By Lauren Charlip

Not only is Pilates for Pink a way to raise money for a great cause, but it has given two Los Angeles studio owners—with studios mere blocks away from each other—a reason to come together and put a new spin on the program.      

Maria Leone and Shari Berkowitz both own studios with teacher-training programs, a rare occurence in any neighborhood. Leone owns Bodyline, a PhysicalMind Institute certification studio, and Berkowitz owns The Vertical Workshop, and directs Power Pilates’ West Coast teacher-training program. Together they’re putting on programming for Pilates teachers that will raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through Pilates for Pink this Sunday, October 18.

Each will be teaching a professionals-only mat class at Bodyline (which will also sponsor its own Pilates for Pink class for clients). Leone, ruminating on how she’d make her third year as a Pilates for Pink host different, came up with the idea of having a guest teacher.

For the DVD Standing Pilates, The PhysicalmMind Institute has developed an entire routine of classical Pilates mat exercises modified for the standing position. The idea of spending an entire class standing is smart, and it certainly improves balance and control. Some of these exercises make a lot of sense for people who have a hard time lifting their heads off of the floor in a traditional mat class. Gravity plays a completely different role when standing as opposed to lying flat on your back. Try this DVD’s version of the Hundred and you’ll get the “connection” without lifting your head against gravity.