A SPA-TACULAR
EXPERIENCE AT RANCHO LA PUERTA!
PILATES INSTRUCTOR, DARIEN GOLD, TEACHES PILATES
TO GUESTS AT RENOWNED SPA
Gold brings ‘Exercise for the Soul’ to the ‘Sanctuary
for the Spirit’
(Los Angeles, CA) – When Pilates instructor, Darien Gold was invited
to teach Pilates classes for a week at the world renowned Spa, Rancho
La Puerta, she was delighted with the opportunity to share her intimate
knowledge and passion for the work with the guests of the prominent spa.
To Gold, Rancho La Puerta, dubbed by founder Deborah Szekely as a “sanctuary
for the spirit” was the ideal location to teach Pilates, exercise
for the soul.
“Pilates is for everyone,” states Gold, who teaches Pilates
at her Los Angeles-based Studio Darien. “Pilates is for people of
all ages and fitness levels,” explains Gold, referring to the fact
that the classes she taught at the Ranch were comprised of students ranging
in age from 23-81. “What I found was that everyone who took my class,
no matter their physical size, gender or age, all had a desire to learn
more about what this Pilates was all about,” declares Gold.
While prepared to teach two classes each day for the week while at the
Spa, Gold was somewhat surprised to discover she had sixty students in
the beginner’s class and thirty students in the intermediate class.
Gold, who studied Pilates under the tutelage of Romana Kryzanowska, principal
disciple of Joseph Pilates, was confident in her teaching skills and therefore,
undaunted by the prospect of teaching Pilates to a crowd. “She was
quite masterful in the way she handled the crowd,” comments Phyllis
Pilgrim, Director of the Awaken the Spirit and Specialty Week Programs
for Rancho La Puerta.
With a passion for Pilates and a remarkable talent for teaching the artful
discipline, Gold not only handled the size of the class, but managed to
provide individual attention to each student. “I felt it my obligation
and duty to help these people understand the genesis of the work to the
best of my ability,” states Gold. “I motivate my students
by sharing with them a basic Pilates' premise: the discipline will improve
your posture, increase flexibility and joint mobility and helps one to
prepare for their daily activities.
Gold, who teaches the original Pilates repertoire, began teaching the
artful discipline to the students by introducing them to the Gold Stretches,
a series of stretching exercises, unlike anything they had ever experienced
before. One student in Gold’s class, Janeen Sarlin, the renowned
chef, caterer and author of seven popular cookbooks, states, “I
have taken Pilates for the past 8 years and I realize only after taking
Darien's beginners class that I was not doing it correctly before. I found
it especially helpful to learn the stretches before doing the basic work.”
Before students could learn the basic work, Gold first had to teach
them the most fundamental Pilates’ exercise: proper breathing. “If
you only learn one thing from the classes this week, learn how to breathe
correctly,” Gold told the students. Proper breathing is crucial
for isolating the core muscles, the essence of Pilates. Finding ones core
strength protects the spine and allows the muscles to move the body more
efficiently, and therefore, prevents all types of potential injuries.
After mastering the art of breathing, the students were taught the “Hundred”-
pumping the arms up and down for a count of one hundred. This exercise,
crucial for getting oxygen to flow throughout the body, prepares it for
the entire mat repertoire.
By the second day of classes, it was evident her students were inspired
by Gold’s passion for the work. “Many of my students were
constantly coming up to me telling me how they felt their ‘powerhouse’
when they were hiking, or they were aware that they felt taller or even
just more aware of themselves,” declares Gold.
At the end of the week Gold was gratified with the fruits of her labor:
Students in the beginner class had mastered the first seven basic exercises
of the Pilates mat; the intermediate class had learned the full order
of the intermediate mat; and almost all of her students returned home
inspired by Gold to continue with their Pilates work. To that end, Gold
had prepared a printed handout for the students, designed to not only
outline for them the basics, but also what to look for in a good Pilates
teacher.
At home in New York after her week of classes with Darien Gold, Janeen
Sarlin declares, “I have been following her 5 to 6 minute workout
every day since I left the ranch! I have always wanted to do just that,
but never got the tools to carry it home before! Sarlin also addresses
Gold’s initial concern that the guests at the Ranch might not be
able to handle her intensity and desire for mastery: Says Sarlin, “Darien's
teaching method is easy to remember and when done properly is not difficult!”
So thanks, Darien for changing my life and my figure at the same time.”
Another student exclaims, “I've taken 7 years of Pilates and Darien
helped me do it correctly for the first time.”
Prior to becoming certified in Pilates in 1997, Gold was a successful
New York trained, professional dancer and prior to that, a competitive
gymnast. Gold credits these experiences for her comprehensive knowledge
of the human anatomy.
Although Gold works with students from every walk of life, she has garnered
a reputation for her special skills in teaching Pilates to athletes. In
fact, in January 2006, the prestigious UCLA athletic department brought
Gold in to train the school’s championship softball team. With her
appointment as the school’s “Dynamic Balance Coach,”
Gold gained invaluable experience in teaching Pilates to large groups.
Classically trained in the Pilates method, Darien Gold
teaches the techniques and principles of the original Pilates repertoire
at her Hollywood-based, Studio Darien. For more information
about Darien Gold and Studio Darien, please go to www.studiodarien.com
or call 323.874.2615. Studio Darien is located at 7507
Sunset Blvd., Suite 14, Los Angeles, CA 90046.
» Guests from Rancho
La Puerta express themselves after their week of Pilates classes with
Darien Gold
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