If I asked a person on the street to close their eyes and imagine a typical Pilates student, I bet their brain would pull up an image of a posh celebrity with a man bun, or a slender woman in a sports bra hanging upside down. In recent years Pilates has gotten a reputation for being elitist, “scary” and expensive. However, that’s just not true here at ABC Pilates! We’re out to prove that not only is Pilates for everyone, but that everyone needs Pilates.
Leg Circles are a great mat exercise to do at home using one leg at a time, and also a great reformer exercise using both legs with feet in straps. Leg Circles is one of my favorite exercises to use at the end of teaching a reformer class. I look at it as a reward and a way to treat my clients after a great workout. It is an exercise that actually stretches and strengthens, and they feel good!
The Fab 5! If you’ve taken my class before, you know that I love this simple series as a warmup and core strengthener. It seems easy enough, but done in sequence without stopping, the Pilates Series of 5 will get your abs burning in just a few minutes, making it the perfect exercise routine you can literally do anywhere. If done several times a week, you can develop great core strength in just five to 10 minutes a day!
The Teaser is, in my very humble opinion, THE ultimate pilates exercise! It’s the mack daddy of the repertoire, the goal of every practitioner—you know you have truly “arrived” when you can accomplish the Teaser (and well!)
This exercise requires strength of the transverse, oblique abdominals and hip flexors to get up, but more importantly it demands control of the movement through the articulation of the spine on the way back down. If that isn’t enough, Teaser also teaches shoulder blade stabilization, as well as coordination of arm and leg movements with the breath. It truly is an all-in-one Pilates principles exercise!
It’s known by many names—Downward Facing Dog, Down Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana—whatever you want to call it, invigorate your body and mind with this classic yoga pose! If you have stiff shoulders and tight hamstrings, this is the pose for you. Stressed out? Discover how Down Dog pose can calm the heart and free the mind of anxiety and mental fatigue.
Why do dogs do this stretch every time when they get up from a long nap? Our furry friends are releasing the myofascial tension that has pulled their bodies into a curled up ball as they slept. They are stretching open their shoulders and hips to create space in their spine, freeing up the limbs to move with ease. Just like a dog’s long nap, sitting for hours at a time compresses our spine and stiffens our shoulders and hips!
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