Our new phone number is 973 265-4441

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We are springing into the new season by implementing MINDBODY, an online appointment booking system. You will be able to book new appointments or classes, view your account balance, see which sessions you are signed up for and lots more. We understand that change can be intimidating, but ultimately, this program will help make scheduling and paying much easier and more efficient. Marissa, our helper extraordinaire, will be at the studio or available to field questions anytime at (973) 229-4373. Please ask her for help or call the studio directly at (973) 265-4441. We hope that once you learn this user-friendly program, you will love it as much as we do!

Click ‘Register for Classes” in the top menu to begin, or Click HERE to go to MindBody now.

We will be learning the new system along with you, so please be patient with us

Exercise Doesn’t Break Your Back

By Miguel Riera plus Staff
Daily Record – November 8, 2006

Pilates improves flexibility, strength

Denville- Three times a week, Susan Roth comes to Six Degrees of Wellness, a body-conditioning studio, to alleviate a foot injury and to keep fit by taking Pilates classes.

For nearly an hour, the 59-year-old retired teacher and counselor from Mountain Lakes, works out, stretching and strengthening the core muscles of her body.

With the assistance of Pilates instructor, Barbara Hoon, of Florham Park, Roth uses a bed-like device called a reformer to elongate, bend, and exercise her abdomen, buttocks and inner thighs muscles.  The reformer is equipped with springs, cushions, bars and resistance features designed specifically for Pilates exercising.

Joseph H. Pilates, a German boxer and performer living in England at the outbreak of World War I, developed the method.  Pilates focuses, in part, on mat work (exercises done on the floor) and strengthening the core muscle of the body.

More than 500 exercises and many unique apparatus were developed by Pilates to strengthen the muscles of the buttocks, abdomen and inner thighs.  The logic is that the stronger these muscles become, the better support they provide for the spine thereby making it easier to maintain proper posture.

In time, body movement becomes more efficient, helping to develop lean long muscles in the rest of the body.

Six Degrees of Wellness Studio is the creation of Julliard-trained and former Broadway dancer, Barbara Hoon, who after 25 years of studying and using Pilates, decided to share her knowledge and enthusiasm by opening her own studio.

Gaining Strength

When taught correctly, Pilates can improve posture, minimize back pain, and increase strength and flexibility, while giving students a sense of control and improved function in sports and daily activities, Hoon said.

The center offers a variety of Western and Eastern body strengthening disciplines that include, Tai Chi, Yoga and various forms of dance.  The holistic approach to health, fitness and sense of well-being gave birth to the name Six Degrees of Wellness, Hoon said.

“Pilates allows you to connect with your body and mind, there is a lot of precision and concentration, it may take some time, but it comes to you;  when I found Pilates,  I stopped going to the chiropractor, “ Roth said.

Hoon believes her students tend to go to the doctor less and don’t get sick as often.

“If you feel better, you will look better and that is why the tremendous body and mind connection attainable with Pilates is so unique,” she said.

Next door, in a room filled with natural light and painted with light yellow, earthy colors, certified Yoga instructor Karen Noel Linardi teaches students of all ages and skill levels.

Almost anyone can do Yoga, according to Linardi, who said it is really about unity of mind, body and spirit.  It can help students increase flexibility and better their overall health.

“This is a way of life and life is not just a journey, it is an awakening,” Linardi said. “Yoga can help people to live a more conscious life.”

English teacher and Denville resident, Catherine Murphy, 64, has been a Yoga aficionado for a few years. She said that there are two reasons why she does Yoga.

“Yoga gives you a sense of well being, it touches your spiritual life and it has helped me to align and strengthen my body, this is truly a holistic experience.” Murphy said.

Linardi said she teaches wherever the work takes her. This flexibility, she said allows her to tailor the classes to the students and not the other way around.

Tailored training

All instructors at Six Degrees try to customize the training to the students, Hoon said.

“In 10 sessions, you will feel better,” Hoon said, “in 20 you will look better and in 30 sessions you will have a whole new body if you do Pilates.”

“There is a misconception about pregnant women and exercising,” said 33-year-old Nancy Buckley of Mountain Lakes.

All throughout her pregnancy, Buckley, an executive for a financial service firm in Manhattan, came to the studio and did Pilates three times a week, stopping only a week before her first son, Jack, was born.

Three months later, she looks slim and athletic.

“I feel great and I think my pregnancy and delivery benefited tremendously from all the exercises,” Buckley said. “I can even fit into my old clothes and that is a pretty good thing,” she said laughing.

Most women, Hoon said, struggle to get rid of those 10 or 20 pounds the body may accumulate during pregnancy. “Pilates can help them lose that extra weight.”

Boost Power & Control by Stretching the Spine

by Barbara Hoon
The Jersey Golfer Magazine – July 2007
Part 2 of the Pilates for Golf Series

Power Off The Tee

If you want consistent and powerful long drives off the tee you need to need to tap the strength of your central core. Pilates is about movement from the center of the body, using all of the muscles of the body and so is Golf.

Many big-league sports teams have incorporated Pilates into their work-out regimes. Having started using Pilates as a rehabilitative alternative for injuries, Pilates has been elevated to a preferred training technique.

Pro players who have used Pilates as their secret training weapon include Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, New Jersey Nets captain Jason Kidd, Buffalo Bills offensive guard Ruben Brown and Washington Redskins lineman Ray Brown (at 42 the oldest such player in NFL history)

But of all the professional athletes using Pilates, golfers have been the quickest to incorporate it into their training for great results. Tiger Woods noted how Pilates helped improve his swing stability, and other pro golfers such as Rich Brown and Rocco Mediate have discussed how Pilates has improved their health and technique.

As a result, a set of exercises geared specifically to golfers have been developed and are generally referred to as Pilates for Golf. Golfers of all levels, from beginner to seasoned pro, benefit from greater conditioning, improved mobility, greater balance, power boost off the tee, and intense focus. Ask anyone who is taking advantage of Pilates for Golf and they’ll universally agree that it has taken strokes off their game.

This month we continue to explore the benefits of Pilates for Golf with the Spine Stretch exercise which focuses on elongating the spine and stretching out the hamstrings for increased flexibility and power. This is the second exercise in the Pilates for Golf series. Be sure to check out last months article on the proper execution of the “Saw” exercise which helps you generate energy and power by twisting the and coiling the muscles in the core.

Exercise: The Spine Stretch

Start by finding a small open space. This exercise is done while sitting on the ground, so find someplace flat where you can comfortably stretch out.

Step 1 – Sit up tall with your legs extended straight out in front of you about a foot and a half apart with your feet flexed.
Step 2 – Extend your arms straight out in front of you parallel to the ground. Make sure your shoulders are down and relaxed with your shoulder blades pointing naturally down the back.
Step 3 – Take a deep breath as you “grow” your spine toward the ceiling as tall and straight as you can make it. Now exhale and begin to curve forward starting from the top of your head moving toward your feet. As you exhale notice your abdominals will come back toward your lower back. Maintain a neutral lumbar spine.
Step 4 – Inhale, exhale and re-stack the vertebrae, one at a time, to a very tall, reaching spine position.

Repeat this series 6 times. You can also perform this exercise with your back against a wall to help you to keep your spine straight as you stretch it upward while inhaling.

Barbara Hoon is a certified Pilate for Golf instructor as well as the owner and operator of Six Degrees of Wellness Studio, a full service Pilates and wellness studio offering traditional and non-traditional instruction to athletes, both men and women. Ms. Hoon started out as a Broadway dancer and actress, moved on to film and television, and now has combined her passions for fitness and golf. Oh, and she loves answering questions of all sorts. (973) 625-7665, or info@sixdegrees06.com.

Mark Yannotta is a renowned golf pro at The David Glenz Golf Academy.

“Let’s Do the Twist” – Pilates Style

by Barbara Hoon
The Jersey Golfer Magazine- June 2007
Part 1 of the Pilates for Golf Series

Golf the sport you can both love and hate

Golf is a sport, a passion, an experience and for many of us, it is also be the greatest  source of frustration known to man (or woman).  However, that is a price we are willing to pay, if we have experienced one of those magical moments when everything is aligned just right and the ball rises majestically in the air finally settling a few feet from the hole.

In those moments, all the forces of our body just seem to flow naturally with the club and we are better golfers than we thought possible.  Our energy, strength and flexibility are in one synchronous flow.

This  ‘golf-body’ connection is possible for all of us

One of the hidden secrets of many of the world’s greatest pros is a set of proven exercises and techniques, called Pilates for Golf.  Pilates can offer everyone greater conditioning, strength training, improved flexibility, reduced injuries, better cardiovascular endurance and best of all – better golf performance and reduced strokes.

While any conditioning and exercise programs take time and we all would benefit from hands-on professional instruction, over the next few issues, I would like to offer you six exercises, you can do at home or office, to tap at this hidden secret for yourself.

So let’s get started, I can feel the energy already!
Exercise: The Saw

Exercise One – “Saw” – I came (to the golf course), I saw and I conquered!
Set-up – Find yourself a small open space with a solid surface, like a hard wood floor.
Step 1.  Sit on the floor with legs stretched out, loosely, and slightly wider than your hips.  Extend your arms out to each side.  (keep your hips stable, shoulders relaxed and down and your feet and legs slightly flexed with toes pointing up to the ceiling)
Step 2. Inhale (see, not so bad so far, huh?)
Step 3. Twist at your waist and move towards your right, taking your little finger from your left hand and moving across the little toe of your right foot.  Stretch your right arm behind you at the same time.
Step 4. Exhale (it is probably good to read the whole exercise through, otherwise this breathing thing might be a challenge) and feel the stretch and twist back to the center
Step 5. Inhale and repeat exercise in reverse. This ‘sawing’ motion is where the name “Saw” comes from.
General instructions: Do four sets of right and left twists.  Remember don’t push to the point of pain.  Keep breathing through the exercise and if something feels uncomfortable – stop.  Before starting any exercise program or if you have any medical condition which causes concern, consult your doctor.

Experts agree

Mark Yannotta, a renowned golf pro at David Glenz Golf Academy, has said this exercise is one of the most critical in his own strength and flexibility training and helps many of his students improve performance on the course or at the golf range.

An invitation

I invite anyone interested in a more formalized instruction or who have questions about Pilates for Golf to reach out to me directly- Barbara Hoon, Six Degrees of Wellness (973) 625-7665 or email me directly at six.degrees@sixdegrees06.com.

Barbara Hoon  –  Barbara is a certified Pilates for Golf instructor as well as owner of Six Degrees of Wellness, a pilates and wellness studio for men and women interested in non-traditional, hands-on guidance to realize the full potential of wellness, strength, and energy.