Mixed feelings about my long haul to Santa Clara for my first Body Mind Expo. Home safe, and feeling well out of sorts with the ugly time difference, but I certainly enjoyed the experience overall. I came across 5 Aussies there, one all the way from W.A.
Much smaller numbers than previous years meant very few delegates in some workshops, I was one of only six in one of them. At times I heard there was still 3 or 4 to a piece of equipment, and as my Sydney colleague put it, “I didn’t fly 12,000 miles to share a reformer”. Some session plans were badly managed with a few room changes taking place without us knowing, or no equipment in the room despite the presenters’ requests.
But the many highlights included winning 4th place in a competition (see bobble head Joe here on the dashboard) sessions with Kathy Corey, Brent Anderson and Eric Franklin, and being guided through a workout by the beautiful Kyria Sabin of Fletcher Pilates and my first Gyrokinesis class with Debra Rose of San Francisco Gyrotonic, she sure knows her stuff!
The trade expo was full to brimming with interesting information, and everyone I spoke to offered their time and knowledge freely and openly. Smartspine products, Z-Health and Zobha clothing were some smaller organisations that caught my eye, with all the larger corporates there too, Peak Pilates, Balanced Body , Stott Pilates and Gyrotonics were prominent. Presenters that we have all heard of were popular choices, Elizabeth Larkham, Eric Franklin, Marie Jose Blum Lawrence or MJ as she was known. To combine the conference with a visit to a few wonderful friends in the valley area, and do the San Francisco touristy thing, it was a really worthwhile trip.
