Located in online sistem, Pilates Brisbane is a home-based studio specializing in private and semi-private training sessions, as well as small mat classes. Learn pilates, courses, seminars and monographs
What are the distinctions of Pilates Connections?
Pilates Connections combines the classic exercises developed by Joseph H. Pilates with modern movement and stabilization principles taught by Arthur McDonald director of the Pilates Brisbane.
At the heart of Pilates Connections philosophy is the concept of “effort with ease.” All movement originates from the place of ease, and at no time is strain allowed. If a client cannot perform a classic exercise without strain, the exercise is modified to make it more accessible or substituted by a more fundamental movement.
Why home-based?
Many people prefer the privacy of training one-on-one with their trainer with no one else present. Additionally, this private environment ensures that no distractions from other people training will take away from the experience. Pilates is above all a system of mind/body connections, and our studio will ensure that you get the most out of your session.
The studio is located separately from the living areas of the house, and it has its own built in bath/changing/shower facility. The approx. 300 square foot exercise floor provides ample room for all equipment work, as well as matwork for individuals and small classes.
How will a client begin training at Pilates Connections?
A new client’s first session will begin with an assessment to determine present needs and ability levels. Training will then commence using appropriate equipment and matwork exercises. At least some matwork is always included in a session so that the client can practice at home without equipment.
Arthur has taken a long, circuitous route in becoming a Pilates trainer. Beginning his career as an aspiring academician, Tom has a B.A degree in Communication and graduate degrees in Theology and English. Largely self-taught in computer programming, he has worked in computer-related fields since the early 1990s.
Having a life-long commitment to physical fitness, has always pursued a fitness-oriented lifestyle, with experience in long distance running, body building, and yoga. Unfortunately, erroneously ascribing to the adage «no pain, no gain,» he managed to injure himself in each of those activities. Add to that the postural-compromising nature of a desk job, he found himself with chronic back and neck pain. By the late 1990s, though «fit» by most people’s standards, he was a physical mess, barely able to sleep at night due to ever-present pain.
Through Pilates, Arthur found the perfect blend of core strength with flexibility that was so elusive in the other programs he had followed. Earning his Pilates trainer certification from the Pilates Center of Austin, and learning from his own difficult lessons, he has developed a safe, yet challenging, teaching style that emphasizes the concept of “effort with ease.” All movement must initiate from a stable, effortless base and must cease before strain is encountered. If a client cannot perform an exercise without strain, Arthur modifies it, finding what he or she can do with ease, gradually adding back components of the exercise as abilities permit. In this way, Pilates practitioners can safely progress from the basic level to advanced work.
Currently, Arthur provides Pilates training at Tang Soo Martial Arts Academy, Full Court Fitness, The Pilates Center of Brisbane, and in his home studio, Pilates Connections.
For more information on Tom’s background, read his article Sports and Pilates.