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...

Many people are nervous to get started with exercise after finding out they have low bone density. They may worry that putting their body under stress will cause an injury. Rest assured that exercising- with a few guidelines in mind- can actually decrease your risk of bone fracture. And with...

I don’t know about your experience, but I find that most people starting Pilates experience a huge breakthrough about six to twelve months into their Pilates journey. “It’s starting to make sense now” is what I often hear at that stage.

If you’re reading this because...

Should you keep your shoulders down when raising the arms overhead?

Careful, this might be a trick question.

Your initial respone might have been. Yeah, duh! Of course! Shoulders should never by up by your ears.

Weeeeeellllllll........

Overhead arm movement might be a bit more complicated than...

A muscle that feels tight is not necessarily short. On the contrary, often long, over-stretched muscles that are weak develop facial tightness as a substitute for real strength. Lengthening these muscles feels good temporarily, but it’s not going to stop the tightness from recurring. It...

The ACL is one of the major ligaments that connect the thighbone to the shinbone. Activities that require sudden changes of direction or speed, landing awkwardly from a jump, and collisions can increase the risk of injury. 

If you have suffered an ACL tear or sprain, check out the...