I first ran into this concept during my pilates certification training in 2003 – and to be honest it took me a while to wrap my head around the concept. Basically, it is understanding that we are not built like a building. Yes, everything is connected and you probably learned the song “The Skeleton Dance” […]
Correctly engaging and performing core exercises can be overwhelming. Many people jump to higher level strengthening exercises without correctly recruiting their deep core musculature. This often results in a pushing out effort versus an actual drawing in of the abdominals. Another very common error in recruiting the abdominals is improper breathing. First, let’s start with […]
Practicing Pilates correctly often looks highly skillful and effortless. For a beginner, it might seem intimidating. Despite the level, from beginning to advanced, there should be flow. Flow means striving for a smooth, controlled and precise movement. A highly skilled athlete, runner, or performer will make what they are doing look easy. The level of […]
Pilates is a mind-body movement. Control begins with the mind. Your mind formulates and controls the movement. Most of us know from personal experience that it is often harder to do something slow and controlled vs fast and with momentum. Every Pilates exercises focuses on complete muscular control of a movement. Lack of control is […]
Do you know how to breathe? We all know that breathing is imperative. Learning how to breath properly and efficiently can be challenging. In Pilates, we teach posterolateral rib cage breathing. Like diaphragmatic (belly) breathing, you use your diaphragm but also the intercostal muscles. The intercostals are small muscles between each individual rib that assist […]
We hear it all the time…you need core strengthening. If there is one thing that everyone knows about Pilates, it is that it is good for improving core strength. Joseph Pilates called the core the “Powerhouse”. It is the area between the lower ribs and the pubic bone. In Pilates, the focus begins with […]
Pilates requires mind-body awareness. Teaching Pilates involves instructing how to stabilize and how to move both which require concentration. I find that many beginners focus more on the movement instead of positioning and placement. They will often move to more advanced exercises too soon or use too much weight or resistance. My Pilates mentor said […]
We are a very active society, however our awareness of the movements and postures we perform are often not given much attention. Pilates is about precise postures and movements. At first doing pilates can be very challenging. As with any skill, you will gradually become more familiar with the method and you learn that precision […]
Pilates blog post #1 I have been treating patients and teaching pilates classes for a long time. It is amazing how I feel as I continue to grow as a therapist and teacher. As a student, I learned about the 6 principles of Pilates. The more I continue to work with patients and clients, the […]