In our daily lives, we spend most of our time shortening (and collapsing) the front side of our bodies. Sitting and slouching, for instance, shortens our hip flexors, pectorals, and abdominals. In our Pilates practice, many of the exercises shorten and contract the front side of our bodies...

One of the greatest benefits of practicing Pilates is how much it helps us in our daily lives. It can help us tackle our favorite hiking or biking trail, but it also helps in much smaller everyday activities. 

For example, maybe you can now sit at your desk for hours with improved posture...

Diastasis Recti is a separation between the right and left halves of the rectus abdominals (the 6-pack) and a thinning and separating of the connective tissue in between. This can create a "pooch" effect and reduced strength in the trunk.

This condition is very common among postnatal...

Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Elevated Radio. 

We had a great chat about what the Pilates Encyclopedia is all about and where I see it going in the future. 

I shared how my own personal Pilates journey started and how that experience helped me develop compassion...

We curl the head, neck, and shoulders up so often in Pilates. Unfortunately, neck tension goes hand-in-hand with this movement for many people. How can we prevent this? Let's look at the Chest Lift on the Mat as an example. 

Interlace your fingers or nest one palm in the other palm so you...

Lots of Pilates exercises require us to move our hips into extension. Take, for example, Breathing on the Trapeze Table. For many of us, it's very difficult to keep the lumbar spine neutral while lifting our hips. #gluteamnesia

In exercises like this one, how can we make sure we're truly...

Your shoulder blades need to be able to move apart (protraction) and towards each other (retraction). 

The muscles required for protraction are your serratus anterior, the ones responsible for retraction are your rhomboids and middle trapezius.

Some of us tend to either squeeze our scapulae...

Do a quick Bridge for me on the floor. The one where you articulate one vertebra at a time. I’ll wait. Have you noticed that your chin lifts as you roll your spine up one vertebra at a time? Sometimes we even lift our head and reposition it to keep it comfortable. Hm….. 

Now try...

Have you ever found yourself rushing through the setup of an exercise, just to keep the flow of a session or practice going?

For example, you used the foot loops for arm work on the Trapeze Table or Springboard.

You didn’t change the distance between Barrel and Ladder because the following...

Anatomy is one of the most important things you’ll learn in your training to become a Pilates instructor. However, there's an aspect of anatomy training that has confused many students over the years. This would be the planes of movement. Having a clear understanding of the planes is...