St. John’s pilates studio helping those living with Parkinson’s
Pilates studios are experiencing a new wave of popularity thanks to social media platforms like Tiktok.
Sarah Joy Stoker has noticed the increased interest at Pony Pilates, her St. John'sbased studio on Water Street.
"I've had people come in over the last three weeks and say they saw it on Tiktok," Stoker said, adding this is good for the business, which has experienced some struggles since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There has been an uptick in folks trying pilates for the first time. People are curious about it."
PONY PILATES
Pony Pilates isn't new to St. John's. Formerly Pony Locale, the studio has been open for over a decade, and it's more than just the cute workout classes people see online.
Stoker said pilates focuses on the relationship between the brain and the physical body. She calls it proprioception.
"Proprioception is our sixth sense. It's our perception of our physical body essentially in space so how we relate to our environments, the world, gravity," she said.
With over a decade in business, Stoker said pilates is rooted in rehabilitation and restoration.
"It's really useful for bringing people out of chronic pain, post surgeries, anything like that," she said.
'IT'S AWESOME'
Stoker's studio offers private and semi-private sessions, group mat and reformer classes (what people see on social media), and Parkinson's classes.
"We do a lot of private work with people one-onone," Stoker said.
One client, Karl Sorensen, came by for a private session during Saltwire's interview.
Sorensen has been doing pilates for five years and loves it.
"I think that it's awesome. My body, at 58 years old, needs more movement, and this is the place to be," he said.
Stoker said they see people of all ages in the studio, from seniors to twenty-somethings.
"I have one client, she's 84. She has two new knees, she had both her knees replaced, she's full of arthritis, she's been doing pilates for most of her life," Stoker said.
"She's in the group classes with 20 year olds, 30 year olds, 40 year olds, she does quite well."
PARKINSON'S CLASSES
Stoker's classes for those with Parkinson's are one aspect of the studio that makes Pony Pilates unique.
The studio has worked with the Newfoundland and Labrador Parkinson's Society for 10 years.
“We offer two classes a week to that community that are fully subsidized by the Parkinson’s Society. The people that come, they come for free and those classes happen all the time,” Stoker said.
One class, held on Mondays, is a general class designed to include individuals of varying fitness levels and stages of Parkinson’s.
“That class happens both sitting in chairs and standing next to their chairs,” she said.
“Anyone is welcome to come in at any time with Parkinson’s, along with their caregivers.”
Pony Pilates also offers a circuit class on Thursdays for those experiencing Parkinson’s.
“(This class) is much more active. We use reformers, the suspension trainer, they use free weights, kettlebells, all the stuff,” Stoker said.
POSITIVE IMPACT
Through her decade of work with the Parkinson’s Society, Stoker has noticed a positive impact on those with the disease.
“We still are learning about Parkinson’s, but one thing we do know is one of the best things that people with Parkinson’s can do is to exercise, to stay very active, and really exercise regularly,” she said.
“We can see it. Folks become more confident, their balance has improved so they feel more confident just being out in the world, stronger, and improvement in posture.”
FOCUS ON MOVEMENT
In addition to the relationship between mind and body, pilates also focuses on biomechanics and functional movement.
“It’s very specific about posture alignment, orientation, so it’s very effective in improving people’s posture and building up really optimal body mechanics,” Stoker said.
“We certainly see that in the folks with Parkinson’s.”
Stoker constantly notices the importance of consistent physical activity and exercise through her work.
She said those with Parkinson’s who have been active throughout their lifetime tend to have more success in managing their physical symptoms.
“If people have been active in their lives as children, if people did sports or dance, and they managed to keep being physically active as adults, those people have a much easier time with something like Parkinson’s,” she said.
PARKINSON’S AWARENESS MONTH
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Stoker views seniors staying active as one of the most important pieces of life, along with love, family, and joy.
This month, she is encouraging people to call or write their MHA’S and the premier to demand the government find a way to get more neurologists who can and will treat people living with Parkinson’s.
Stoker spoke highly of the Parkinson’s Society, even outside of the classes she offers.
“There’s obviously people doing a lot of work for people with Parkinson’s but there’s nowhere else that we’ve found that has that level of subsidized offerings all throughout the week, just ongoing the way that we do,” she said.
‘COME AND TRY IT’
As for those with a piqued interest in pilates, Stoker encouraged people to give it a try.
“The reason I do it, and the reason I’ve done it for so long, is I know how well it works,” she said.
“Pilates is really strength oriented. It’s really about strength and building strength so it’s challenging. You’re going to work but you’re not running around jumping. It’s very calm, quite detail-oriented, so you really have to be very present.”