Metal and Lights

We LOVE our SWAN sign in Brooklyn! When we were beginning to move into our Brooklyn space, one of the first things we wanted to get was a great sign you could see from the street! We went to a bunch of stores around the city, dug through the internet, and then we found Metal and Lights on Etsy! Artist Chris Freeman, the owner of Metal and Lights, is based out of Alabama (yeah, we love the south too). He makes custom metal and light fixtures at a completely reasonable price.

We love how our Swan sign turned out. Take a stroll down Atlantic Ave and see for yourself! He was wonderful to work with and we recommend him to anyone!

Image courtesy of Metal and Lights

Image courtesy of Metal and Lights

Crepe Cake!

Some really good friends of The Swan are having a baby ANY DAY NOW. So for their baby shower a couple weeks ago, I embarked on a very involved adventure in crepe cake making. It was a three day long process involving two dozen eggs, pounds of butter and more milk than I have seen ever go into a bowl. I based the recipe on this one.

I made dulce de leche pastry cream the first night. Have you ever done that? EEK. You basically make a really fancy vanilla not-quite-scrambled eggs concoction with cornstarch and then painstakingly put it through a very fine sieve.  

The second night was relatively easy. I browned some butter and made crepe batter.

Day three I woke up sweating at 7am (on a Saturday) because I needed to make 40 crepes, cool them, layer them and assemble the whole shebang. I was a nervous wreck and may-or-may-not have yelled at my husband a few times. I brûléed the top and dusted the cakes with shimmering pink dust I found at NY Cake.

Results: AMAZING

Musical TBT - Holiday

In the depths of winter, when warmth feels like a long forgotten dream, there are a few things that keep me sane. One of those things is full spectrum light bulbs and another is the multitude of delivery options...

All joking aside, exercise and friendship are the two things that keep my seasonal depression in check. The Swan wants to give you the gift of both! Check out our #spreadthelove deal going on now at BK Swan. Then get warmed up and ready for class by learning all the sweet moves in this Madonna video. Holiday is basically a medium level aerobics video starring Madonna! Gear up, Golden-Girls style, with your best pals and head to class this winter. May this song inspire you to greatness!

Alexis Zaccarello - Swan Instructor

Swan instructor Alexis is here to help you connect with your breath and organize your body. Another southern transplant and lover of movement, Alexis infuses the studio with her passion and excitement.

We like to let our instructors speak for themselves. See what Alexis has to say about Pilates, travel, mammals and more! Check out all of our Swan Q&A's here!

Can you tell us a bit about your philosophy of teaching, what interests you about the body, and any influences that have shaped your practice and your teaching?

I'm interested in how people live inside/outside themselves and how that manifests into more physical ways of carriage and movement. I'm interested in initiation of movement and follow through. I like to help folks build different relationships to physical pain, strengthen and lengthen and explore efficient paths of Movement. There is some kind of shift that happens when we find midline and for me I see it extend beyond our physicality. It's different for each person. That's cool!

What is your favorite city to travel to?

I really love how beautiful and accessible Amsterdam is (all the streets and buildings are so people-sized!). The summer is just gorgeous. Those people know how to enjoy a moment or two.

How do you feel that being a Pilates instructor is informed and informs other parts of your life?

For me Pilates, and teaching, is like this great lens that I'm so grateful to have in my life. I spend a lot of my life in movement so Pilates lends me the eye to see motion very directly. So much that we do in daily life (as well as more physically rigorous activities) are lopsided OR overly strengthen, stretch, or neglect certain muscles which can facilitate less direct ways of moving.  I'm pro efficiency and ease. Pilates also lives within my dance work. In movement realms I'm so fascinated by how MUCH is in the body right now. We aren't just talking about abdominals but also what about the digestive system in there? And fascia. And fluid. Sometimes people get so obsessed about looking thin and tight in the midsection, and I'm all for looking super sexy(!!), but I'm into knowing all the other things at play in there.  

If you could only eat one thing for a week, what would it be?

It's winter, so: Soup! But I wish it were summer so I could say WATERMELON!

What is your favorite bone or muscle and why?

I have favorites for the different people I work with. For myself, it's the diaphragm right now. Sculpturally the sphenoid bone is just absolutely stunning! (The 2d images just don't do it justice)

Elephant or whale?

If it means I get to swim in water all day- whale whale whale

Anything else you want to share with The Swan community?

I'm really excited about my JSR class on Wednesdays . Don't be intimidated- we're gonna jump the right way and I'll prep you well. 

We are the swan - Katie

Name: Katie

Profession: I own a graphic design studio in Dumbo, The Office of Katie Osborn, Inc. We focus on wayfinding strategies such as signs, maps, apps and other tools that help people find their way around public spaces like parks, hospitals, and schools. 

How has Pilates affected your life outside the studio?

It's kind of hard to explain, but I feel balanced and tall and and strong in the most subtle way. I feel better in my body!

What is your favorite Pilates exercise to do while traveling or at home?

I like the bent knee lifts for my core and the serratus push ups to keep my shoulders loose. 

What are you listening to lately?

I've been obsessed with Cloud Cult for years... If you don't know them, ask Julia, she's a fan too. 

What is your favorite place to travel to?

Locally, I love Fire Island in the summer, but I'm dreaming of a trip to Argentina in the near future

#necksupport: Release and Make Space.

Use these stretches to make some space in your neck and shoulders. Take your time, be gentle and breath. Not sure what your scalenes and legator scaps are? Click the links to learn more with our #necksupport series!

scalene stretch

Find a comfortable seat or standing position in neutral spine with your feet and legs supported. Take your right hand and place it underneath your left collar bone, in line with your collar bone. Apply gentle pressure in towards your rib cage and down towards your hips using the entire length of your hand- no pokey fingers. You can stack your free hand on top for extra support if you like. Keeping your head over the center of your rib cage, side bend it away from your hands and left collar bone. Try not to jut your chin forward. Stay here for three breaths. Then gently rotate the broad edge of your left cheek and jaw towards the ceiling. Stay for three breaths. Release and repeat on the other side. 

levator scap stretch

Place one hand above your head with your elbow slightly bent. Tilt your head away from the arm that is up and rotate it to look down towards the ground. Breathe and try to allow your shoulder to release down your back. Repeat on both sides.

pec stretch

Face the wall and extend your arm straight out to the side.  Place your hand on the wall. Rotate your body away from your hand without rotating the head of your shoulder forward towards the wall or down towards the floor. Turn your head away. Try this with your arm a little bit higher than shoulder level. Repeat on both sides. 

If you want a dynamic pec stretch, try this one!

Swimmers stretch

Sit or stand comfortably in your neutral spine. Bring your right arm up in front of your chest with your elbow bent to 90 degrees. Wrap your left elbow under your right and try to place your left fingers in your right palm. Your forearms will be intertwined and your palms facing each other. If the second step is unavailable, you can hold a strap between your hands or press the backs of your forearms and palms together. Keeping this arm posture, drop your shoulders down your back and lift your elbows. If you don't feel a stretch, move your hands away from your face without lifting your shoulders. Deepen your breath and direct it between your shoulder blades. (Optional: take a head roll in each direction) Stay here for a few deep, slow rounds of breath and repeat on the other side. 

Check out more at-home exercises with #moveit!

Bison Chili in an Acorn Squash OMG

Um. This might be the most delicious sounding healthy comfort food recipe we've seen in a while. Place one of these babies on top of a bed of garlicky kale? I'm out the door, running to the farmers market and I'll see ya later, skater.

SPREAD THE LOVE in February

It's way more fun to venture out in the cold, or try something new, with a friend! Make a Pilates date with a bud at The Swan Brooklyn this February. All month long when you bring a friend to class they practice for half off! Spread the love. 

The details: Applies to all classes, all month. Each client can only bring the same friend once. Your friend must be new to The Swan Brooklyn. Limit two friends per client per class. If you are both new and you come together, you both get half off! You can bring as many friends throughout the month as you like. To register you and your guest please email your guest's first name, last name and email address to bkswanpilates@gmail.com so we can save you a spot in class. Drop ins are allowed but preregistration is strongly encouraged to ensure your space.

All standard Swan fees, taxes and cancelation policies apply. View them here. 

Have questions about which class is right for you? Shoot us a line or give us a ring. See you in the studio!

levator scapulae

Oh Levator Scapulae, how I love to hate you.

The Levator(elevate) Scapulae(shoulder blade) runs from the top inner corner of the shoulder blade up to your first four vertebrae in your cervical spine (neck). The levator scap is underneath both the Trapezius and SCM. (click here or here if you don't know what those are)

This image is from Wikipedia 

The Levator does a couple of actions. It works to elevate the inner corner of the scapulae, which in turn downwardly rates the scapulae (does that make your brain hurt?). Basically, it pulls that inner corner up towards the neck and makes your shoulder socket spin down towards the floor. If the shoulder blade is fixed, the Levators can work to either bend the spine to one side or another, compress the spine on one side or the other, OR compress both sides which could contribute to forward head (and lots of neck aches).

Lucky for you, we will be posting a #moveit post next week to teach you some ways to help release your Levator Scapulae. Stay tuned!

Musical TBT - Reconstruction Site

Certainly not the most compelling of videos, but this song (and the whole album for that matter) are such perfection that it does not even matter. The Weakerthans lyrics will transport you to another place. This particular song puts us in an older model car, on a southern two lane highway, in the middle of the summer. Which is right where we want to be in the middle of winter in NYC. Press play, shut your eyes, and see where you end up!

Sternocleidomastoid - Say what?

Let's break that down! 

Sterno = Sternum- aka chest plate

Cleido = Clavicle or clavicular- aka collar bones

Mastoid = having to do with the Mastoid process- aka the landmark on your temporal bone, behind your ear 

SCM for short! The sternocliedomastoid is a neck muscle that is easily visible when you turn your head to look over one shoulder. You have two, one on each side of the front of your neck. 

What does it do? Primarily the SCM acts in moving the head and cervical spine. The SCM moves the head during specific angles of side bending and rotation, and when both SCMs contract together they create extension of the head (turning your face to the ceiling) and accentuate the curvature in the vertebrae of your neck (cervical vertebrae). However, when the head is fixed or held still the SCM elevates the sternum and clavicle assisting in respiration. You might make your neck look like a lizard sometimes on purpose- this is flaring your SCMs with a fixed skull. 

Image:Gray385.png modified by Uwe Gille - Image:Gray385.png

Let's look at where it attaches to better understand how it affects our #necksupport. Your SCMs have two heads that originate on each side of the top of the sternum and along the edge of your clavicles close to the sternum. From their origins they sweep on a diagonal line across your neck, without attaching to any vertebrae to insert behind your ear. So these puppies connect your shoulder girdle and rib cage to your head. 

Forward head posture is a common problem in our desk-driven and text-fueled society. In forward head posture, the SCMs can't perform their movement responsibilities because our alignment is so out of whack. In this poor alignment the side bending and rotating, that the SCMs usually take care of, gets outsourced to other groups like our traps! Yikes! All of this reorganizing and compensating leads to compromised positions, stress and imbalance on the structures of our neck, spine and ribs that can lead to long term issues. Are you reading this on a screen? Where's your head? :)  Just looking out for you! Stay tuned for more on neck anatomy and posture as well as information to understand your spine! 

See you in the studio! -Shorty