going.

And Right. Yeah. And I think that people like you, people like Robert Gil, me, then, you know, when we can direct people to the more that is in any movement modality. I mean, I have a yoga site as well, and it gills on that too. So it's it's any movement that allows someone to go, okay, but what else? Who am I now? Where where, you know, and if it if it means large classes and, mean, I'm not gonna say I agree with it all, but I do think that Anytime you can get someone to tap into what they can take further, And you'll be doing that.

And all the people that have worked with, the people we've mentioned will be doing that. That I don't I don't think it's going one way. I think this is happening. And so was this other thing? And I think that's Yeah. Been. Yeah. I appreciate that.

Thank you. Yeah. I think that, going. I'm hoping I'm holding your optimism, my dear. I don't know that I And I am very optimistic. Feel that optimistic feeling, and I know I'm doing my own thing in my private Idaho, but I don't know that everybody is on board with with that. But I think you're right. If we can sprinkle it, we can continue to do what we're doing and just, hope. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. A whole whole trip.

I honestly do feel like keep going. And and I think the people like, just like me when I was a teenager, I didn't get into to teach Pilates. I got into it because I felt crappy, you know, and I wanted to walk. Yeah. Yeah. And all of a sudden, I'm like, hey, I feel like I could do something when And and, you know, so I don't think we're moving away from Fasha. I think it's it's the, we have a real opportunity to capture the people. Yes. We do, and I wish to do more. Classes that don't wanna do weight training or go to the gym, or maybe they do that too.

Like, there's no knock at here at all. It's just how do we let people know there's more to themselves? That that's kind of my current mission, including myself. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Ann. Thanks.

My sister Elaine says, Usher is really cute, smiley face, squirty eyes. So just Yeah, Max. I turn around. She's putting that out there. I'm like, I started dancing like a stick figure. I'm like, all of a sudden, I can't do it.

I I promised myself I wouldn't out you relative. To all the people you've connected with over the years. And I think I've done a good job, but I had to call you out as a dancer whether you like it or not. And that was my way. Yeah. My own. Yeah. Uh-huh. So Elizabeth Larkham, hi, Elizabeth, who says by creating and pioneering Pilates Anytime Christy built an international organization community that is a standard of integrity, professionalism, and movement evolution.

Nice. So grateful for her courage, generous leadership, and mentoring. Amazingly beautifully said, Elizabeth. Thank you. You you pioneer lady yourself. Yeah. Absolutely. I and thank you for saying yes all those years ago.

Yeah. So Marguerite says brilliant. You got through your fall last August, double seizures. Didn't know my children for days. I'm so sorry, Marguerite.

It took me months to recover thank god. You are recovering. It was awful. I could not remember things from months. Yeah. I'm so glad you're back, Marguerite. Well, Paris to you and your family.

Sure. Mary, are you here? Oh, have fun. Chrissy is, of course, far too humble. Agree. The Pilates world owes her a debt of gratitude. Love you both. Thank you for this conversation. Thank you, ma'am. Meredith Rogers?

Yes. Yay. You are, you are Oh, there's Mary. I'm in the car. He's in my car.

It's so much fun to be here with you in this moment. Mary, by the way, came and helped out on a nerve nerve tour. Thank you, my dear, and is also a Pilates international star. Who filled in. Christie stopped traveling for rail and Mary started traveling for rail and is still traveling. Oh my god. This is Missy's Day. I'm gonna go.

I love you, my dear. Bye. I can't let her off the hook without saying, like, she literally ran the cameras for me in the early days. Right? Yeah. No. Mary is happen. So important to Pilates Anytime, but that's a whole additional, wonderful story. Christy, thank you for raising awareness for head trauma.

It's true. It's so embarrassing and recovery and acceptance is difficult as you when we think our brains can fly. And then so hard to put sentences and thoughts together. Really good to hear of your journey, inspiration to never give up. Thank you. Wonderful. Beautiful. Yeah. Steven Denel. And as a human being who needs to move like all of us and a physical therapist who uses several modalities and interventions for treatment, and for prevention of disease, it is so important for all our 11 anatomical systems, our emotional health, mental health, relational well-being, with others and ourselves, understanding our bodies biologically anatomically is wonderful to share and to give us more information while we do what is natural, dance, and movement.

Thank you for that reflection. Dance is like it's not dance. It's moving. Life I mean, look at the Anytime. I was just reading about, Chapetta.

Chapetta was the You, a Anytime American Indian in the call south, southern corner of Colorado, Southwest and corner of Colorado, and the the, spouse of Yuray, who was the chief, you know, the town, Yuray, in Colorado, And I was reading about the Bear dance. I live on Bear dance Heights with Rachel, and the Bear dance was a youth spring ritual where they got together with the different groups. And they danced together. And they literally danced until they dropped. I mean, so when they dropped, they were like, okay.

And then they started over And so they so when they, like, literally danced until they fell down the ground, they're like, oh, it's so fun. And then they started another dance. So, But that Uh-huh. I can relate to that. Yeah. Love from Amy. Amy's here. So glad to hear that. Agreed.

Thanks to you. Both was amazing connection to us all. What would the movement world be like without your contribution and inspiration, love, love, love, love, back at you, Amy, my dear, you Amy got several mentions there. It was Amy Haven said, Christy was mentioning earlier when they were talking about their their connoisseurship of authenticity on teachers on camera. So do we have more questions in the anyone on hand? I see TJ right up front there. TJ, you always have a good for us. Nothing. Yeah.

You're just waving TJ's blowing kisses. Thank you, TJ. Received TJ's blowing kisses. Andrea, Tom, nice to see you. My dear. Hello. My mom is out here somewhere.

We have a fun crowd. So can you tell us anything at all about Your cascading pile of ifs behind you? Yes. Gosh. Okay. I this is what I affectionately.

I don't know if I can can you see it? You see it? Starts up there. Christy has a a a painting poster, wall decoration with if falling into ifs. If if if And if you look really closely, which I'm not gonna take the camera over there, it like, some of them look like they say fine, and some of them look like they say, other words. And, but the the point of that was I got it when I was in the midst of starting a business leaving a marriage.

And I just thought, I have no idea what I'm doing. And it's it remains my, because because there's so many ifs that just fall to the side. Right? But there's always one more. That's what I love about this. And, Yeah. It it it's not the prettiest. I I don't wanna offend the artist, but it's like the most ugly painting I love. And it is other than anything my mom has painted, but, yeah, the the pile of gifts, there have been many.

Let me put it that way. And, yeah. But I always wait. There's one more floating. So I am I am the eternal optimist, not every day, but certainly. That's my goal is to go. What else? Next.

Bye bye. Wonderful. I didn't realize my head was surrounded and if. Okay. Alright. I'm gonna read one more. Hidden or exposed.

Hidden or exposed. Hidden. Hidden is one way to spend a life. Hidden is one way to spend a life within pretensed armor of flesh. Invisible in plain sight, stiff backed against the world, talent buried beneath rock.

Longing all the while to be found. You live in a free will universe. You can choose paint over pleasure, darkness, over light, a body crucified over a body resurrected. Another way another way is exposed soft textures, gently wrapping bone, tender belly face forward, garment of flesh, gleaming, free to be seen, even mistaken, or somebody else. That matters not.

But you'd be recognized, understood, accepted. Even when you live this way. The company of heaven awaits you whether you are or not. What matters is that you come out and play. Enjoy your gifts and leave behind the trappings of the grave.

Christy Cooper. Oh, hely. What a treat? A treat. And for me and honor, thank you for everyone to be here even. I hope Anytime, absolute pleasure.

There was much glee here. And I so have enjoyed our conversation, and I so love my community here who are such a dear bunch, and we gather together once a month and have these amazing conversations with beautiful people like yourself Honestly, when you asked, I was like, Dwight? And I'm so excited to have been here. And, and thanks to everyone for the questions too, because that helps. And, yeah, let's just go embody ourselves, I suppose. Let's do it. On the nooks and crannies. And body ourselves in the nooks and crannies. Oh, yeah.

Andrea is like, mhmm. Mhmm. Oh, I don't forget to dance. The chant, you have to chant. Hold on. No dance. Dance. Dance. Oh, dance. Dance. Yeah. Let's get our dance moves on folks.

That can be our takeaway. So, next month, we're gonna have A really cool, amazing person. Where's Rachel? Exactly. I just saw a walk by him, like, Right y'all. It's it's oh, this is embarrassing. Okay.

So I'll just cut this part out and say, Oh my gosh. Thank you, Christie. Thanks for being here. I love you. I love you too. I'm grateful. And we'll see you all in a month.

We're on the road now, by the way. If you hadn't noticed, I'm in the camper, not in front of my little whiteboard with a little Gill Hadley signed in the background because, Rachel and I are driving. This is so exciting. By this afternoon, we will reach the the homestead of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Oh. I have read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder book to my children. I've read them to myself over and over again. Now I've been reading it with Rachel for, like, a year, and we're we're out at at at Silver Lake, in what the town became, and we're gonna drive to it on our way to the Minneapolis events so that I can get my my fanboy rocks off at at the homestead of Laura Engle Fowler.

Out in the middle of nowhere. Would you be surprised to know that in Santa Barbara, there's a lineage of the Ingalls in Really? Oh my gosh. That's not all I know, but Are you gonna introduce me when I come through Santa Barbara? I hope so. I am an Uber fan. Nice. Thank you, everybody.

Thank you, girl. Thanks to you, Christy. You're as good as you, Becky. Oh, that's my mama. One second to my mama. I gotta I gotta give my mom a spotlight so we can all wish her a happy birthday. Mama just turned 90.

Yeah. Happy birthday. She rocked her party. She blew out the candles. It was awesome. She shares the same birthday as Johnny the dancer too, which Anytime, so I was thinking of you Really? Birthday.

Yeah. Thank you, honey. You look you're beautiful as ever. I'm happy to see you. Bye. Bye all.

I love you. I love you too. Bye bye. Mhmm. Bye.