P10 Profile: Gordon Overbye
Keeping up with Gordon Overbye is not for the faint of heart. Gordon is usually on the move, displaying dedication to his many active passions—Pilates of course, and so much more…
Have you always been this active? Did you play sports or exercise much growing up?
I grew up on Mercer island. I played sports all day long, every day! Competitively I played basketball, baseball, and ran track and field / cross country. I played pickup football all through grade school and high school, and I loved to ski, play golf and tennis, swim and waterski!
Tell me about the first time you found out about Pilates:
I was working with a personal trainer in the early 90s who had become a Pilates instructor, they introduced me to the basic mat exercises.
What about Pilates were you initially drawn to?
Well long before Pilates I was in a car accident. I was on Sunset Blvd in 1972, and I hurt my neck, and I couldn't lay flat on my back… so I got into Rolfing, and it really saved me.
Rolfing demonstrated to me that my body could be better aligned, longer and stronger. When I started working with a Pilates instructor and a PT after a hamstring injury, I noticed they both were seeing the same things in my body.
Pilates is a systematic approach to realigning the body to the way it was originally designed, and I was drawn to the idea that my body could be different— longer and with better posture!
When did you shift into teaching?
I became fully certified on all the Pilates equipment and Mat in 2005 at Balance Within in Redmond, WA. Since then I’ve expanded my abilities as an instructor with multiple Continuing Education Pilates conferences in the US and Brazil.
What is the biggest challenge you face with your own Pilates practice? As an Instructor?
Oh there are lots of challenges. In my personal life I practice every day, and challenge myself to focus on specific pieces, to get better and not just go through a routine. I’m 74… so getting longer, stronger, and more fluid is a challenge, but it’s worth it! My body is better now than ever before and it’s allowed me to become an aerial hoop addict.
I got into Lyra the first time I was in Brazil for a Pilates conference. What I saw them do was jaw dropping, and they were doing things that were not part of my training. I made contact with a few people I saw on instagram and asked if I could work with them after the conference. One of them had a lyra hoop and I tried it… it was just so much fun! I was hooked, and I found a spot where I could do it when I returned home. It requires all of my Pilates brain and strength every time I get on the hoop, but it’s made me more fluid. It challenges me, it’s hard, but it feels GOOD.
As an instructor I want to get the most out of everyone I work with. We all have our own styles and typically they are a reflection of ourselves. I feel successful as an instructor when I teach a client something they never imagined they could do the first time they worked with me because I know what that’s like.
Who has been your biggest inspiration in your Pilates journey?
I really can’t say one specific person. I have been blessed to get to work with so many awesome instructors over the years, and I really try to learn from each of them. There are so many different and unique slants on the work— and not just contemporary versus classical, but also the nuances and historical/experiential impacts our life has on the way we teach.
What resources do you visit to gain inspiration?
Daily instagram, conferences. I get more out of “doing” than “reading.” I’ll be making my 4th visit to Brazil later this year for a Classical Pilates conference where I’m excited to visit some instructor friends I’ve made over the years there— we have so much fun sharing Pilates and Lyra techniques.
I’ll also be visiting Joe Pilates historic summer studio in the Berkshires where I will get to practice on some incredible historic apparatuses, some of which are no longer in existence outside his studio but were important evolutionary steps towards what we use today.
If you were a Pilates exercise which would you be?
Short spine. There are so many dimensions and things to think about / play with which really reflects how I operate —I love combining traditional technique with other aspects and rearranging to create something non-traditional.
Check out Gordon’s Instagram page to learn more about his Lyra and Pilates practice, and get yourself some serious inspo!