.
Hello, I'm Jennifer and I'm pleased you've taken your first step to exercising the Pilates
way.
The Pilates method is a technique of body conditioning that relies on unique strategies
in order to improve posture, movement efficiency, strength and suppleness.
The principles behind Pilates are about refining the way you move, stabilising your core or
trunk effectively and reuniting the connection between mind, body and breath.
Before we commence the exercises you need to be aware of three basic postural concepts.
Lie down on your mat before commencing your mat work.
Always check that your shoulders and hips, then your hips, knees and ankles are all in
line with your knees bent and your heels opposite your sitting bones.
I'll refer to this position as your preparatory position.
Be aware of the position of your spine and pelvis when you lie on the mat.
Try to prevent your pelvis from tilting forward or backward as this will change the natural
curve of your lower back.
Your two hip bones and your pubic bone should form a parallel level with the floor.
I'll refer to this position as your neutral pelvis position.
Your neutral pelvis should be maintained throughout in order to strengthen your abdominals effectively.
When correctly engaging your abdominals, start by drawing up your pelvic floor muscles and
flattening your abdominals toward the spine.
Try not to think about pressing the spine to the floor but imagine your lower abdomen
and waist shrinking or pressing toward the spine itself.
During the exercises I'll refer to this abdominal action as scooping, drawing in and up or pressing
the navel to the spine.
With Pilates focus on strength of the abdominals and pelvic girdle, you need to learn how to
breathe laterally through the side and back of the lower rib cage so that you can maintain
your abdominal scooping action while breathing through all of your movements.
We're now going to put this into practice.
Stay in your preparatory position and rest your hands on your lower abdomen.
Regulate your breathing so that your inhalation is four to five counts long and your exhalation
is four to five counts long.
Relate on the ribs expanding to the side and back with each inhalation and then gently
relaxing them with each exhalation.
Maintain a steady rhythm in through the nose and out through the mouth.
There's no need to accentuate really deep breathing, just focus on where you're breathing
from.
While breathing laterally, focus on drawing the lower abdominals in toward your spine.
Try to think simply of your pelvic girdle and abdominals as your girdle of strength
while keeping your rib cage tension free to allow for easy breathing.
This is essentially your focus when performing the Pilates exercises.
Now we will move the legs while still focusing on the breathing and abdominal technique.
Keeping stability of your neutral pelvis position is the basis of establishing good core or
trunk control.
Inhale to prepare, scoop your abdominals and exhale as you slide one heel along the floor.
Keep the pelvis still and keep your abdominals drawing in and upward.
Inhale as you slide the heel back toward you and repeat on the other side.
Exhale, slide the heel away and inhale up.
Maintain your abdominals and repeat again.
We're going to continue alternating legs to challenge your ability to stabilize the pelvis.
Exhale, slide the other heel away, keep the abdominals strong and inhale to slide it back
up and again on the other side.
Stay in the preparatory position.
This time inhale as you lift the leg and exhale as you lower it.
Inhale, lift and exhale as you lower.
Keep alternating legs.
Lift the knee directly over the hip with the shin parallel to the floor and maintain your
pelvic stability.
Inhale as you lift and exhale as you lower.
Keep pressing your abdominals toward the spine with no sideways movements of the pelvis and
back.
As you become more aware of your abdominal control, try not to push your feet into the
floor too much.
Now if you're managing single leg lifts with absolutely no pelvic movement and you can
keep your abdominals flat, we'll try a progression.
Inhale lift one leg, exhale lift the other.
Inhale lower one and exhale to lower the other.
Inhale as one leg lifts, now really press the abdominals down.
Exhale lift the second, inhale to lower one and then exhale to lower the second leg.
Try to alternate which leg you start with.
Inhale lift one, deepen the abdominals, exhale lift the second.
Keep the back stable.
Inhale one down and exhale as you lower the second leg.
Press the abdominals down as you're lifting the legs.
You should have no back or pelvic movement as you lift the second leg, it's only the
thighs that are moving.
If your abdominals pop up or you experience lower back discomfort, you need to practice
some of the other Pilates exercises which require that your feet remain on the floor.
While in the preparatory position extend your arms up toward the ceiling.
Check that your pelvis is in neutral, abdominals are drawing in and upward and you're breathing
laterally.
On your inhalation reach your arms up over your head.
Exhale as you draw the shoulders down bringing the arms back to reach to the ceiling.
Inhale as you reach up alongside your ears, scooping your abdominals and exhale as the
arms return.
Don't allow your shoulders to hitch up toward your ears and keep your ribs and shoulder
blades flat on the floor.
Don't think of this as arm work, focus on the postural muscles of your upper back and
shoulder blades while you're moving your arms.
Inhale as you reach, maintain the stomach and exhale back towards the ceiling.
Now we're going to combine this arm movement with the leg slides.
Inhale as you slide one heel away and reach both arms up overhead, exhale return.
Alternate legs, inhale reach, maintain abdominals and exhale as you return.
Inhale reach and exhale recover.
You're wanting to achieve greater coordination and the ability to move your limbs independently
of the torso.
Inhale as you reach fingers from your toes and exhale as you feel everything pull back
together.
Inhale as you move, maintaining complete torso stability and as you return exhale and feel
as though you're pulling the ribs to the hips and the navel to the spine.
The next few exercises encourage some movement of the spine, though always ensuring that
the abdominals are controlling the movement.
Begin in the preparatory position, inhale to prepare.
Inhale as you scoop your abdominals in and upward tilting your pelvis backward so the
tailbone peels off the floor.
Inhale as you roll back to a neutral position relaxing the front of the hips.
Exhale again, pressing the abdominals in and upward roll the pelvis back, stretching your
lower back and inhale as you relax.
Check that your knees don't splay outward.
Inhale as you roll and lengthen your lower back and inhale as you relax smoothly down.
Exhale, press the abdominals toward the spine, keep even pressure through both feet and maintain
strong legs.
Inhale roll smoothly back.
Relax your upper torso and neck.
Now we're going to roll further off the floor.
Inhale as you roll and inhale as you recover.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale scoop the navel to the spine as you peel the spine off the floor bone by bone.
Inhale hold and exhale to reverse the roll smoothly, relaxing the hips.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale tilt your pelvis backward then roll using the strength of your legs to lift the
pelvis.
Relaxing the initial tilt of your pelvis at the top then on the next exhale roll bone
by bone down to the floor.
Inhale prepare again.
Exhale as you roll.
Use the legs to lift you so that you don't arch the lower back.
Only go as high as you comfortably can.
Inhale laterally, keep the abdominals and exhale roll evenly, lengthening the spine toward
the heels.
Inhale zip the abdominals, exhale peel, spine bone by bone.
Feel as though you're stretching the front of the hips toward the ceiling.
Inhale legs are strong and exhale articulate the spine back towards the floor.
Now part your feet until they're slightly wider than your pelvis.
Take a breath to prepare your abdominals and on the next inhalation allow your knees to
gently fall to one side.
The pelvis will roll so keep your abdominals braced to support the spinal rotation.
Exhale as you return.
Other side inhale as both legs fall, allow the opposite hip to roll off the floor, keep
your abdominals braced and use your exhalation.
Emphasize your abdominals and roll the pelvis back to neutral.
The legs will follow.
Keep alternating sides.
Inhale as you roll and exhale to return.
Keep your shoulder blades on the floor and remain relaxed through the neck and chest.
Allow the weight of your legs to roll the pelvis and the abdominals are constantly bracing
to support your spine.
Return back to neutral for our warm up exercises.
Your aim is to develop abdominal endurance while maintaining overall focus on breathing
and pelvic stability.
If you have a neck injury or if the action of lifting your head and shoulders causes
your neck pain return to the breathing exercise, leg lifts and leg slides.
Alternatively move ahead to hundreds and roll up prep.
Begin in the preparatory position with your hands behind your head and neck.
Remember your three postural concepts.
Inhale draw your abdominals in and upward.
Exhale lift the head and shoulders off the floor.
Inhale hold, navel to spine.
Exhale as you lie back down.
Inhale prepare.
Abdominals are strong, pelvis is stable.
Exhale lift.
Press the abdominals toward your spine.
Inhale laterally and exhale as you resist the lowering back to the floor.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale curl up to the shoulder blades.
Inhale hold.
Keep scooping the abdominals.
Exhale recover.
And prepare inhale.
Exhale bring your head up over your shoulders.
Press your abdominals down.
Inhale don't let the stomach pop up.
And slowly lower with resistance.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale lift.
Inhale hold.
Exhale recover.
Inhale prepare.
Stabilise the back.
Scoop further as you lift on the out breath.
Inhale hold.
Don't use the leg muscles.
And exhale lower slowly.
Now if you're confident with your abdominal control, making sure that your stomach is
as flat as possible and your pelvis is stable, we can try a progression.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale lift the head and shoulders.
Inhale lift one leg.
Exhale lower it.
Inhale lift the other.
And exhale to lower it.
Inhale hold.
Scoop the abdominals.
Then lower yourself as you exhale.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale as you curl.
Inhale emphasise the abdominal strength as you lift.
And exhale lower the leg.
Inhale the other leg.
Don't move the back.
Exhale lower.
Inhale hold.
Keep the abdominals pressing down.
And then exhale slowly recover.
Bring your knees one at a time up over the hips with the shins parallel to the floor.
I'll refer to this position of the legs as tabletop.
Be careful that your lower back doesn't arch off the floor.
Your abdominals must press downward to stabilise your neutral spine and pelvis position.
Place your hands on your knees.
Scoop your abdominals and draw down the muscles under your armpits.
Inhale prepare.
Exhale further press your abdominals down as you curl.
Reach your arms along both sides.
Inhale slowly recover.
Hands to the knees.
Head to the floor.
Exhale curl.
Reach your fingers past your hips.
Inhale recover.
Maintain your abdominals.
Exhale curl.
Deepen the abdominals.
Inhale resist the lowering to the floor.
Stabilise the back more.
This time as you curl slightly distance your legs away from you.
That would challenge your abdominals but keep the pelvis still and don't arch your back.
Inhale recover.
Inhale as you curl.
Reach past your legs.
Scoop your abdominals.
Inhale control down.
As you gain more control of your pelvic and abdominal stability extend your legs into
the air and slightly away from you as you curl.
Bend them fractionally before lowering so that you don't arch the lower back.
Hundreds is a classic Pilates exercise that was traditionally performed as the first exercise
in the mat work sequence in order to effectively warm up the abdominals and kick start your
breathing.
The general idea of hundreds begins with our breathing exercise and is a challenge of abdominal
control and endurance.
Resume your preparatory position.
While breathing inhaling for four to five counts and exhaling for four to five counts.
Maintain your focus on scooping the abdominals in and upward for up to ten breaths at a time.
As this is achieved add a challenge by raising your legs up to the table top position.
Rest your heels on a chair if you need to.
Keep breathing laterally so you can focus on pressing your navel to your spine.
Maintain even breaths.
The next stage is lifting your head and shoulders reaching your arms alongside of you and pulsing
your arms with small beats.
This action helps keep a rhythm for your breaths and counting and it also helps you to remember
to draw down under your armpits and further scoop your abdominals.
Exhale for four to five beats and exhale for four to five beats.
Remember to breathe laterally and focus on the control of your stomach scooping deep
toward the spine.
Place your hands behind your neck if your neck is fatiguing.
The ultimate hundreds position is with your legs extended slightly away from you.
Please don't progress yourself into your ready having established absolute pelvic and
abdominal control.
Start this exercise sitting up tall with the legs comfortably bent in front of you and
your hands beneath your knees.
Inhale lengthen through your waist.
Exhale press your navel toward your spine tilting your pelvis like you would doing a
pelvic curl.
Roll back to challenge your abdominal control but be careful not to let the leg muscles
take over.
Stop inhale and exhale as you roll forward.
Inhale grow tall.
Exhale scoop the abdominals and roll back.
Continue lengthening the spine even though you're rounding it.
Inhale hold.
Exhale use your lower abdominals further to bring you forward.
Inhale lengthen the spine.
Exhale roll back.
Keep the chest and ribs lifted so that you can feel the abdominals working more.
Inhale hold and exhale use the abdominals not the legs to come forward.
This time reach the arms out in front of you.
Inhale grow tall.
Exhale scoop the abdominals and roll back through your spine.
Inhale hold.
Feel the connection between your shoulders drawing down and your stomach scooping.
Exhale as you roll forward.
Inhale grow tall through the waist.
Exhale press the abdominals back and roll the pelvis back.
All the time scooping the muscles of the lower abdomen and keeping the legs as tension free
as possible and return to the seated position.
Inhale grow tall out of the hips.
Exhale roll.
Press the abdominals back.
Don't use the legs.
Inhale hold and exhale as you roll forward.
The next two abdominal exercises require you to keep your neutral pelvis anchored strongly
because we're now twisting the upper torso and moving the legs to further challenge your
ability to maintain strong abdominals.
Resume your preparatory position with your hands behind your head and neck.
This exercise is similar to the chest lift except that we're twisting to strengthen the
muscles of the waistline.
Inhale prepare.
Scoop your abdominals and exhale as you lift one side of your chest in the direction of
the opposite knee.
Inhale as you lie back down maintain abdominals.
Exhale to the other side.
Inhale recover lengthening your spine.
Keep alternating sides.
Exhale to lift.
Inhale as you lower.
Use your hands to cradle the top part of your neck and try to keep the shoulders relatively
tension free by drawing down under your armpits.
When you roll to one particular side press the bottom of your shoulder blade or that
side of your ribs gently into the floor and focus on pressing your lower abdominals in
and upward.
The pelvis and thighs remain stable and arms stay constantly in the same position which
is slightly in front of your ears so you can just see your elbows.
Every time you lie back on your inhalation that is your preparation to curl to the other
side so use each inhalation to keep your stomach zipped.
Start with your legs lifted in the tabletop position.
Place your hands on your knees and draw down gently under your shoulders.
Inhale prepare and exhale as one leg extends up and slightly away.
Inhale further scoop your abdominals as you bring the leg back and exhale as the other
leg extends.
Inhale draw the leg back towards you.
Exhale extend the other leg.
Keep the back and pelvis stable.
Inhale draw the stomach towards the spine.
Exhale extend the other leg and control back on the inhalation.
Try to emphasise your abdominal scooping action on each inhalation because this is essentially
your preparation to extend the next leg.
Exhale as the leg extends and inhale focus navel to spine.
Exhale the other.
Keep the hands lightly pressing against each alternate knee to remind you to maintain your
abdominals and draw down the shoulders.
This helps keep the feeling of complete torso stability.
If your neck is healthy try lifting your head and shoulders and repeat the same exercise.
Again keep double checking that you're maintaining your neutral pelvis, scooping through the
abdominals and taking care not to allow any movement to occur in your lower back.
Abs can once again be behind the neck if you need head or neck support.
The spine is vulnerable in various positions so there is a need to develop abdominal and
back strength in all ranges of movement.
Your rotation needs to be practised with good trunk control.
Be seated with your legs either extended in front of you or crossed.
You need to be able to achieve a position where your lower back can be erect much like
sitting in a straight backed chair.
To relieve low back strain here you may be better sitting on your cushion or on a small
box or chair.
Now anchor your pelvis and unless you're cross legged squeeze your knees and ankles together
and extend your arms sideways.
On your exhalation twist with a double pulse action to one side.
Keep the abdominals bracing and inhale return.
Exhale twisting from the waist and inhale return.
Alternate sides, lengthen your spine, draw in your abdominals and maintain drawing your
shoulders down.
Exhale as you twist and inhale recover.
Hips should be completely stable as though set in concrete and the legs don't change
length from each other.
Other side exhale pulse, inhale recover.
Carry the head and shoulders as though they float on top of the torso and initiate all
your movement with your abdominal and waist muscles.
A combination of abdominal, side, back, glute and adductor strength is necessary for pelvic
and spinal stability.
Your gluteals are the muscles of your bottom and your adductors are the muscles of your
inside thighs.
Step by lying on one side with both legs extended and slightly forward of your body.
Vertically align your top hip bone directly over your underneath one, inhale prepare and
press your abdominals toward your spine, lengthen your waist and hips and exhale as the legs
just clear the floor.
Inhale lower them, exhale reach the legs away from you, hovering them just off the floor
and inhale to lower.
If this is too difficult or if you experience lower back pain just lift the top leg and
focus on your abdominals for side balancing.
Exhale lift, make sure the movement is always initiated from your centre, drawing those
abdominals and inhale to lower.
Keep going, try to remain as streamlined as possible and don't use your top arm as a
prop.
You should feel the muscles of your side and abdomen and perhaps a little of the hip and
glute.
No strain in the back should occur.
Roll over and repeat on your other side.
Set yourself up on your side, long waist and legs, legs slightly forward of you, inhale
prepare, stabilise the back and exhale as you lift and lengthen the legs just clear
of the floor.
Inhale as you lower the legs, exhale abdominals initiate the lift, don't sink into the waist
or lower back and inhale recover.
Keep pressing your abdominals deep toward your spine, exhale lift and inhale lower,
repeat again.
Focus long body, strong abdominals, side balancing and don't use your arm.
Lie on your side still as if your torso is against a wall so you maintain all the crucial
curves of your spine.
Place your underneath leg slightly forward and bent, extend your top leg, long waist
at hip height, rotate the thigh inwardly, inhale brace your abdominals, exhale lifting
the leg slightly and holding momentarily and inhale to lower the leg.
Exhale lifting predominantly from the back of the hip, remember to keep your top hip
bone vertically aligned over the underneath one, inhale as you lower the leg.
Don't move too quickly with these lifts, you should feel the muscle at the top of the back
of your hip, try not to hold too much tension in the rest of the leg, exhale as you lift
and inhale as you lower the leg to hip height, keep going.
You need these gluteal muscles for postural endurance and you can build up to performing
ten to twenty of these, they will help you to stand up tall so that you won't sit or
sink into the hips and lower back.
Let's do the other side, line your torso up as if against a wall, top hip bone over
the bottom, underneath leg slightly bent and forward and top leg extended away at hip height,
gently inwardly relaxed, press the abdominals toward the spine and exhale as you lift the
leg predominantly from the back of your hip, inhale slowly lower, exhale lifting the leg.
It may help you to place your fingers under your waist to help keep your neutral pelvis
while on your side, inhale as you lower, exhale as you lift, use the top part of your glutes,
you may need to extend your heel of the top leg away further and inwardly relax your knee,
inhale as you control the leg lowering, keep going for hip control and muscle endurance.
Lie in the preparatory position again, place a cushion between your thighs and check your
pelvis is in neutral, feet are only a small distance apart, inhale prepare start zipping
the lower abdominals and exhale as you squeeze the cushion, inhale laterally, keep pressure
on the cushion, maintain your pelvic floor and abdominal muscles and exhale to relax
the thighs slightly, breathe in to prepare, abdominals are drawing inward, exhale squeeze
the cushion, hold on to your inhalation and relax on your exhalation, inhale prepare again,
exhale as you squeeze, focus purely on neutral pelvis, correct abdominals and lateral breathing,
inhale hold, maintain your three basic postural concepts and exhale relax.
You can build up to holding the cushion for 20 to 30 seconds while focusing on your deep
abdominals but make sure your pelvis doesn't move.
Your scapula is your shoulder blade, correct positioning of your shoulders and shoulder
blades is essential for developing endurance of your postural muscles and relieving neck
tension.
Begin sitting or standing, lengthen your spine and focus on your lower abdominals, the muscles
of your upper back and gently pull your shoulders back to broaden your chest, relax your arms
by your side and face the palms of your hands towards your body, inhale as you raise both
arms to the front and exhale as you lower them, inhale raise them, don't hitch the
shoulders up and exhale as you lower them.
You want to feel as if you're pressing the back of your shoulders against a wall so you're
using your best posture muscles, inhale as you raise and exhale as you lower, don't allow
the shoulder blades to protrude or wing and exhale as you lower, keep the abdominals.
Now we're going to repeat the same exercise with the arms moving to the side so have the
palms of your hands facing forward now, this will make it easier to keep your shoulder
blades flat against your ribs.
Again inhale as you raise your arms and exhale as you lower them, inhale as you raise them,
remember abdominals and breathing, keep a feeling of length in the waist and calmness
in the neck and chest and imagine a trickle of water running down the centre of your upper
back, you should feel a sense of strength and bracing there, an awareness of the muscles
between and just beneath your shoulder blades, inhale as you lift and exhale as you lower
your arms.
Lie face down with your forehead resting on a small cushion or a rolled towel and your
arms by your side with your palms facing upward, without actually altering the natural curvature
of your spine, press your abdominals deep up toward the spine and hold throughout the
exercise, inhale prepare, exhale as you draw your shoulders and arms back as if pressing
against the ceiling, broadening your chest, inhale hold, exhale recover, inhale prepare,
scoop your abdominals, exhale hover just clear of the floor, inhale hold, stabilise
the back, keep the abdominals pressing and on the exhalation relax to the floor, inhale
prepare, brace your abdominals, exhale lift just off the floor, try not to over emphasise
the height you're lifting, instead focus on your posture muscles as if you were standing
and demonstrating your best posture, keep your nose pointing toward the floor, exhale
as you lift, inhale hold and exhale as you recover.
As your position becomes stronger without overusing your lower back you may lengthen
the amount of time you maintain the lifted position in order to achieve greater postural
stamina, on a final note double check it is actually your abdominals that are stabilising
your back, not your gluteals squeezing.
To finish off your Pilates mat work here are two exercises that rely on all of the body
concepts that we've covered so far, if you have a history of neck or back trauma I would
recommend that rollovers are not suitable for you to practice.
Start with your knees bent and hands under your thighs, your knees and feet are slightly
apart, roll back onto your tailbone and stabilise this position by drawing your abdominals in
and upward, you should be able to balance here, just breathe normally, relax your shoulders
and hover your feet just off the floor, feel like you're elevating your chest and ribs
slightly from your abdomen so that you're keeping a lengthened C curve of the spine,
try to limit the muscle tension in the thighs so that you may have to distance your thighs
slightly away from your torso and as you maintain the balance keep this distance constant, inhale
as you lift the shins parallel to the floor and exhale as you lower the feet, inhale as
you raise the legs, keep the distance between the thighs and torso, maintain abdominal scooping
so the shins lift on the in-breath and the toes lower just clear of the floor on the
out-breath, constantly scooping the abdominals, the only thing moving are your knee joints,
keep lifting up out of the waist, lie on your back with your legs together and stretch upward
toward the ceiling, depending on your flexibility you may have to bend your knees a little,
arms are by your sides, inhale prepare your abdominals and exhale use your abdominals
as you lift your legs and hips up over your head, inhale flex and separate the feet and
exhale to stretch the back of your legs as you roll smoothly through your spine, imagine
you have extra space between each spinal segment as you roll, bring your pelvis back to neutral,
inhale stretch the legs and exhale abdominals help lift you up and over again, inhale flex
the feet, separate your legs, shoulder width apart and roll on your exhalation, try not
to take strain in the neck, shoulders and arms, abdominals control your rolling as you
articulate the spine, stretch your feet to the ceiling on the inhalation and exhale to
lift up and over, inhale flex and separate your feet, lengthen your waist and stretch
your heels away from you as you roll, exhaling, imagine scraping your knees on your shoulders
as your waist and tailbone lengthen downwards, inhale stretch up to the ceiling, exhale up
and over, lengthen the waist, inhale flex, separate the feet, touch the floor if you
can but try to keep the back of the knees as straight as possible, use the abdominals
until the end.
During and following muscle work stretching helps your muscles recover, it is essential
to acquire a balance of strength and flexibility to reduce the risk of injury or strain, Pilates
exercises have long been recognised for these benefits.
Lie on your back with a towel around the ball of one foot, stretch the other leg along the
floor, push your stretching leg away from you first and then aim the heel towards the
ceiling, make sure your tailbone stays on the floor and focus on your breathing, relax
your shoulders and you should feel a stretch at the back of your leg, other leg, when you
stretch hold for 3-4 breaths to allow the muscles time to relax, repeat on the other
side and then you may like to repeat both sides a second time, if unnecessary strain
is present reduce or stop the stretch and consult a physician.
Lie on your side and bring your underneath knee up towards your chest, hold on to the
top foot and keep your thigh parallel to the floor to protect your knee from twisting,
hold your abdominals and gently pull the thigh back, breathe normally and you'll feel a stretch
at the front of the thigh, other leg, lying on your side, bottom knee up towards your
chest, keeping the abdominals braced and hang on to the top foot, your thigh is parallel
to the floor to save the knee from twisting and you should feel a stretch at the front
of your thigh, keep breathing normally.
On your back cross one ankle over your other knee and pull both legs towards you, try to
keep your hips square and your tailbone down on the floor, breathe and try to relax the
hip muscles, you should achieve a stretch for your bottom, other leg, ankle over the
knee, pull both legs towards you, keep the hips square and try to keep the tail on the
floor, breathe normally, try to relax the hip joints.
Kneel on one knee, you may need some cushioning for your kneecap, place the other foot directly
out in front of you, keep the hips square, try to do a little bit of a pelvic curl and
then lean slightly forward, this should stretch the front of your hip, it's important that
you don't arch the back, you need to keep the pelvic curl in order to get the stretch
at the front of your hip, you shouldn't have to lean too far forward and we'll do the other
leg.
Kneeling, lengthen your waist, stomach and hips are square, aim to keep a pelvic curl,
so you're slightly rounding the lower back and lean forward a fraction that should stretch
the front of your hip, don't forget to breathe.
Sit comfortably with upright posture and keep the chest open and lay your head to tilt to
one side, without the shoulders becoming uneven you may have to pull the opposite shoulder
down slightly, be gentle with your neck and the other side, tilt the head to one side,
keep the other shoulder down and that should stretch the side of your neck.
I hope you've enjoyed exercising the Pilates way, regular practice of this mat work sequence
will help you learn about your body and enable you greater control over your daily movements.
I've had the privilege of sharing the benefits of Pilates with many people and seeing them
discover how the philosophies behind this method can enhance their lives.