Pacific Northwest Pilates

10/23/2026

Our next STOTT PILATES® course is coming up in November — and we offer it just once a year.

Injuries & Special Populations (ISP) is designed to help Pilates instructors safely and effectively work with clients recovering from injuries or managing special conditions, with practical applications across Matwork and equipment.

📅 November 12–15, 2026
📍 Pacific Northwest Pilates | Portland, Oregon
🎓 2.4 STOTT PILATES® CECs

Learn more about ISP, prerequisites, and registration:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/stott-intensive/

10/22/2026

It's not that the exercises were wrong. It's that nobody explained why you'd choose them.

If you've taken an injury course or two, you've probably run into the same few traps.

There's the watered-down version, where every exercise you already know just gets smaller and easier, with no real explanation of the biomechanics behind it. You leave thinking, "Come on, I could have figured that out on my own."

There's the recipe: here's the condition, here's the list. Nothing helps you tell a knee six weeks out from meniscus surgery apart from a knee that's ached for ten years, even though they need completely different sessions.

There are the rules that keep flipping. Extension is good, flexion is bad, until someone tells you the opposite and nobody explains why.

And there's the classic "that's not your role." Don't diagnose, don't treat. Got it. But you're the one seeing this client twice a week through their recovery, and being told what you can't do isn't the same as learning what you can.

What all four have in common is that they skip the why. Flexion and extension aren't good or bad on their own. Whether a movement helps depends on the tissue involved, where it is in healing, and how that body manages load. Once you understand that, the "rules" stop contradicting each other, and you stop guessing.

That's what the STOTT PILATES® Injuries & Special Populations (ISP) course is built on. It trades "Which modification do I use?" for better questions: Where is this tissue in its healing? Is this movement truly off the table, or does it just need a different load, range or position? And where does my role end and the physician or physical therapist's begin? You'll come away with clinical reasoning you can bring to any client, and a clear picture of your place in prevention and post-rehabilitation.

At Pacific Northwest Pilates Education, ISP is taught by Katherine Brown, STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer, who works with clients with injuries and complex needs right here in our studio. Every "why" comes with a real example.

Injuries & Special Populations (ISP)
📍 Nov 12–15, 2026 | Portland, OR
Thu–Sat 12–7pm PT | Sun 9am–4pm PT
✔️ 24 hours of instruction | 2.4 CECs
✔️ Required for full STOTT PILATES® certification
✔️ Prerequisite: Intensive Mat-Plus (IMP), Intensive Reformer (IR) or Comprehensive Matwork & Reformer (CMR)

Your clients don't need you to have every answer memorized. They need you to ask better questions, and to understand the body well enough to act on the answers. 💜

Learn more and register at https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/student-home/ or book a free chat with our Education Coordinator: https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/book-a-free-chat/

10/20/2026

What happens after the first Pilates class, when the shaking stops being a surprise?

The Wall Street Journal recently had fun with strong men discovering how hard Pilates can be. We asked nine men who've practiced at our studio for years, some for more than two decades, why they keep coming back. Their answers have very little to do with shaking: a marathoner who avoided spinal surgery, a grandfather keeping up with his grandsons, and a 79-year-old who swan-dived off a bridge.

Read their stories in their own words:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/pilates-fitness/why-men-do-pilates-real-answers-beyond-the-gym-bro-hype/

The WSJ says gym bros leave Pilates shaking. We asked nine men who've practiced for years what it's really like and why they keep coming back.

10/14/2026

Last chance to join us!

This Sunday, October 18, Master Instructor Trainer Katherine Brown will be teaching STOTT PILATES® Programming Protocols for Breast Cancer Rehab live online.

Designed for movement professionals, this specialized course explores current information on breast cancer, diagnosis and treatment; pre- and post-operative considerations for safe and effective exercise; and specific STOTT PILATES® programming protocols to support clients throughout their breast cancer journey.

Sunday, October 18 | 9:00 am–4:00 pm PT
💻 Live Online
💗 $420 — includes course manual ($60 value)
🎓 Earns .6 CECs

Only a few spaces remain. If you've been thinking about joining us, now is the time.

👉 https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/continuing-education/

10/13/2026

Your client just finished cancer treatment. Your instinct is to treat her like she's fragile. That instinct might be holding her back.

It usually happens quietly, at the start of a session. "I finished treatment last month. I'm ready to start moving again." And in that moment, a teacher's mind starts racing. Is this safe? What should I avoid? Can she load that arm? Does she need medical clearance first?

If you've felt that flicker of panic, you're not alone. It means you care. But here's the part no one talks about: when we're unsure, we default to gentle. Tiny ranges, no load, and a lot of "just take it easy." Being handled like glass can quietly tell a client that her body can't be trusted. Careful is smart. Overly cautious doesn't serve anyone.

The research supports a more confident approach. International exercise guidelines for cancer survivors, developed by a roundtable convened by the American College of Sports Medicine, find that exercise is generally safe and support working with qualified exercise professionals. And the landmark Physical Activity and Lymphedema (PAL) trial found that slowly progressive, supervised strength training was safe for breast cancer survivors, including those with or at risk for arm lymphedema.

Every client is different, and not every client is a woman. Men get breast cancer too. It's rare, fewer than 1% of US cases, but those clients deserve the same informed care. Different bodies, same need for a framework.

That's what a protocol-based approach gives you: a clear starting point, a logical progression stage by stage, exercise choices with a reason behind them, and the confidence to progress your client, not just protect them. All while working alongside their care team, not in place of it.

In STOTT PILATES® Programming Protocols for Breast Cancer Rehab, Katherine Brown, STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer, will guide you through understanding breast cancer, detection, and treatment, applying Merrithew® programming protocols for pre-operative and post-operative stages, and exploring healing practices that support both physical and emotional recovery.

📍 STOTT PILATES® Programming Protocols for Breast Cancer Rehab
📍 Sunday, October 18 | 9am to 4pm PT | Online
📍 With Katherine Brown, STOTT PILATES® Master Instructor Trainer
📍 $420, course manual included | .6 CECs
📍 Small equipment required. Full list on our site.

See the full list and register here: https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/continuing-education/

10/12/2026

Think back to the last time you skipped a walk because something ached.

It probably didn't feel like a big decision. It was just one walk. But for many people, that's how it begins. A sore knee turns into a few quiet days, and a few quiet days turn into a new routine. Weeks later, the stairs feel a little harder, and getting up from a low chair takes more effort than it used to.

The body responds to less movement faster than most of us realize. In one study, healthy adults in their early 70s who reduced their daily steps to about 1,400 for just two weeks lost nearly 4% of their leg muscle.

Pain researchers have a name for the pattern that often follows: the fear-avoidance cycle. When something hurts, it's natural to protect it. But over time, worry about pain or reinjury can lead people to avoid movement, and that avoidance is linked to deconditioning. Discomfort leads to less movement, which leads to less strength, less confidence, and even less movement. Each step makes the next one feel perfectly reasonable.

When people come to Pacific Northwest Pilates, they rarely lead with "I'm in pain." More often, they say something quieter: "I just don't feel like myself."

Here's the part we want everyone to know. Much of what feels like "just getting older" is often deconditioning, and deconditioning responds to thoughtful, consistent movement at any stage of life. In a landmark study, adults ages 86 to 96 more than doubled their leg strength after eight weeks of strength training, and their walking improved as well.

The cycle runs in reverse, too. Thoughtful movement builds strength. Strength builds confidence. Confidence leads to more movement. The walk comes back. The stairs feel steadier. Getting up from the floor gets easier. And one day, saying yes to that trip feels possible again.

Wherever you are in the cycle, it's a good place to start. Our instructors will meet you there and build at a pace your body can trust.

Book a Free Chat with our team:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/book-a-free-chat/

Learn more about getting started at Pacific Northwest Pilates:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/client-home/

10/08/2026

If your neck and shoulders start to ache after sitting for a while, you're not alone, and it may have less to do with your posture habits than you think.

For generations, the standard advice has been simple: sit up straight. It's well-intentioned, but it rarely creates lasting change. Most people respond by arching the lower back, lifting the ribs, and puffing up the chest. It looks taller for a moment, and then the body settles right back where it started.

At Pacific Northwest Pilates, we have a saying: if you've given a cue three times and nothing has changed, you need a different cue.

Here's what many people don't realize. Difficulty sitting upright usually isn't a strength problem. More often, restriction in the low back, deep hip muscles, and hamstrings creates a downward pull on the pelvis that the trunk simply can't overcome. It isn't a willpower problem either. Sitting upright improves gradually, as muscle tone changes and muscle groups rebalance and learn to work together differently. That's why mobility has to be restored alongside strength.

So what do our instructors do instead?

Sometimes we guide people to stack the spine through movement, one section at a time, from the pelvis to the lower back, ribcage, head, and neck. Upright sitting begins to feel natural rather than forced.

And very often, we simply raise the seat. Sitting on a box, bench, or firm cushion gives the pelvis room to find its balance. It improves alignment through the whole spine, takes strain off the neck and shoulders, and decompresses the spine, so movements like rotating or rounding forward don't add compression on top of compression. If someone feels shoulder discomfort during seated arm work, raising them up is often the first thing we try.

That isn't a shortcut. It's a smart starting point that lets the body practice good positions until it can find them on its own.

Want to feel the difference? Sit on a folded blanket at the front edge of a chair, find both sit bones, rock gently until you find the balanced middle, and let your spine grow up from there. Notice what changes in your neck and shoulders.

If you're curious how Pilates could help you move and sit more comfortably, we'd love to talk.

Book a Free Chat with our team:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/book-a-free-chat/

Learn more about getting started at Pacific Northwest Pilates:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/client-home/

10/07/2026

Only a few spots left!

Working with clients before, during, and after breast cancer treatment requires more than a general understanding of exercise. It requires thoughtful programming, an understanding of the effects of treatment and recovery, and the ability to adapt movement appropriately for the individual in front of you.

On October 18, Master Instructor Trainer Katherine Brown will teach STOTT PILATES® Programming Protocols for Breast Cancer Rehab, a live online course designed for movement professionals who want to better understand how to support clients throughout their breast cancer journey.
The course includes current information on breast cancer, diagnosis and treatment, pre- and post-operative considerations, and specific Merrithew® programming protocols to help practitioners make informed exercise choices.

📅 Sunday, October 18
💻 Live Online
⏰ 9:00 am–4:00 pm PT
🎓 .6 CECs
📘 $420, including course manual ($60 value)

Only a few spots left!
Link in bio to learn more or go to:
https://conta.cc/4rI6eWL

10/06/2026

If you're researching how to become a Pilates instructor, you've probably noticed there's no single route in. STOTT PILATES®, BASI, Balanced Body, Peak Pilates and Polestar all offer respected teacher training, and every program makes a good case for itself.

So when people ask us what makes STOTT PILATES® training different, we don't start by comparing schools. We start with a better question: what kind of teacher do you want to become?

Every established program has its own philosophy. Some are classical, some are contemporary. Some are rooted in rehabilitation, others in movement principles. None of these differences are shortcomings. The goal is to find the education that fits the professional you want to be.

A quick word on cost, because this is where research gets confusing fast. "Comprehensive" doesn't mean the same thing everywhere. Before you compare numbers, ask each program which apparatus you'll be qualified to teach, how much anatomy is required, how many observation and practice teaching hours are involved, and whether manuals, exams and certification fees are included. Then you're comparing apples to apples.

STOTT PILATES® is a contemporary approach to the original work of Joseph Pilates. From your very first course, you learn the what, how and why: the intention of an exercise, where the movement should initiate, and what to change if it isn't working. Anatomy becomes a working language for observing movement, not a quiz you pass and forget.

It tends to be a strong fit for people who ask "why?" (a lot), love detail and a clearly organized system, and want to teach real people rather than the picture in the manual.

Where you train matters too. The curriculum is the same everywhere, but the learning environment isn't. Pacific Northwest Pilates Education is a school and a working Portland studio, teaching clients since 2001. Our students get studio and equipment access for practice, real teaching to observe, several Instructor Trainers to learn from, and the option to audit completed courses for up to three years. Trust us on this one: hearing the material again after you've started teaching is a completely different experience.

Eventually the course ends and a real person walks through your door. The best education prepares you for exactly that moment.

Explore our Pilates teacher training programs:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/student-home/

Weighing your options? Book a Free Chat with our Education Coordinator:
https://pacificnorthwestpilates.com/book-a-free-chat/

10/01/2026

Only 5 spots left!

Our next live online STOTT PILATES® course focuses on an important area of specialized programming: supporting clients before, during, and after breast cancer treatment.

On Sunday, October 18, Master Instructor Trainer Katherine Brown will teach STOTT PILATES® Programming Protocols for Breast Cancer Rehab.
This course gives movement professionals current information about breast cancer, diagnosis and treatment, pre- and post-operative considerations, and specific Merrithew® programming protocols to help you make thoughtful, informed exercise choices throughout a client’s cancer journey.

📅 Sunday, October 18, 2026
⏰ 9:00 am–4:00 pm PT
💻 Live Online
🎓 .6 CECs
📘 $420, including course manual ($60 value)

Only 5 spots remain. Learn more and register here: https://conta.cc/4rI6eWL