SPOTLIGHT: MEET NIKI PARKER!
Niki likes to joke that she left her first MELT workshop with a new neck. But it’s true that after her first session, she was hooked. A fitness professional for more than 40 years, she’s been teaching MELT for a decade and counting in addition to being a PMA® Certified Pilates Teacher and teaching Pilates and Jazzercise. She spent a few minutes with us to tell us what brought her to MELT, a bit about her personal spin on MELT and fitness, and how being an instructor has opened up a whole other dimension of her fitness business—and helped her boost her bottom line with another revenue stream from virtual MELT teaching during the pandemic.
What’s your personal mantra?
Take care of yourself, trust your instincts and be kind.
What brought you to MELT as a practice?
I attended a presentation from Sue Hitzmann at a Pre-Pilates three day conference in Long Beach, California in 2011. I left the workshop with a ‘new’ neck and rushed to buy the roller and the balls. I was thrilled when she came to California for the first West Coast Training and I haven’t stopped participating in the trainings, first as a student, then an in-person Teacher’s Assistant and now as a virtual TA.
How did you decide to become a MELT instructor?
Here was a method that I could learn to self manage the stuck stress living in my body and even better, I could help my Pilates students feel better in their bodies and even stronger in their Pilates work. It has been a great way to help people, since I see them so out of balance or experiencing stuck stress when they come to Pilates.
How has MELT impacted your business?
MELT has created a second revenue stream for my Pilates classes and has been instrumental in helping me survive the pandemic with the ability to teach Zoom classes. I’ve been teaching eight classes a week—my body feels great!
Tell us about your experience with MELT University training.
I never stopped my training and have been fortunate to do all my trainings with Sue Hitzmann, reaching Level 5—Neurostrength. I’m also a Teacher Trainer, having assisted at numerous MELT trainings when they were live. I continue as a Teacher Trainer in Sue’s virtual trainings and am so impressed with how she’s created the virtual
Which would you highlight as your favorite MELT Map, move, or class?
As a NeuroStrength Instructor, I love a MELT Map that includes Arm & Hammer, Monster Step and Side Hip Hero. (but then there is Assisted Plank, Bicycle and Hover and Lunge!)
What other activities or hobbies do you pursue and how has MELT affected those?
I am a certified Pilates Instructor of over 20 years and love the MELT 4 Pilates combinations I can achieve to improve my student’s performance in class. I don’t go snow skiing without the balls and roller for nightly rehydrate maps to get me ready for the next day. And as a 67 year old female with osteopenia, I think MELT has helped me not progress to osteoporosis, with my last bone scan having slightly improved, not worsened. And I have two active Labradoodles who require two walks a day—yea for MELT! I sleep better, have less aches and pains and feel very strong.
A huge thanks to Niki for her thoughts. Follow her journey on social at:
Facebook: Melt with Niki in The OC | @NikiandMELT
Instagram: @Melt_with_Niki
Reducing stress wherever possible can help you recover from shingles. Using MELT Method can help reduce the daily accumulation of stress. My suggestion is to do the following treatments at least 3-4 times a week:
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Recommended MELT Training:
Level One Online Training
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