Methods Overview

So my name is Glaucia Adriana and I'm from Brazil. I've been working with Lolita for the last six years, since I met her. I actually met her in 2008. Oh, sorry, 2007. And then since 2008 and nine, I'm with her in her mentor program. Then I started assisting her with the Brazilian group. And so far I've been teaching for her for almost six years.

So every time you're going to attend Lolita's class, she's going do a foot assessment. She's going to look at you. She's not going to look at you, actually. She's going to make the assessment of your foot. That's it. That's what matters for her. The way you're grounded, the way you lay down on the Reformer, how you place your foot on the foot bar, that's what matters for her. That's where everything begins. She says that all the time. The foot is where all life starts. Everything starts right there. Another thing that she does is that she takes the name of the exercise.

Literally. She always mentions that Joseph wanted the exercise to describe the movement you're going to do. That's what she does all the time. So the Single Leg Stretch is not a ballet movement. The Single Leg Stretch is a stretch that you're going to grab your leg, bring it to your torso, and then you're going to stretch the leg. That's the real movement that she wants to see.

The other thing that I think is the main thing about Lolita is that she really cares about movement. It doesn't matter about your limitations. It doesn't matter how old you are. You can be 8 to 80 as she is right now. But you've got to move. I mean, you can put precision in it, you can assert control, you can do all the principles. And she does use all the principles. I'm not saying she's not using it, but she really cares about seeing you moving. So she changed me.

She's 80 years old. She practiced every single day for, I mean, during her whole life. She had to find ways to move it, especially now in her eighties and with all the restrictions that she has so far, but she found the way, and the main things that she tells you is just move. It doesn't matter if it's right or wrong, just move. Like if you're doing a Mat class with Lolita and you get tired, no, you do not get tired because she's going to say just do not stop. Just move, whatever. I mean however you want or need or can do it. You just do it. Just move. She keeps saying all the time that movement is freedom and that's the phrase that she keeps inserting in everyone's mind. Movement is freedom.

As long as you are moving, you're going to have a very good life. Especially regarding quality of life. Lolita's greatest legacy is that she tries her best to keep the work alive. She works every single day. She's 80 and she has more energy than anyone else I see in this industry. It's just so inspiring. The way that she does it.

She has a mini studio at her home, and when she gets you there in that tiny studio, the first thing she mentions to you is she sits down and she starts talking about Joseph and all the things that he wanted to be accomplished, to see accomplished, like a world wide Pilates community and everything. So she is trying to get there. She's trying to get the word out, especially going to Germany, fighting to get Pilates there in his hometown. It was such an emotional thing for her. So her greatest legacy is to keep the integrity of the work. It's spreading the word around, especially to places that she thinks that they don't know. I mean you go to Germany, she thought that everyone else in Germany would know who Joseph was by now, but not even in his hometown. So this broke her heart. It was very emotional to get there, to get to his hometown.

It was the biggest dream I think she ever accomplished. So the integrity of the work, she's working so hard for that so far.