CRAB LEGS 🦀 & CHATURANGAS 🧘🏽:

THE PEARL blog

MOVING TOGETHER FOR VENEZUELA 💛💙❤️
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

MOVING TOGETHER FOR VENEZUELA 💛💙❤️

There are days when we move to get stronger. Or unstuck. Or to finally touch our toes.

And there are days when we move to show up for each other and be together.

One of the things I love most about The Pearl is that we're a community made up of people from all over the world. From the Far East to the East River and everywhere in between, every teacher, every front desk staff member, every client brings a piece of somewhere else with them.

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SUMMER’S LOOKIN PRETTY GOOD AROUND HERE ☀️
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

SUMMER’S LOOKIN PRETTY GOOD AROUND HERE ☀️

Every time I think we've settled into a routine, someone comes along with an exciting new idea. A new class. A new teacher. A workshop. A meditation series. An outdoor event. Suddenly the calendar starts growing again.

Summer is starting to look like one of those seasons.

So here's what's new around the studios...

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THE PILATES POLICE 🚔
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

THE PILATES POLICE 🚔

Spend enough time on social media and you'll eventually conclude that every exercise is dangerous, every cue is problematic, every variation is wrong, and every teacher besides the person making the video should probably have their certification revoked immediately. Yes, it’s possible to get injured in Pilates, yoga, and other low-impact mobilities. But I’ve also hurt myself trying to fight my way out of a sports bra.

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THE LEAST QUALIFIED PERSON IN THE ROOM
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

THE LEAST QUALIFIED PERSON IN THE ROOM

After four cohorts of teacher training, I've noticed a pattern. At some point during the program, almost everyone becomes convinced that they are the least qualified person in the room, and that everyone else belongs there more than they do.

But if I could collect their worries on little folded up scraps of paper and mix them up in a Yankees cap, nobody would know whose was whose when I read them out loud. 

I don't know enough. I've never done anything like this before. Everyone else seems more prepared. What if I suck?

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I FORGOT THAT I REMEMBERED
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

I FORGOT THAT I REMEMBERED

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, wondering if I can still pull off eyeliner, I realized I'd morphed into full-on Sporty Spice.

Somewhere between opening two studios, teaching classes, answering emails, moving reformers, and chasing around a small child, I've fully committed to a lifestyle in which 95% of my wardrobe contains lycra

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THE VOLUME KNOB
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

THE VOLUME KNOB

A few days ago, I guess I threw my back out. I wish I had a cooler story. 🫠 

I wasn’t carrying anyone out of a burning building or lifting a car off a child. I wasn't attempting any Herculean feat that would at least make for a good cautionary tale. I was demonstrating something in class.

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SUMMER ROUTINES
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

SUMMER ROUTINES

This time of year, routines tend to get a bit wobbly. The weather is finally nice, the days stretch longer, we start traveling more, making plans after work, eating dinner outside at 9pm, generally remembering that we have lives beyond our inboxes.

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LONGER DAYS, LIGHTER LAYERS
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

LONGER DAYS, LIGHTER LAYERS

These are some of my favorite few days of the year - when the temps climb high for the first time, and New Yorkers collectively remember how hot they are 🔥🔥🔥 The short shorts and the sundresses and the tank tops and sandals and pedicures come out to PLAY. The energy in the city shifts completely. The evenings stretch longer, people linger outside instead of rushing straight home, and suddenly everyone is sitting on stoops and carrying giant iced coffees around like the Olsen twins.

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FINDING YOUR FLOW  🌊
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

FINDING YOUR FLOW  🌊

I was first introduced to yoga in high school through the 90s sitcom Dharma & Greg. Dharma, the free-spirited, quirky yoga teacher, embodied the 'yoga person' stereotype - zen, laid-back, and a bit unconventional. Back then, yoga seemed like something only hippies or eccentric types did, but I was intrigued.  As a budding theatre geek and aspiring New Yorker,  I was psyched the day my gym teacher turned out the lights and popped in a yoga video and I got to be like Dharma.  I remember watching and clumsily following the moves of a group of women in sky-blue leotards as they practiced on sand dunes. I think we need to start bringing those French-cut leotards back 🤔

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WHEN THE FAMILIAR BECOMES FOREIGN: Perinatal Yoga in a New Body
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

WHEN THE FAMILIAR BECOMES FOREIGN: Perinatal Yoga in a New Body

At The Pearl, we’re proud to offer the only weekly perinatal yoga classes in The Bronx. Offering perinatal is so important to us because we know how essential it is for expectant and new moms to have a space where they feel supported and connected during a life-changing time. Perinatal yoga teaches more than just movement - it’s about connection, about acknowledging the fullness of this stage of life. We’re here to help you find your strength, not just in your muscles, but in your spirit, because motherhood doesn’t ask for perfection, only presence.

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MASTERING THE MOMENT: six “core” principals of pilates
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

MASTERING THE MOMENT: six “core” principals of pilates

If there’s one workout that seems tailor-made for type-A personalities, it’s Pilates. The drive for perfection, the pursuit of precision, the obsession with getting every detail exactly right. In a practice where quality trumps quantity every time, Pilates offers an endless opportunity to refine, adjust, and focus on the minutiae of each movement.

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DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT MAKE IT FASHION 💅
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT MAKE IT FASHION 💅

Last Sunday, I had the incredibly surreal/awesome/weird experience of attending the Emmy Awards as a nominee for Associate Costume Design on the series Fallout. People imagine the glitz and glamour of movie-making, but behind the scenes, it’s a completely different story. The film industry is a Vita-Mix’d smoothie of stress, long hours, and the constant struggle to fulfill creative demands with either not enough time, money, or crew.

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WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU TURN OUT THE LIGHT?
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU TURN OUT THE LIGHT?

Something about the start of a new school year makes me feel like a character in the 80s /90s series The Wonder Years - that sense of nostalgia, the golden sunlight casting long shadows on the sidewalk, and the bittersweet mix of anticipation and reflection.

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THAT HIGH FIBER LIFE
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

THAT HIGH FIBER LIFE

Let’s dip our toes this week into a topic that feels cloaked in mystery and misinformation: women’s health. It’s wild how little we actually know about our own bodies and the way they work, what’s normal, what’s suspect, and what lies between.

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MAKE ART TODAY
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

MAKE ART TODAY

Every time we move our bodies, we’re engaging in a kind of artistic expression. We’re composing, improvising, and experimenting. Movement can be just as creative as making visual art, activating similar parts of the brain and allowing us to explore new forms and rhythms. 

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BOOGIE DOWN WITH THESE 5 OUTDOOR WORKOUTS IN THE BRONX
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

BOOGIE DOWN WITH THESE 5 OUTDOOR WORKOUTS IN THE BRONX

Fitness isn’t just about breaking a sweat in the studio; it’s about exploring the world around us, and what better place to do that than in our own backyard? So, as we encourage our community to make the most of the final weeks of summer, we wanted to highlight some of the incredible outdoor activities you can dive into right here in The Bronx. Here’s a list of ways to get outside before it’s time to start buying out all the wet wipes, Elsa lunchboxes, and Trapper Keepers at Target.

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The Allure of Pilates
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

The Allure of Pilates

Bringing group Reformer Pilates to The Bronx and making it accessible to more people is a mission close to my heart. Our borough deserves cool, nice things just as much as any other part of the city. Even Staten Island has multiple Pilates studios. No offense, Staten Island.

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COME OUT AND PLAY
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

COME OUT AND PLAY

We get bogged down by responsibilities and are so used to being productive that we forget how to let go and have fun. We worry about looking dumb or wasting time, where kids (at least little ones) are naturally in the moment, their imaginations running wild without any concern for what others might think.

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THE ART OF LETTING GO
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

THE ART OF LETTING GO

I have so much energy and I have to tell myself to calm down. Breath in and out. Slowly. My mind is racing, thinking about all the emails I have to send, this itch on my leg, the sun is hitting my eyes, it’s hot. Then they start the yoga and they tell you to go into downward dog and I always think it’s too soon.

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DODGING SUMMER BUMMERS
Wendy Yang Clark Wendy Yang Clark

DODGING SUMMER BUMMERS

So, how do we manage our mental health without burying our heads three feet deep in the sand?

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