Polestar Pilates was founded in 1992 by Dr. Brent Anderson and have educational programs in over 10 languages in over 20 countries with students coming from over 50 countries. Their approach is unique – instead of solely focusing on teaching instructors how to use specialized Pilates equipment, Polestar focuses working with individuals seeking to recover from injury, chronic pain, limited mobility or ‘prehabilitation' for those seeking to increase mobility and core strength and reduce the potential for injury, and for elite movers and athletes wanting to enhance their performance.
Once Pilates exercises were used primarily by the ballet community, as that is where Joseph Pilates found his most receptive students. Now, elite athletes have come to recognize and participate in Pilates instruction as a way to increase strength and reduce injuries.
Polestar’ instructor training has created a growing community of ‘healers’ that are changing the lives of their communities in multiple countries. Polestar works with universities, and fosters the development of Pilates instructors to become part of the Pilates educator team to host and teach Pilates instructors in a growing number of locations. While these Pilates Educators are excellent instructors of movement and mentors for other instructors, there are Principles lectures and exercise instruction that needs to be standardized on an online platform that would facilitate access around the world in multiple languages.
In early 2014, Polestar launched their Open edX platform (courses.polestarpilates.com) and began offering courses to their students. “As Open edX evolved, the customization of our website became inconsistent with the newer versions of edX. We needed support to keep our platform current and to be able to support the future customizations that we required to integrate Open edX to our company website” said Randy Ostler, CTO of Polestar, “Raccoon Gang has been a welcomed partner to keep our platform up-to-date and stable. They are a strategic partner going forward to enhance and expand our online education platform. It is valuable to have their level of expertise on your team.”
Polestar online courses will provide increased awareness and understanding of the benefits of movement to enhance physical, mental and spiritual growth.
