Your Pilates Workout

Squats

Works: Lower Body
 

• Stand up tall and align your heels just outside of your hip bones.
• Pretend you are going to sit in a chair as you lower deep into your squat.
• Keep the chest lifted and back straight.
• Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes to stand up.
• Repeat 15 times.

Bridge

Works: Calves, Hamstrings, Gluteus
 

• Lay on your back with arms resting by your side.
• Lift your pelvis in the air so you are in bridge position with your upper back and your heels connected to the floor or mat.
• Lower your butt to the mat and then exhale and press your pelvis as high as you can. At the top of the position, squeeze your glutes as tight as possible.
• Repeat 15 times.

Single Leg Bridge

Works: Gluteus
 

• Begin in bridge with your upper back on the mat, hands relaxed and outstretched toward your hips, pelvis and glutes up in the air, knees bent, and feet flat.
• Lift your left leg into the air so that it is perpendicular to the mat (or approximately perpendicular, depending on your body), toes pointed.
• Lift your glutes up, keeping the leg lifted. Then go back down.
• Repeat 10 times on each leg.

Single Leg Circles

Works: Abs, Transverse Abdominals
 

• Lay on your back and lift one leg up straight into the air, keeping the ankle, knee, and hip aligned.
• Draw a large circle with your leg and bring it back to the start. Keep your low back pressed into the mat.
• If you experience any discomfort in the hips or low back draw smaller circles.
• Repeat 10 circles on each leg.

Sideways Scissors

Works: Inner Thighs, Outer Thighs, Lower Abdominal Muscles
 

• Lay on your back and place both hands in a triangle right underneath your tailbone for support with your head resting on the mat.
• Lift your legs straight up to the sky (to your ability) with toes pointed.
• Inhale and move your legs wide apart; then exhale and bring them back up with your ankles crossed.
• Repeat 20 times.

Cassey Ho

www.blogilates.com

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Contemporary, cool, and clean, Speir Pilates exudes the vibe of a fully modern studio with floor-to-ceiling windows, white walls contrasting exposed black ceilings, concrete floors, and eight Pilates reformers. With limited class size (eight—one person per machine), the classes are already booking up after just a few months; so if you want to partake, make sure to book your class online.

Speir Pilates offers as many as eleven 50-minute workouts each day. All of these group classes incorporate a combination of sequences using the Pilates apparatus with non-impact exercises. The workouts vary in intensity and focus, but the result of every class is a mix of toning, cardio, and stretching. Private sessions can also be booked on the Cadillac.

Studio founder Andrea Speir developed her fusion method of Pilates during her 10 years of teaching throughout Los Angeles. In order to open the studio this spring, Speir partnered with legal professional and avid fitness lover Elizabeth Polk, who–as Andrea says–is “the smartest person I know.” Andrea also reflects “I could have taken on more private clients, but wanted to reach more people with this style. I kept the class size small because I wanted room to utilize a mat with an assortment of fun props (resistance bands, tubing, stability balls, free weights). This way each person receives specialized attention.”

Conveniently located close to the beach and to the I-10 ramp, Speir Pilates is nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood near the Santa Monica Library. Biggest bonus: lots of two-hour free street parking right in front of the studio (free parking in Santa Monica is always a bonus). Another unique feature: The studio’s retail corner boasts the only four-wall outlet for options from the hip Carbon38 clothing brand.

Speir Pilates
1427 7th St., Santa Monica
For more information visit speirpilates.com
Call them at 310-260-4808

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

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When you hear the word Pilates, do you casually dismiss it with the underlying assumption that the practice is complicated and requires flexibility? This preconceived notion could not be further from the truth! Pilates is the ninja of the fitness world—it’s the sneaky, intelligent, and athletic method of exercise that will shape and sculpt your body with an emphasis on targeting the deep core muscles that connect your entire body.

Let’s be real for a second—one of the reasons Pilates is so intriguing is that it looks like you aren’t doing much. You only need to properly do 5-10 reps of each exercise, but these moves will do wonders for building strength. One of the things that reduces Pilates’ intimidation factor is that the focus is on going at your own pace and practicing proper form and alignment. This workout is about YOU, not about keeping up with others or simply trying to make it through to the end.

Unroll your mat or find a soft surface like carpet or grass and try these five beginner-friendly must-do exercises.

The Hundred

Set-up:

Lie flat on your back with legs bent into a tabletop position: knees over hips, shins parallel to the floor, and arms by your sides.

Action:

Curl head and chest up and hover with your arms about two inches above the mat.

Begin to pump the arms up and down (2-3 inches).

Inhale for 5 counts.

Exhale for 5 counts.

Continue the Inhale/Exhale combination for 10 sets.

Tips:

If holding your head up strains the neck, keep your head flat or place a rolled up towel underneath for support.

Focus on drawing the abdominal muscles in and up along the spine to keep the movement controlled and out of the lower back. This is a fantastic way to strengthen the core muscles, warm up the body, and even stimulate circulation.

Variations:

To make this move more challenging, extend the legs out to a longer angle. Double check that abdominals are deeply scooped in and active.

Half Roll Down

Set-up:

Sit upright with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, place your hands gently behind your thighs.

Action:

Inhale and lift the spine up tall by drawing the abdominals in.

Exhale, round and lean back to straighten arms, drawing the core muscles in toward your spine.

Inhale, uncurl and return forward.

Exhale, sit tall.

Repeat 5 times.

Tips:

The entire exercise is about working the different shapes of the spine while controlling the movement from the core.

Focus on your core muscles throughout the movement.

Variations:

To make this more challenging, lighten your fingers so you are barely touching the backs of the thighs. This will help challenge your core muscles. To reduce intensity, lessen the range of motion and if need be, sit on a towel for comfort.

Single Leg Stretch

Set-up: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on ground. Extend one leg toward the ceiling.

Action:

Trace a small circle on the ceiling with the lifted leg. Think about moving from one shoulder, down around to the other shoulder, and pausing in the center.

Repeat 5 times in each direction.

Switch legs.

Tips:

Keep the hips squared and even.

The deeper you scoop your abdominal muscles in, the less “hip dancing” you’ll experience.

Keep good posture by actively pressing your hands into the mat to keep the shoulders from curling forward off the mat.

Variations:

If you tend to veer over to the less flexible side, slightly bend the straight circling leg to help support the lower back and stay out of the hip flexors.

Lower Lift

Set-up: Lie flat on back, arms by your side, lift legs up to the ceiling and touch the feet together creating a slight diamond shape.

Action:

Lower legs a few inches toward ground.

Actively draw your abdominals in.

Lift your legs back up toward the ceiling.

Repeat 8-10 times.

Tips:

This exercise targets those tricky lower abdominals, so make sure the entire focus is on scooping the core muscles in. The range of motion can be one inch if need be—just focus on those abs.

Variations:

If the lowering action is too difficult in the lower back or hips, focus instead on slightly rocking the tailbone under you and lifting the legs and hips up an inch toward the ceiling and lowering back down. It’s as if someone is holding your toes and lifting your hips up and down.

Swan

Set-up: Lie flat on your stomach with your legs together and hands stacked like a pillow under the forehead.

Action:

Draw your core muscles in toward your spine.

Lift your head and chest up about an inch.

Lower your head and chest back down.

Repeat 8 times.

Tips:

Imagine a rope coming out from the top of your head and lengthen the body as if this rope is being gently pulled when you lift. Do not crank your body up from your back. It’s about staying in a long line.

The movement is controlled from the core. Imagine a tack under your navel and do not let your abdominal muscles touch the tack – keep them engaged!

Do not push up to straight arms. The maximum you should push up with your arms is into a 90 degree angle.

Variation:

Place your hands under your armpits and press gently down with hands to lift body up.

Lift the legs straight up off the floor either by themselves or at the same time you lift the chest.

Bonus: Side Leg Series — Circles

Set-up: Lie on one side with your head resting in your hand and legs extended at a slight angle in front of your body. Rest the other hand in front of the body for support.

Action:

Lift the top leg up to hover at hip height.

Circle the leg forward, up, back, and around. (The circles should only be as big as you can control without hips dancing around.)

Repeat 5 times in each direction.

Flip to your other side and repeat.

Tips:

Reach out from your toes and lengthen from the top of your head to keep the hips from scrunching up.

The deeper your abdominal muscles are engaged, the greater control over the exercise you will have.

This strengthens the gluteus medius, which helps tone the outer leg, lift the booty, and support the lower back.

Variation:

Lie your head flat on the arm if propping up is too much on the neck.

Try to incorporate these five moves into your day—whether it is during your morning home or gym routine, workout regimen, or pre-bedtime wind down. They won’t take more than 10 minutes and your body will thank you.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

The post Focus on 5 Pilates Exercises for Core Strength appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

A long-time fitness professional, Lashaun Dale is the midst of adding new programming to the 24 Hour Fitness Schedule including Treat While You Train by Jill Miller, Booty Barre by Tracey Mallett, Athletic Training Club by Melissa Guest-Smith, and and POP Pilates by Cassey Ho. Dale decided to work with Ho because she describes popular Pilates teacher is a role model who can relate to people’s challenges and can inspire them toward positive change.

What suggestions would you give to people who want to get started with Pilates?

LD: Be okay with not being a Pilates Diva from the start. There will be moves that are so humbling that you want to quit…pick a base move that is your, “I will do something move.”  For me in Pilates, when I can’t deal with the burn in my core in some of the moves, I practice just holding my legs up in the air totally straight, with my core engaged and my breathing in sync.  I’ll give myself a moment to reset, and then get back in the game. Do some pre–study including watching videos about Pilates moves; seeing them before you actually do them is a mental warm up for your body. And because of the amazing way our brain works, we actually impact our physiology to have some familiarity with the moves when we try them physically.  Now don’t get confused—you can’t watch your way to fit!  Fitness requires some sweat equity, but watching then trying, then watching some more, is a great pathway to mastery.

What suggestions would you give to someone if they are trying a new class for the first time?

LD: Let the instructor know that you are new. Don’t be shy about it. This gives them information and a call to action to make sure you are successful. Go to class with the expectation that you are going to do as much as you can and get the best workout available to you right now. Then celebrate afterwards somehow–even if you just take the time to fully enjoy a hot shower.  Practice mini self-care rituals that to reward your effort so you literally condition new habits into your life.

What do you consider when developing fitness programming?

I expect workouts to do double (maybe even triple) duty.  One, the workout has to deliver what it promises, such as a good sweat or good bliss-out session. Both have their place. Second, I appreciate authenticity and leadership. So I want to know that the instructor or program designer is willing to bring everything they know and have to the program including their life experience and to share that with the participants. This ensures that we are moved emotionally and spiritually and then transformed by the investment of that hour of our day. For the triple extra credit, if a class can be entertaining and educational, and make me either laugh or learn or both, then it’s a home run.

What do you do in your own life to cultivate balance? 

I don’t actually believe in balance and it is not my goal. Even nature tends to thrive with transitions and decay if overly still. What matters to me is to feel alive and inspired. To do that every day, I meditate. I try to create something new (which means I have to learn something new) and I make sure to surround myself with the people and activities I love most—especially my children and my husband.  

For more information about 24 Hour Fitness, visit: 24hourfitness.com.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

The post Getting Started with Pilates appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

by Kristin McGee

In the fall and winter we may feel a little more sluggish in the digestive system. In addition to drinking lots of water, eating a diet that consists of mainly whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats, Pilates is a great way to help with digestion.

The Pilates method consists of low impact exercises done on a mat or on special equipment that emphasizes the body’s core region, aka powerhouse, which consists of the abdominal muscles, lower back, inner and outer thighs, hips and buttocks. Pilates is named for its founder Joseph Pilates and has been around since the early 1900s.

Pilates, especially the mat based exercises, can be done year round, anywhere and anytime. The Pilates method’s focus on the mind/body connection, concentration, control, flexibility, breathing and fluid movements makes it a wonderful method for aiding in digestion. Often times we stagnate because we aren’t breathing as deeply as we should be. In Pilates we strengthen the diaphragm muscles and breathe in the lower half of the body. On the exhalation the abdominals are drawn in and upwards which helps massage the internal organs.

Pilates will emphasis strengthening the core region and glutes, while also stretching the body out. When our muscles and especially the psoas is tight, it pulls on our lower back and compresses our abdominal region making it harder to digest and more uncomfortable.

All exercise gets the blood flowing and the heart rate pumping which stimulates digestion. Often times we don’t feel like doing anything vigorous when we have eaten too much or have indigestion. Pilates is great because you can lie down and work out.

Try any of these Pilates moves next time you want to strengthen your digestive system.

The Hundred

This move is great to get the blood pumping and the breath flowing. Start on your back, then lift your head and neck up off the mat, extend your legs to a forty-five degree angle and stretch your arms at your sides. Hover the arms off the floor and start pumping them vigorously up and down five times on an inhale and five times on an exhale. Repeat 10 times for 100 pumpings.

Climb a Tree

I like this move for massaging the internal organs and for creating space in the sides of the waist and hamstrings. Lie down on your back and lift your right leg straight up in the air. Inhale and start to climb up the back of the thigh until you sit up nice and tall. Exhale and roll back down one vertebrae at a time. Repeat three times and then switch to the opposite leg.

Single Leg Straight Leg Kicks

Lie down on your back, lift your head up off the floor and both legs straight up to the ceiling. Lower your left leg about 10 inches from the floor as you pull your right leg towards you and pulse it twice, then kick the left leg up and do the same pulse. Continue switching sides for 10 repetitions. Single leg kicks work the abdominal muscles and get the legs moving which aids with digestion. I think of this move as a walk or run on your back initiating the movement from your core. You will definitely stimulate digestion with this exercise.

The Saw

Any twisting motion is great for stimulating digestion and massaging the internal organs and entire core region. I particularly love the saw; it feels so good for the entire body and stretches and strengthens the obliques and lower abdominal muscles. Sit up nice and tall with your feet hip width apart. Open your arms to your sides and twist towards your right foot then imagine sawing off the right pinky toe with the left pinky finger. After three little pulses, scroll up through the spine and twist in the opposite direction and repeat. Do each side five times.

Swan Dive

Finish with Swan dive to really massage the entire front body and help stoke the digestive furnace. Lie face down on the mat with arms overhead. On an inhalation, lift the entire body up off the mat. Exhale, and lower back down. Repeat five times. Only if it works for you—you can try rocking back and forth in this position.

Give these moves a try and see how much better your entire body feels. When we tap in to our core, it helps us make healthier choices, live with less stress, breathe properly and function optimally. Your digestive system and entire body will appreciate it.

Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga, Pilates, and fitness instructor, the author of a number of DVDs and a retreat leader. Find her online at kristinmcgeefitness.com and on social media at @kristinmcgee  

Kristin McGee

The post Pilates for Digestion appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photos by David Young-Wolff 

Practicing Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® have decompressed my joints and given me a deep core connectivity, providing me with more range of motion and joint stability. These remarkable techniques make every other physical activity that I do easier, including my yoga practice.

As I child, I used to challenge myself on the trampoline for hours, repeating acrobatic moves like split jumps, and back and front flips, and even challenging myself (and succeeding!) to execute 500 flips in a row. Discovering the capabilities of my body has driven my joy for movement, performance, and now teaching.

My formal training began at age nine in Coral Springs, Florida, inspired by watching a classmate’s back handsprings across the school yard. I studied acrobatics, tap, jazz, and ballet, which I particularly fell in love with due to the amazing Cuban ballet instructor Alina Guerrero. This led to my ongoing study of ballet, including summer training at the prestigious School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center in NYC, the Boston Ballet, the Harid Conservatory, and the USC Summer Dance Conservatory.

I was introduced to Gyrokinesis® twelve years ago while attending the University of South Carolina, by my modern dance professor and Gyrotonic® master teacher trainer, Miriam Barbosa. She incorporated it into class warm-ups and my body felt more connected and aligned than I had ever experienced. My joints felt more stable, my extensions came with more ease (as a result of improvements in range of motion), and my balance was much better.

The more I practiced Gyrokinesis® the more my body transformed. My flexibility improved, my muscles lengthened, and I was able to keep my hips from clicking and popping for the first time due to the newfound stability that was forming around my joints. What more could a dancer ask for? I became certified to teach Gyrokinesis®, so that I could consistently cross-train my body using it.

Gyrokinesis® is a floor work conditioning method involving fluid spherical movements that are designed to simultaneously stretch and strengthen the body without using any outside weight resistance. A Gyrokinesis® class is taught to a group by a certified instructor; the equipment is a Gyrokinesis® stool and mat. Within each class the instructor faces the students and leads them to mirror his/her movements. Classes consist of the trainer giving the students verbal cues to guide them through movements and stretches.

 A few months after earning my certification in Gyrokinesis®, I experienced Gyrotonic®. Because Gyrokinesis® was the foundation for Gyrotonic® both of these systems of movement use much of the same vocabulary, and share a conceptual and philosophical framework.  Gyrotonic® is a system of movement that systematically stretches and strengthens the body using a specifically designed apparatus. A Gyrotonic® session is most often taught one-on-one but can also be offered in group classes. The instructor demonstrates the movements and breathing and then offers hands-on and verbal corrections. In both Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® (known as the Gyrotonic Expansion System®), students performs spine, hip, and shoulder mobilization exercises that balance strength and flexibility and restore the body to its ideal alignment.

The Gyrotonic Expansion System®

The Gyrotonic Expansion System® was conceptualized and put into practice by Juliu Horvath, a Hungarian who was born in Romania in 1942. Horvath pursued a career as a ballet dancer and performed with the Romanian State Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Ballet, and at Radio City Music Hall. While dancing with Houston Ballet in 1976, Horvath’s career came to a halt when he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Horvath applied his knowledge of Kundalini yoga and meditation practices along with other movement techniques to develop his own core-based movement system to heal and repair his body.

Horvath began teaching his method in New York in Central Park and later to dancers at Steps on Broadway, a renowned New York dance studio. Once he established a following, he opened White Cloud Studio in New York City in 1984. According to his assistant Gina Muenstenkotter, at this time, Horvath began developing his first apparatus in a dressing room in the White Cloud Studio. Since the 1980s, it has been utilized by athletes, pre-professional and professional dancers, and others who wish to improve their health and/or rehabilitate from injuries.

Because Horvath had a background in gymnastics, swimming, ballet, Tai Chi, Pilates, and yoga, the Gyrotonic Expansion System® reflects many of the movements used in those disciplines. Gyrotonic® trains the body in fluid, expansive movements and connects and coordinates everything with an internal abdominal lift. The combination of this lift with contrasting movement encourages decompression of the joints and spine; this can provide pain relief in the joints and improve agility. The continuous spiraling and twisting movements massage the muscles surrounding the joints and give the limbs more breath and space to move freely. 

The Spinal Motions of Gyrotonic®  and Gyrokinesis®

The basic spinal motions of Gyrotonic®  and Gyrokinesis® can be done anywhere. They are the foundation of everything movement-based (arch and curl, twisting, side arching, and wave). When working with the equipment, I feel as though I am moving through water while the resistance from the pulley tower allows me to feel weightless. The traction provided by the system of pulleys contrasted with an internal lift of the core musculature, (particularly of the bandhas, or internal locks) gives the limbs a sense of weightlessness.

If I don’t have access to the equipment or if I am warming up without it, I practice a Gyrokinesis® sequence to harness my body’s internal connectivity. I create the push-and-pull contrast that the equipment trains me for by using the friction of my hands and feet against surfaces (such as the floor, a mat, the wall, or a stool), to facilitate traction in my joints. I frequently give these sequences and instructions to my clients as homework. 

Neutral Stasis and Perfect Alignment

In order to experience what is known as neutral stasis—the position where your joints are in the perfect alignment for your unique structure, moving the entire body is necessary. The Gyrotonic Expansion System® does this by exercising the front, back, inner, and outer sides of the body in a balanced way so your spine and joints can freely move with both optimal range of motion and joint stabilization. Every day, the body’s alignment shifts and the changes may be subtle so a watchful eye is helpful to shape the body into its ideal alignment and access the greatest strength and flexibility. I love being that watchful eye. Recently, my husband started teaching Gyrotonic, and it has been fun to teach alongside my best friend.

I have used this system to help a child with cerebral palsy decompress her spine, open her shoulders and hips and improve once-weak joints to give her much needed relief. I have seen the reduction of chronic pain in numerous people, and have observed young movement prodigies become strong and stable acrobats. Diligent practice can restore youth and vigor and provide a sense of ease in the body. After a Gyrotonic® class, people feel taller, more supported in their joints, and as though they’ve experienced both a massage and a workout in one hour. A regular practice provides mind-body connectivity, breath-movement coordination, decompressed joints, excellent posture, lengthened musculature, and improved agility.

The Gyrotonic Expansion System®  is unparalleled for helping people with injuries and chronic pain and serves as best cross-training for those who want to take their athleticism to new heights. A regular practice of Gyrotonic® can take an ordinary dancer or athlete and help them become extraordinary. 

Rosemary Jeanne Carnes Meslter

Rosemary (Rosey) Mestler earned a BA in dance from USC and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine. Her thesis research examined how Gyrotonic® affects the mobility and stability of the hip joint of advanced ballet students. Rosey performed as soloist with the SC Contemporary Dance Company under the directorship of Miriam Barbosa. She became the South Carolina USA Yoga Asana Champion and competed at the USA Yoga Asana National Championship. Rosey is a certified Gyrotonic® Pre-Trainer and Gyrokinesis® instructor and has been instructing since 2003. She co-owned Gyrotonic® Columbia with Miriam Barbosa and currently owns Gyrotonic® Marina del Rey. Rosey is passionate about movement and teaching and thrives on helping clients feel great. GyrotonicMarinaDelRey.com 310-910-7515

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If you’re feeling bound up at the end of a workday, it may be more than simply stress or the barrage of emails. The way you sit may be hazardous to your health.

The discipline of Pilates offers tools and techniques to improve your seated posture and counteract the effects of hours of sitting. With regular practice Pilates students find a true connection to their core, a new awareness of alignment and movement, and an appreciation for finding ease and efficiency. Pilates is for every body and can be adapted to everyone from the deconditioned and injured to the elite athlete.

When applying Pilates principles to the practice of how you sit at work, begin by simply paying attention to your body in space. Right now, stop what you are doing and without judging, notice how you are sitting and ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I sitting with my feet flat on the floor and pointing straight ahead?

• Is my weight evenly distributed between the right and left halves of my body?

• Am I sitting directly up on the bones of my pelvis (what are colloquially called the “sitz bones” are properly known as the ischial tuberosities), behind them (on my back pockets), or in front of them?

• Am I lifting my torso up out of my waist with a tall spine or am I sinking down? Is my back rounded or arched?

• Are my shoulders relaxed down or hiked up around my ears?

• Finally, is my head balanced over my shoulders and pelvis or it is jutted forward?

Just becoming more aware of your seated posture is a great starting place to countering the demands of sitting. Then, to perfect your posture and cross-train for a day at the office, try these three Pilates exercises.

Exercise 1 – Pilates Pelvic Clock

This exercise can be practiced right at your desk chair and can improve awareness and activate your core. Sit with both feet squarely on the floor, evenly distribute your weight between the right and left sides of the pelvis, and rock your pelvis forward toward the front of the chair and then toward the back of the chair. Repeat this 6-10 times, then perch so you are directly centered over the pelvic bones (those ischial tuberosities). Activate your lower abdominal muscles and lift your spine. This is an efficient and aligned way of sitting.

Exercise 2 – Leg Pull Back

Because sitting causes us to flex (bend) many of the joints in our body, it is helpful for balance to take time to open the body back up. One great exercise to do this is a chair modification of the Leg Pull Back. Slide forward almost to the edge of your chair, place your feet hip distance apart and flat on the floor about two feet in front of you, and point your toes forward. Hold the front edge of your chair seat with your fingers pointing toward your toes, and lift your hips up in the air. Press your hips up high, stretching the front of your thighs and activating your gluteals (your seat), stretch the front of your chest and shoulders, lower your chin toward your chest, and take three to five deep breaths. Then carefully sit down. If done throughout the day, this exercise reverses the seated position and creates a more open body — which can lead to a more open mind!

Exercise 3 – Pulling Straps I

Counter a rounded posture by taking a stand-up break and sneaking in a few Pulling Straps I repetitions throughout the day. Stand up with your toes pointing straight ahead, lift yourself tall out of your spine, and reach your arms straight out in front of you, shoulder height with palms facing one another. Inhale, and pull your arms down toward the floor, stretch the front part of your chest and shoulders and gaze slightly upward, bringing your arms as far behind you as you can. Exhale and return the arms in reverse, bringing your gaze forward. To get the most of this exercise, pull your abs in and up and keep your pelvis from shifting forward and your lower back from arching, placing the emphasis on the upper torso. This exercise will not only stretch your tight chest and shoulders, but help build strength in the postural muscles of the upper back.

Zoey Trap MS believes in the synergistic power of Yoga and Pilates; she is a Peak Pilates Master Trainer and Team Leader who authored the Peak Pilates Educational Programs and created the Peak Pilates Master Instructor Mentoring System. She is Jivamukti Certified Yoga Instructor and has developed programming including Yoga on the Reformer and Wonder Chair. Zoey has been featured in multiple DVDs and co-owns a consulting business (Pilates Solutions) with her daughter Kathryn Coyle. peakpilates.com; pilatesstudiosolutions.com.

Zoey Trapp

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Props are nothing new to Pilates students.  In fact, it is said that Joseph Pilates created the Magic Circle (or Pilates Ring) from the steel ring that encircled a cognac keg… talk about creativity and resourcefulness! Today, we have many options to challenge or modify any Pilates practice, such as the Theraband, Physio-Ball, and foam roller. These small tools are great at-home options when you can’t get to a reformer class but still want to create internal resistance to help strengthen, stabilize, and stretch your entire body.

One of my favorite props to use is an inflatable ball. I love the Yoga Tune Up® Coregeous ball  because of its extra grippy and pliable texture. While the Coregeous ball was designed for abdominal massage, it can also enrich your workout by helping you better propriocept your powerhouse (bring your attention to the core of your body). If you don’t have a Coregeous® ball handy, a Spri Ball, Pilates Overball, or mid-size inflatable ball will do.  Be sure to only fill it to 80% of its capacity to better test your stability and balance.

Here are two exercises you can try utilizing this prop:

Scissors 

A classic exercise part of the Pilates Series of 5. Use the ball to kick it up a notch and allow for some much-needed hip extension work too. Lay on your back and place a mid-size inflatable ball underneath your sacrum and reach your legs up towards the ceiling. Hold on to the side of your mat, simultaneously pressing your arms into the mat while attempting to pull it apart (but not really doing it, just engaging your muscles). Without allowing your ribs to flare up towards the ceiling, inhale and lower one leg down towards the floor. Exhale and scissor switch the legs. Alternate this rhythm and imagine that each time you lower your leg, you are scraping gum off your heel to engage the hamstrings and gluteals. Imagine that you are kicking a soccer ball to flex the hip and bring the leg up without flexing the back. Try this for 10 times on each leg. When you are done, allow yourself to rest in a supported pelvic bridge on the ball. To modify, keep one foot on the ground and work the opposite leg before switching.

Abdominal Massage

Finish your workout by creating suppleness in your abdominals with massage. Place the ball directly under your navel while laying face down and breathe into your abdomen. As you inhale, your abdomen will bulge into the ball. As you exhale, your abdomen will passively hollow as the ball burrows into your belly. Slowly begin to move your body left and right to target your rectus abdominis and the obliques. Continue for three to five minutes. Enjoy feeling the effects of a strong and supple center.

Props are an excellent way to scale the difficulty and novelty of an exercise. I encourage you to get creative and think outside the box(or boxasana) to challenge your students and yourself in new ways with props you know and love.

Nicole Quibodeaux is a Pilates, Yoga, and Integrated Yoga Tune Up® Teacher who teaches throughout Orange County. Visit movementreform.com to learn more about her and her schedule.

Nicole Quibodeaux

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The female body is miraculous and ever-changing. The pre-pregnancy body is often the body that we are attached to; we have that body for many years and it feels comfortable and familiar. The pregnant body is a wild and wonderful adventure into daily changes of shape, size, and weight distribution. The post-baby body is not the same as the pre-pregnancy body; people may assume that this means that the new body is heavier or carries extra inches around the waist. In fact, the opposite can be true; the post-baby body can be stronger and leaner. How is this possible? In a word… Postpartum Pilates.

Pilates helps us to love our bodies, because there is both the feeling of a return to center, as we connect to our “powerhouse,” as well as the aesthetic benefit of having a longer, leaner torso. We look stronger, because we are stronger. The powerhouse muscles are the source of this strength. Powerhouse refers to your abdominal muscles, pelvic floor muscles, lower back, and gluteal muscles. In order to activate these muscles correctly, it is important to be mindful of our movements, and focus on the details that help the body train effectively and efficiently.

Two fantastic movements for focusing on your powerhouse after baby are bridge, and double knee lift. It is not necessary to enjoy these movements with your baby, but it is a lot of fun.

photos by Victoria Davis

Bridge

Bridge is a great exercise for gaining strength in your lower body, specifically in your gluteal muscles. Begin with your feet hips width apart, and a neutral pelvis (not tucked). If you are working with baby, place your baby on your lap and hold baby steady with your hands. If your baby does not yet have neck control, it is fine for baby to lie on your chest. Slowly lift your hips to the sky. At the very top of the movement, feel the gluteal muscles contract, and hold for five seconds. Slowly lower your hips, controlling the speed of the descent. Work towards three sets of 15. If you would like to sing “London Bridge,” to your baby during the exercise, it can lead to some really great belly laughs.

Double Knee Lift

The double knee lift can increase the strength of your lower abdomen. Begin lying down on your back with a neutral pelvis. If you are enjoying the movement with your baby, it is often easier to start the exercise sitting up so that you can help place the baby on your shins. Either way, you will begin the movement lying down with both knees bent in towards your chest at a slight angle (as shown). It is normal for the ribs to flare out a little after pregnancy, so think about grounding your ribcage at your bra line. Begin to lift your legs up towards 90 degrees (until the feet are parallel with the floor) and contract your abdominal muscles as you do. Traditionally this is done with the hands behind the head and the upper body lifted to engage the upper portion of the abdominal wall also. This variation is a gentle way to ease back into core work after baby.

Desi Bartlett

Desi Bartlett MS, CPT, has been teaching health and wellness for more than 20 years. Originally from Chicago, she has a degree in kinesiology and her master’s degree in corporate fitness. Desi holds advanced certifications in Yoga, personal training, group fitness, and is a certified pre- and post-natal fitness specialist.

desibartlett.com

The post Love Your Post Baby Body with Easy Postpartum Pilates Exercises appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Much like yoga, Pilates is a practice that over the course of years of study can help you connect on a deeper levels to your body through movement.  The two disciplines can work together well for this reason.  Even though the two practices share some common foundations, there are differences in the use of the body and equipment.  Since they are complimentary, some targeted Pilates mat exercises can help enhance a student’s ability to engage in some of the more challenging yoga poses by building strength and increasing body awareness.

Try this foundational Pilates techniques to support yoga practice through cross-training different muscles groups and attentional mechanisms.

Also read Kara Wily’s sequence with suggestions for Pilates for snowboarders.

SPINE STRETCH

This exercise involved sitting with the legs in front of you and rolling the spine down and then back up one vertebra at a time.  This serves as a counter stretch to the way most yoga positions ask you to use your spine.  Instead of straightening the spine, this Pilates position curves the spine to stretch and open, while engaging the abdominal muscles.  The arms are held alongside the body with the shoulder blades pulled down as though you are sliding them toward your back pockets.

With each repetition, sit taller and lengthen the spine.  On on the roll, the fingertips and heels are reaching in opposition to the abdomen on the roll and the head, neck and spine stretch tall in opposition to the legs pressing down into the mat while sitting up.

This position is a cornerstone of much of the Pilates work and can help you with yoga poses including uttanasana (standing forward fold) and downward facing dog.  Because of its strong use of planting the hips to the mat and drawing the abdomen back, this exercise can assist when doing a similar action, but against gravity, in the yoga asanas.

Directions

Photo of Kara Wily by Liz Carney

Extend your legs in front of you, slightly wider than the shoulders.  Keep the feet relaxed if you are strong and tight.  Flex the feet if you are building strength in the legs.  Sit tall with the hands extended in the air in front of the shoulders.  Inhale to stretch tall pulling the abdomen into the spine.  Engage the glutes and press the legs down into the floor.  

Photo of Kara Wily by Liz Carney

Exhale to roll the spine down to to the mat one vertebra at a time so you end up with your back in contact with the mat.

Photo of Kara Wily by Liz Carney

Inhale to roll up, stacking the vertebrae of the spine one on top of the other. 

Photo of Kara Wily by Liz Carney

Repeat five times.

Kara Wily

Kara Wily is a Pilates teacher at Hummingbird Pilates in Beverly Hills (hummingbirdpilates.com).  She is also a contributor to pilatesology.com and PilatesAnytimes.com.

The post Supporting Yoga Practice Through Pilates Mat Work appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

When I snowboard, I always appreciate the time I put into my Pilates training. I benefit from balance, posture and stability, as well as rotational core strength and lower limb strength and agility. Although we can perform some Pilates exercises with a magic circle, in essence giving ourselves a tool that mimics the activity of the board; not everything can be simulated. There is no sliding in Pilates (other than on your own sweat on the mat) and there are no slopes. Even so, the awareness gained through Pilates training can prepare you better for how you are going to adapt to those variables once you get a feel for the snow and the slope.

Here are some Pilates moves that can prepare you for snowboarding:

1. For Balance and Lower Body Agility and Strength– Wall Squats (with two legs and then one legged)

Stand with your back to a wall and your feet about 18 inches in front of the wall. Draw your navel in and up. Slide your back down the wall until your bottom is just higher than the level of your knees. Count slowly to 15. Push your feet down in the floor-boards and draw your navel in and up to slide back up the wall. Repeat two more times. Then try to replace one foot down your midline and extend the other leg 30 degrees forward. Repeat three times on each leg. Try not to change the position of your pelvis as you slide up and down the wall; keep it in the same orientation whether your legs are bent or straight. Try to keep as many parts of your back touching the wall as you can without strain.

2. For Posture– Wall Rolls–Once you are back to a standing position, place your heels together. Again, draw your navel in and up. Feel the opposition of your feet down into the floor while your abdomen lifts your trunk tall to the sky. This opposition will give you the ability to feel your control down into the snowboard, while staying buoyant and flexible on top: this is your two-way stretch. Roll your spine down, bone-by-bone, off the wall until your face is even with your pelvis. Find your two-way stretch and roll back up. Continue to work on this until you can keep your feet less than two inches from the wall and can roll down and up without losing balance.

3. Stability– Leg Pull– Now go to a mat and take a plank position (phalakasana). Place the hands under the shoulders and tuck the toes under on the mat. With shoulders down, a hollow abdomen and heels lifted, raise one leg in the air. Sustain this position for 10 counts. Slowly flex the foot of the supporting side. Use the two-way stretch described above. Resist lifting the heel and return the other foot to the floor. Repeat three times on each side. Avoid flexing your hips when you lift the leg, the leg lift works the bottom and stretches the front of the hip, helpful for keeping you lined up over your board and a strong center.

4. For Abdominal strength and mobility–The 4-Corner Corkscrew–This exercise can be done holding a yoga block or magic circle between your ankles or even an exercise band tied around the outside of the ankles with pressure placed out on the band. Lay down on your back on a mat. Press into a candle pose/sarvangasana) with arms on the mat. Looking at your toes, imagine you are in the middle of a four poster bed. Engage your glutes and squeeze the heels toward each other. Start to roll down the spine towards the mat. When you feel your ribs touch the mat, reach both legs together as if you want to touch the poster over your right shoulder, then lower right, lower left, and left shoulder and rise back up to candle. Repeat to the other side. Repeat four times to each side. You can practice variations, repeat it slow, fast, with something between the ankles, a medicine ball, et cetera. Just hold your navel to your spine and use the two-way stretch.

5. For lower limb agility– The 2 by 4. Yep, if you have a 2 by 4 use it. Or you may do this off a step. Stand with your heels together and toes apart. Recall again holding your navel to your spine and the two-way stretch from above and how tall you stood against the wall.  In four actions: (1) Bend the knees, (2) roll up on the toes (3) straighten the legs, and (4) lower the heels; imagine the 2 by 4 is your snowboard and the goal is to keep your shoulders over is through all the motions. Repeat three times in slow motion and three times quickly. Reverse the motions with the same dynamics and increase your range. Using your heels and toes to feel the slope is important. Here you can feel how placing your weight on different part of your lower legs feels so you can manipulate the board better to your needs.

I hope each of you trades in your urban exercise for a mountain vista at least once this year. Incorporate Pilates into your training and take these exercises with you for a warm-up. The balance, posture, stability, core and lower body agility that Pilates introduces you to will open your mind to ways to maneuver your weight on the slope and will give you more control.

Take in the mountain beauty and bring it back in your mind to your studios, gyms, and your study.

Read Kara Wily’s suggestions for integrating Pilates and Yoga practice.

Kara Wily

Kara Wily is a Pilates teacher at Hummingbird Pilates in Beverly Hills (hummingbirdpilates.com).  She is also a contributor to pilatesology.com and PilatesAnytimes.com.

The post Pilates for Snowboarders appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

The sleek, open studio boasts a Pilates room with six reformers as well as a TRX strength training room—where they are also planning on adding yoga classes. “We wanted to keep the classes small so people can get the benefit of our instruction,” explains Jane. Both owners have done a lot of training in the safe spine technique, so they incorporate those methods into the classes they teach.

In addition to physical health, nutrition is an important factor at HALE. The studio has two registered dietitians who work with clients to change their eating habits, help them shop for groceries, and keep them motivated. “We want to provide everything for people who want it from workouts to nutrition to a small community. It’s great, because classes have gotten to be like a social hour around here,” says Kristen. “The communal aspect is really important to us.”

HALE Pilates Method

 326 S. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 100

Redondo Beach, CA

Halepilatesmethod.com

By Jordan Younger, a yoga teacher and vegan blogger. You can find her at theblondevegan.com or on Instagram at @theblondevegan.

Jordan Younger

Jordan Younger is a student at Loyola Marymount University and a Yoga teacher in training who loves the ocean, being outdoors, and tasting delicious vegetarian food around L.A. She hopes write novels in the future, and if she is not on the yoga mat you will probably find her at the beach, hiking with her friends, or playing with her adorable nieces.

The post HALE Pilates Method appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.