As we move throughout our daily life, we need to be able to safely move the spine in all directions. In the Programming & Sequencing chapter of the Pilates Encyclopedia, you’ll find a list of exercises that move the lumbar spine into flexion.

The biggest benefit of lumbar flexion...

For one or two of my students, Tower is the single best exercise to release tension from their backs. But what to do if they don’t have a Trapeze Table at home, or can’t make it to the studio every single day?

The best alternative that I’ve come up (so far) is Bridging with Feet...

I can’t keep count of how often people mention “Plank” when talking about building core strength. It’s the first exercise that comes to mind. Yes, Plank, or Front Control, as we Pilates snobs professionals like to call it, is a decent exercise with lots of benefits, but...

Magazine or news articles about health and fitness are not usually written by experts. A journalist interprets an expert’s paper maybe, or they interview an expert. Still, the final article is filtered through the knowledge of the interpreter.

I’ve read many an article that puts the...

With all types of exercise, there is a certain learning curve. Whether it’s martial arts or rock climbing or skiing, there is always a skill to learn.

But the expectation (backed by experience) is that it’ll get easier with practice. Running for 30 minutes will be easier after doing...

Pilates has so much to offer. If you’re ready to go deeper and explore each exercise in more and more depth, you can keep an exercise interesting for years.

I’ll explain how I layer one detail onto another, to progressively challenge my students while keeping them safe. I’ll use...

In last week’s blog post I talked about how transitions are fun but can contribute to poor form if introduced to the wrong person at the wrong time. If you haven’t yet, read it here before moving on to today’s post.

Let’s take a look at the transition into Hamstring 3...

Transitions are wonderful. They seamlessly connect one exercise with the next. There is no pause in the movement, no letup of activity. No rest for the weary.

But if the transition is a struggle, then it can leave us in faulty alignment for the exercise to come. On top of that, the pressure of...

Pulling your navel in will encourage your lumbar spine to flex and your pelvis to tilt posteriorly (tuck). This means if you want to challenge the transversus abdominis, which works in a neutral spine position, but not a flexed spine, then “navel to spine” is not an appropriate cue.

When trying to correct a kyphotic posture you have probably learned to use extension exercises. It sounds logical: since the spine is bending forward, strengthening the spinal extensor muscles by bending the spine backward will help it return to normal/neutral, right?

Well, when working on...