You would never dream of cheating in an exercise, right? But what if you didn’t even realize you were doing it? Our body often tries to “help” us by subtly altering a movement to make it easier. Check out this video for a sneaky way your elbow might try to assist you during Side...

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...

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...

Pilates happens on the inside. Videos of advanced Pilates exercises don’t show that work, the detailed work of muscles close to the joint. The magic of Pilates happens through verbal cueing (the teacher saying the right thing at just the right time) or through tactile cueing (supporting or...

Have you been confused why some teachers (Pilates, or yoga) tell you to close your eyes and others tell you to always keep them open?

One of my students asked me yesterday what Pilates’s take is on closing your eyes versus keeping them open during your Pilates practice. This was my answer.

Q: My question is about finding cues to activate the lower abdominals and the pelvic floor. For example, in “The Hundred”, using cues such as “belly button to spine” or “bring the sit bones together” can create excessive pelvic tilting and/or the rectus...

Pilates is all about control, don’t we know it.

In this video, I’ll talk about how co-contraction of agonist and antagonist around a joint makes your movement fluid and your joints stable.

Often we focus on the first part of the exercise, pulling on the bar or the strap, and then we...

Joseph Pilates talks several times in his books about the importance of following the laws of nature when exercising. He unfortunately never specifies to which laws he is referring.

I came - undeniably a bit late in my life - across Newton's third law which states: For every action, there is an...

I received a question the other day about positioning the spine and pelvis while on your stomach. Are we supposed to tuck under?

• If you feel your lumbar spine shortening and compressing, then keep lengthening the tailbone, thighs and feet back towards your heels.
• Be aware of how it feels...