Strong and Vital No 4

Inter view

Supple Like a Young Cat... Jean-Pierre L. Schupp in Conversation with Beatrix Kruger

JPS: I’m probably not the only person who doesn’t buy your age of almost 65? BK: Yes, you’re right, there are even people who ask me if I’ve had a facelift. I take it as a compliment... JPS: What keeps you so young? BK: I train a lot and always eat fresh ingredients, but what also keeps me young is the joy of my work, my projects and my creativity. JPS: Where does your enthusiasm for movement come from and what motivated you to become a Pilates instructor? BK: I owe my passion for movement to my father, because he was not only a music teacher, but also trained with one of the first Yoga teachers in Switzerland: Selvarajan Yesudian. So Yoga, stretching and breathing exercises were part of my childhood. Later I trained as a massage therapist. JPS: You spent 18 years in Australia?

to 80 percent with the meridians of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). This also happens in Pilates or other sports, but not as intensively as in Yoga. Furthermore, long-lasting stretches such as in Yin Yoga can realign the collagen fibres in the connective tissue; it becomes more lubricating and better moisturized. At the same time, the fibroblasts multiply. These cells produce collagen and are involved in wound healing. Today I combine Pilates and Yoga together, because in the traditional Pilates Workout you can quickly end up with «concrete» muscles and stability is often neglected in the yoga flow. Pilates & Yoga therefore complement each other in a wonderful way! Even the energy level can be influenced with Yoga: Whether you want to activate your system or relax; there is the perfect Yoga exercise for every occasion.

JPS: What I like about you is your attitude to life. The joy of your work in your Pilates studio in Zurich and the human warmth you radiate to help your clients. How do you manage to motivate yourself positively over the decades? BK: My profession as a therapist is my vocation and I am passionate about teaching! Above all, my work with older customers is close to my heart. I have been accompanying many of my clients for 20 years and I am happy that many of them are still able to perform demanding exercises. Fitness in old age protects against discrimination, gives power and self determination. But I also train athletes and enjoy the challenge of teaching at a high level. JPS: How many times a week do you train?

BK: Exactly. In my mid-twenties, I set off on a great adventure and first settled in Melbourne. There I discovered Pilates and was fascinated after the first lesson. New facets of movement therapy revealed themselves to me and that ’ s why I decided to train as a Pilates instructor at that time. Later, I moved to Sydney, where I ran my own Pilates studio. JPS: What is the key difference between Pilates and Yoga? BK: What I appreciate about Pilates is the stabilizing effect on the pelvis and the activation of the deep muscles. A stable pelvis is important for good posture and a pain-free back. In addition, the abdominal exercises, especially in modern Pilates, are very demanding and efficient.

BK: I train for at least an hour every day. In the morning I do energy exercises, a few stretches and a 15 minute meditation. In the afternoon, I train intensively. I love to practice in nature and like to balance on stones or logs, even in bad weather. A bit wild and sometimes uncomfortable - then you feel better than in the studio on the Yoga mat. On weekends I’m out and about by bike...

In Yoga, it is not for nothing that they say that it is a «work-in and not a work out». After a Yoga session, you feel energetic and supple, as if liquid honey is flowing through your body. Compared to normal sports, where you are tired and hungry afterwards. According to the latest findings in fascia research, stretches in Yoga address tension lines in the connective tissue, which coincide

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STRONG and VITAL No. 4 - 2024