We usually picture the upper back as rounding backward, right? But if Pilates has taught us anything it's that each person is different. Maybe you've noticed that some of your students have flat thoracic spines. As you watch them move, perhaps you've noticed that the upper back also seems to...

There are too many bad planks in this world!!! This makes me so very, very sad! Relying on our skeleton to hold us up usually means that the lumbar vertebrae are getting all the load and are suffering.

Here is a video from a few years back (gosh, my hair was long!) I'll teach you how to first...

Roll over is a fun exercise to mobilize the spine into flexion. When the legs are overhead, you get a wonderful stretch in your hamstrings and the muscles that run along your spine. As you slowly lower your spine back down, you’re building abdominal strength and control. 

To perform...

Isn't it confusing when teachers use different names for the same exercise or the same name for different exercises?

We want to help you find the information you need quickly. Name confusion shouldn't have to slow you down! At the beginning of each chapter, you'll now find a list of Alternative...

The Stomach Series is great for increasing abdominal strength, control, and endurance. You're likely familiar with the exercises in this series. We have Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, Single Straight Leg Stretch, Double Straight Leg Stretch, and Criss Cross. As you were reading this...

To prevent injury and move efficiently, we need our bodies to have strength and mobility. Maybe that's obvious when we're thinking about our muscles, but people who are new to Pilates might not realize this also applies to our spines.  

During their Pilates journey, they might start to...

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...

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...

I love challenging spinal stabilizers on the transverse plane with weight distribution exercises.

For example, I’ll be teaching Knee Folds or Marching. You lie on your back and lift or hover one foot above the mat without rocking your pelvis. Many of my students initially don’t...

If you’re hitting the slopes this year, do your body a favor and include some Pilates exercises that will keep your knees safe and your legs strong so you can tackle that bunny slope black diamond!

In the Programming & Sequencing chapter of the Pilates Encyclopedia, you’ll...