The two most common questions I get asked when I tell people I have recently qualified as a Level 1 MELT Instructor is what does MELT stand for and how did you find out about it? I’m actually going to answer the second question first.
How did I find out about MELT?
It was actually through another Pilates Instructor, who I met on a training course a few years ago. We hit it off and kept in touch and then earlier this year, she told me she had qualified as a MELT Instructor and I should look into it. She also invited me to attend her online MELT classes, which I started in February. As soon as I started, I was hooked. As she had said to me it was the missing link when she was teaching Pilates and I totally agree with her.
As soon as the next instructor training dates were released, I had booked up for the course. One of the benefits of the pandemic was all the training was online, which was perfect for me as I don’t think it would have been very easy to travel to the US for the training. Online training suited me perfectly as it meant I could study in my own time, whilst still working. I will admit, I hadn’t appreciated how much study there was, but I absolutely loved it and have learnt so much over the past three months and what I have learnt is helping me with my Pilates teaching as well.
After three months of studying and practising MELT, I became a Level 1 Instructor, which means I am now qualified to teach MELT and I can’t wait to get started with my clients.
What does MELT stand for?
MELT actually stands for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique, which won’t make a lot of sense to most people, but if I told you that the MELT Method is a self-care treatment that eliminates chronic pain, improves performance and decreases accumulated stress caused by the repetitive postures and movements of everyday life, that might make more sense.
The MELT Method was created by Sue Hitzmann, who in my mind, one of the most knowledgeable people, I have ever met. Her enthusiasm and love of MELT is infectious and I can honestly say I have never learnt as much as I have done in the last 3 months about how the body works and how with specialised soft rollers and balls, MELT can make a difference.
What do the specialised soft rollers and balls do?
They help to rehydrate the connective tissue, also known as fascia, they rebalance the nervous system and they restore space to compressed joints.
As Sue says, this preventative, proactive approach known as Hands-Off Bodywork is a simple daily self-care practice anyone, of any age or activity level can use to effectively improve their sense of wellbeing and live a more active, healthy pain-free life.
By incorporating MELT into your daily life, you can calm the mind and ease pain symptoms, improve sensorimotor control and restore joint centralisation and stability, improve alignment and posture, flexibility, sleep and digestion.
In Level 1, we learn about the 4 R’s of MELT, Reconnect, Rebalance, Rehydrate and Release. Each R has different techniques and moves and we learn how to put these into different sequences and maps to help our clients.
How does MELT fit in with being a Pilates Teacher?
I have a lot of clients who come to see me in chronic pain, or they have aches and pains and want to strengthen their core and sometimes performing Pilates exercises is not enough to make the changes that my clients want. This has now changed with MELT. Any new client or 1-2-1 client who now visits my studio all start with a soft MELT ball and we work on their hands and feet. This helps them to understand what MELT is about and it also highlights how important our hands and feet are to our overall health and how using the balls under these areas can help with neck and low back pain. We always start with an indirect, before direct approach in MELT and I love seeing how using the balls can make such a difference to my clients.
It is important to emphasise that MELT is not only for people in chronic pain, It is for everyone, because we all do repetitive movements daily whether we are sat a desk all day, have a job that involves a lot of standing or participate in sports, exercise or are suffering from an injury.
I cannot wait to start teaching MELT to both my existing clients and any new client that thinks they will benefit from Melting. My job as an instructor is to help clients understand the moves and techniques, so they can do them at home. As I mentioned earlier, this is a self-care treatment and clients will get the most benefits if they melt daily,
How can I join a MELT class?
My plan for teaching MELT is to run face to face induction classes in my studio for 6 weeks for 5 clients. If clients can’t make a face to face class, due to geography, I will also do some induction classes online, Once my clients have done 6 weeks of classes, they will then be ready to move online to a class and the next group of clients who want to learn Melt, will then join the next set of induction classes. You can book your place here.
What’s even more exciting, is there are 5 levels of MELT training and each training builds on the previous training so as I learn more, so do my clients., I am already registered for the Level 2 training which begins in February 2022.. I have always had a passion for learning and MELT ticks all the boxes.
What do my clients think?
As I have been studying and learning, I have been working with a couple of my 1-2-1 clients so that I could practice and get their feedback on Melt. I have asked them for their feedback and this is what they have told me
“Following recent surgery on my spine and finding myself in no less pain, Lisa encouraged me to try the Melt Method of self-care. I took Lisa’s advice and with her reassurance and guidance, I am now using the melt balls and rollers on a daily basis. It really only takes ten minutes of your day once you get into a routine, I honestly cannot believe the difference it has made to my body, I am in less pain, I have more stability and my balance is improving daily. I now have the confidence to increase my mobility through exercise which is having a profound effect on my mental health and daily living, even my husband now uses the MELT Roller every evening after work. I don’t know where I would be without Lisa’s support and teaching… probably hearing for a fusion –but not anymore!”
“I was so excited when Lisa told me she was going to train as a MELT Instructor. With Lisa’s great teaching I have not looked back. It can take as little as 10 minutes of your time to do either the Hand or Foot sequences and the benefits felt are really beneficial. I even took the balls away with me when I went on holiday recently (it’s a small set of balls, with the biggest being smaller than a golf ball – but way softer and kinder!). Lisa has also introduced me to some of the other techniques and sequences using the rollers such as neck tension release, SI Joint shear and a fabulous lower body sequence where we worked on the calf’s, and inner and outer thighs. In MELT, we use soft rollers – so much better than the solid rollers we were led to believe were right for us. I have definitely felt the incredible difference that MELT can make.”
As a Pilates teacher, the best part of my job is when I see how it helps clients have a better quality of life, if you combine this with MELT, it becomes so much more powerful.I cannot wait to start teaching MELT and helping people.
To find out more about the MELT Method and the creator, Sue Hitzmann, please follow this link.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
