Whether you are new to Pilates or have been doing it for a decade, it’s always a good idea to come back to the basics. As we evolve in our practice we often tend to move mindlessly through the motions and neglect the mind-body connection.
Next time you come to class we want you to keep these 5 tips/ tricks in mind:
- Try wearing more form fitting clothing to embrace your shape, fabrics that move with you and also helps the instructor see your alignment.
- Maintaining a Neutral spine. It’s not always easy to do through a whole class, but putting focus for a portion of the class will make it become more natural and eventually you will just be in neutral. Having alignment from the feet up to the pelvis and ribs will improve the quality of your movement and you will also get more from the exercise you’re doing. Form is everything!
- What’s the rush? Keeping your form and engaging your muscles is best done when we slow down our movement. It’s one thing to increase the cardiovascular system for blood flow, but when we slow down we can engage the muscles differently and gain strength and stability in your practice.
- Cuing. As an instructor we talk and cue the way through class to ensure you are connecting and engaging your body. These reminders help improve everyone’s practice and safety in class. We use imagery to help you understand what we are talking about.
- Breathe. Breath work is by far the most underutilized area in pilates. Don’t be afraid to make your breath be heard. Also taking into consideration whether we are working in a 2,3 or 4 breath pattern matters for contraction and mind body connection.
Can’t wait to Pilates with you!
