You know the drill: summer ends, school begins and before you know it, the holidays are bearing down. Colder temperatures tighten the muscles, poorly planned meals expand the waistline and seasonal demands leave you feeling beat. This year, go on the offense; take Pilates, a method of body conditioning designed to stretch, strengthen and balance the mind and body.

"Pilates is about how your body moves in coordination with other parts of your body," says Celeste Zopich, owner/director of Pilates Staten Island. "Whether you are a dancer, or a homemaker, Pilates enables you to function at your optimum."

Created by German-born Joseph H. Pilates (1880-1967), early in the twentieth century, this method, once called "contrology," is based on six traditional principles essential to every Pilates movement:

Control - Attention to position and sequencing.

Breathe - Stimulating the flow of oxygen though the body.

Concentration - Precise movements performed through deep awareness, or "mind/body connection."

Centering - All movement initiates from the body's core (abdomen, lower back and buttocks).

Flow - Performing the correct transition of work.

Whole Body Movement - Integration of the upper and lower extremities with the trunk.

Precision - Repeating sound movements precisely.

What makes the method unique and so effective is that it shuns the "no pain, no gain" philosophy, but instead prescribes fewer, more precise movements focused on form and control.

Thirty-four year-old Zopich, a gold certified Pilates expert, former dancer classically trained in ballet and Martha Graham technique and who studied and performed with the Clive Thompson Dance Company, opened her first studio, Bodies by Celeste - Pilates at the Institute, New Dorp in 2003. Fully equipped to benefit a broad range of clients, from the injured to the athlete, the studio is private and welcoming. Zopich opened her second studio, Pilates Staten Island, Rosebank, this past September. Equally inviting, but with an added touch of glamour, this location offers small, more economical, group mat classes.

The serene design of her studios plays an important role in relaxing clients, allowing them to "get into themselves." The New Dorp studio, decorated by Todd Smircina, with cane colored walls and "bamboo" Berber carpet, embraces all who enter. The shimmering colors of Rothkoesque wall paintings evoke a distant place for quiet contemplation. Hushed background music, scattered oxygen generating plants and a trickling waterfall ground you in a setting perfect for making the essential mind/body connection.

"I lifted weights in my younger years," says 49 year-old client, James Best. "After beginning Pilates, I realized I didn't get the most out of [those] efforts."

Diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his knee, Best's orthopedic doctor prescribed physical therapy and believed surgery was a "consideration." After a postural analysis by Zopich, they began work on strengthening Best's leg and foot muscles. Within four weeks, surgery was averted and he has been pain-free for two years. "Sometimes, if I make a sudden move, I am reminded of the weakness," says Best. "But my body is more supportive, more forgiving, more aware in my favor."

During WWI, as a German national in England, Joseph Pilates was forcibly interned in Lancaster. There he became a caretaker for many of the injured and disease-stricken camp members. Using springs from their beds and attaching straps, he designed equipment not much different from Pilates apparatus used today. The simple spring and pulley system, with its gliding mat, support the entire body while building muscle strength and, beyond modern gym equipment, works both the concentric and eccentric effort from the muscles, developing symmetry and rebalancing the body. Joseph Pilates' fitness regimen has been credited with greatly effecting the survival of his compatriots during the 1918 influenza epidemic, when thousands of others died.

To protect the public from confusion about what Pilates is and what it is not, Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), an international not for profit professional association, was established in 2000. Its purpose is to define and standardize the Pilates method. Using Joseph Pilaties' sequence of exercises and philosophy, along with current scientific research and biomechanical principles, the PMA determines professional practices and maintains a national certification exam for instructors. Along with a small number of other PMA professionals, having passed the exam before a study guide was made available gives Zopich the distinction of Gold Certified.

There are those who call themselves Pilates instructors and those who have been PMA certified. PMA certification assures the consumer that the Pilates instructor has completed hundreds of hours of comprehensive training including both classroom and practical work, has 100 hours of hands-on instructing experience and has passed the national exam. There is also a continuing education commitment to maintain their status. Because the benefits of Pilates are directly proportionate to its precise practice, the importance of a qualified instructor cannot be overstated. More importantly, the instructor's deep understanding of theory and applied work ensure safe coaching.

All that training does not come without cost to the buyer, however. At popular studios like Power Pilates on East 57th Street, Manhattan, private one-on-one sessions with a master instructor can cost as much as $125 for a single hour. Fees at Pilates, Staten Island vary: $75 for a private session with the director and $65 for other instructors. Semi private sessions are more economical, with graduating discounts applied when sessions are purchased in blocks of five and ten. Most economical are group Mat classes at $20 a session.

But who can put a price on vitality?

"My back pain was getting so bad I would crawl up the stairs when my husband wasn't looking," says Frances Chionchio, who was 70 years-old when she met Zopich. "The pills [The Pain Center] gave me were taking away my brain, but not my pain." Then her son-in-law saw a small article about Zopich's work at the YMCA. With permission from her physician, Dr. Jack D'Angelo, Chionchio began working with Zopich.

"I didn't have a studio at the time," say Zopich. "I would take small props to her home and we would do mat based work." Within four months there was significant improvement with her ability to walk, stand, and climb stairs. "After working for a while her doctor wanted to meet me," says Zopich. "Then he became a client of mine."

D'Angelo began referring other patients and not long afterwards asked Zopich if she was interested in putting a studio in a small unused space at his rehabilitation institute. "This is ideal. This is just the right space," Zopich says of her first studio. "I owe so much to him."

At age 74, Chionchio continues to go to the studio two times a week. "I have a functional life now," she says. "Pilates is a Godsend."

Body by Celeste,  BBC - Pilates at the Institute, 361 Edison Street, Lower Level. 718.273.2400. Pilates Staten Island,  1231 Bay Street, 2nd Floor.  mail@pilatesstatenisland.com. http://pilatesstatenisland.com.

You know the drill: summer ends, school begins and before you know it, the holidays are bearing down. Colder temperatures tighten the muscles, poorly planned meals expand the waistline and seasonal demands leave you feeling beat. This year, go on the offense; take Pilates, a method of body conditioning designed to stretch, strengthen and balance the mind and body.

"Pilates is about how your body moves in coordination with other parts of your body," says Celeste Zopich, owner/director of Pilates Staten Island. "Whether you are a dancer, or a homemaker, Pilates enables you to function at your optimum."

Created by German-born Joseph H. Pilates (1880-1967), early in the twentieth century, this method, once called "contrology," is based on six traditional principles essential to every Pilates movement:

Control - Attention to position and sequencing.

Breathe - Stimulating the flow of oxygen though the body.

Concentration - Precise movements performed through deep awareness, or "mind/body connection."

Centering - All movement initiates from the body's core (abdomen, lower back and buttocks).

Flow - Performing the correct transition of work.

Whole Body Movement - Integration of the upper and lower extremities with the trunk.

Precision - Repeating sound movements precisely.

What makes the method unique and so effective is that it shuns the "no pain, no gain" philosophy, but instead prescribes fewer, more precise movements focused on form and control.

Thirty-four year-old Zopich, a gold certified Pilates expert, former dancer classically trained in ballet and Martha Graham technique and who studied and performed with the Clive Thompson Dance Company, opened her first studio, Bodies by Celeste - Pilates at the Institute, New Dorp in 2003. Fully equipped to benefit a broad range of clients, from the injured to the athlete, the studio is private and welcoming. Zopich opened her second studio, Pilates Staten Island, Rosebank, this past September. Equally inviting, but with an added touch of glamour, this location offers small, more economical, group mat classes.

The serene design of her studios plays an important role in relaxing clients, allowing them to "get into themselves." The New Dorp studio, decorated by Todd Smircina, with cane colored walls and "bamboo" Berber carpet, embraces all who enter. The shimmering colors of Rothkoesque wall paintings evoke a distant place for quiet contemplation. Hushed background music, scattered oxygen generating plants and a trickling waterfall ground you in a setting perfect for making the essential mind/body connection.

"I lifted weights in my younger years," says 49 year-old client, James Best. "After beginning Pilates, I realized I didn't get the most out of [those] efforts."

Diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his knee, Best's orthopedic doctor prescribed physical therapy and believed surgery was a "consideration." After a postural analysis by Zopich, they began work on strengthening Best's leg and foot muscles. Within four weeks, surgery was averted and he has been pain-free for two years. "Sometimes, if I make a sudden move, I am reminded of the weakness," says Best. "But my body is more supportive, more forgiving, more aware in my favor."

During WWI, as a German national in England, Joseph Pilates was forcibly interned in Lancaster. There he became a caretaker for many of the injured and disease-stricken camp members. Using springs from their beds and attaching straps, he designed equipment not much different from Pilates apparatus used today. The simple spring and pulley system, with its gliding mat, support the entire body while building muscle strength and, beyond modern gym equipment, works both the concentric and eccentric effort from the muscles, developing symmetry and rebalancing the body. Joseph Pilates' fitness regimen has been credited with greatly effecting the survival of his compatriots during the 1918 influenza epidemic, when thousands of others died.

To protect the public from confusion about what Pilates is and what it is not, Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), an international not for profit professional association, was established in 2000. Its purpose is to define and standardize the Pilates method. Using Joseph Pilaties' sequence of exercises and philosophy, along with current scientific research and biomechanical principles, the PMA determines professional practices and maintains a national certification exam for instructors. Along with a small number of other PMA professionals, having passed the exam before a study guide was made available gives Zopich the distinction of Gold Certified.

There are those who call themselves Pilates instructors and those who have been PMA certified. PMA certification assures the consumer that the Pilates instructor has completed hundreds of hours of comprehensive training including both classroom and practical work, has 100 hours of hands-on instructing experience and has passed the national exam. There is also a continuing education commitment to maintain their status. Because the benefits of Pilates are directly proportionate to its precise practice, the importance of a qualified instructor cannot be overstated. More importantly, the instructor's deep understanding of theory and applied work ensure safe coaching.

All that training does not come without cost to the buyer, however. At popular studios like Power Pilates on East 57th Street, Manhattan, private one-on-one sessions with a master instructor can cost as much as $125 for a single hour. Fees at Pilates, Staten Island vary: $75 for a private session with the director and $65 for other instructors. Semi private sessions are more economical, with graduating discounts applied when sessions are purchased in blocks of five and ten. Most economical are group Mat classes at $20 a session.

But who can put a price on vitality?

"My back pain was getting so bad I would crawl up the stairs when my husband wasn't looking," says Frances Chionchio, who was 70 years-old when she met Zopich. "The pills [The Pain Center] gave me were taking away my brain, but not my pain." Then her son-in-law saw a small article about Zopich's work at the YMCA. With permission from her physician, Dr. Jack D'Angelo, Chionchio began working with Zopich.

"I didn't have a studio at the time," say Zopich. "I would take small props to her home and we would do mat based work." Within four months there was significant improvement with her ability to walk, stand, and climb stairs. "After working for a while her doctor wanted to meet me," says Zopich. "Then he became a client of mine."

D'Angelo began referring other patients and not long afterwards asked Zopich if she was interested in putting a studio in a small unused space at his rehabilitation institute. "This is ideal. This is just the right space," Zopich says of her first studio. "I owe so much to him."

At age 74, Chionchio continues to go to the studio two times a week. "I have a functional life now," she says. "Pilates is a Godsend."

Body by Celeste,  BBC - Pilates at the Institute, 361 Edison Street, Lower Level. 718.273.2400. Pilates Staten Island,  1231 Bay Street, 2nd Floor.  mail@pilatesstatenisland.com. http://pilatesstatenisland.com.