Swan on Reformer

Reading the body on the equipment is such an important component to being an effective Pilates instructor. Throwing out generic cues can only take the clients so far in their work. The key to giving precise, detail-oriented cueing is speaking to the client’s body. And the only way to speak to the client’s body is […]…

Footwork on the Jumpboard with Smart Roller

There are so many ways to experiment with footwork in the Pilates studio. Not only can you do this on all of the pieces of equipment, but it can be done differently on a single piece. The Reformer is a wonderful place to play with this idea. And the Jumpboard is the perfect place to […]…

Facial Points

The face and head hold tension like any other part of the body. The only problem is no one thinks to release these pressure points until it is already too late and a headache calls for some TLC. Just like the importance of opening up the hamstring for the balance of the hip and knee, […]…

Leg Slides on the Mat

With even the most simple exercise, you can help the clients travel deeper into their body to unearth new discoveries about how they move. Don’t think for a second that any movement is too easy for someone or that advanced movers have nothing to gain from “beginner” exercises. The skilled teacher illuminates and perceives even […]…

Pulling Straps

By using the SmartSpine prop made by Marie Jose Blom, you will be able to experiment with exercises in new ways that you never thought possible. These unbelievable spine-shaped bags help to give the clients feedback that tells them where they are in space. That tactile signaling supported by the teacher’s cueing can take an […]…

Correct Calf Raises on the Chair

The skills needed to perform calf raises correctly are many. And this work is not just for ballerinas either. Almost every client that you will see will actually walk into your door. This means that they need as much range in the ankle as possible as well as as much mobility as possible through the […]…

How to Care for the Cadillac

The Cadillac is such an amazing, versatile piece of equipment. And with that comes many bells and whistles to attend to when caring for it. Like we have said before, caring for your studio environment is an essential part of belonging to a studio team. The safety of your client needs to be of the […]…

The Semicircle: Guest Post with Trina Altman

Why the Semicircle Deserves a Class of its Own The semicircle on the reformer is my favorite Pilates exercise. I love the way it feels to wind my way through space while undulating my spine with arms overhead. The feedback from the reformer shoulder rests, carriage, and footbar support me just right, so I can […]…

Great Ab Series for Homework

If clients really want to change and reorganize, they have to get the message that hard, focused work must be done. Part of this is doing homework between sessions on a daily basis. Many clients ask for an effective Ab series they can do at home to improve their ability for thoracic flexion. Giving them […]…

Rotator Disc: Supine SI Joint Opening

Contemporary Pilates is famous for all the props we use and the very innovative ways we use them! I think Joe would have approved this forward, creative thinking to expand the work. One of these versatile props is the Rotator Disc. In this video we are using it to pick up imbalances in how the […]…

Tunnel Vision: Guest Post with Trina Altman

Tunnel Vision There’s so much more going on than what’s in front of your eyes There’s so much more going on than what’s in front of your eyes We bipedal humans are oriented to the sagittal plane, focused on what’s in front of us. Our eyes are forward-facing lenses through which we orient ourselves and […]…

Reformer Bridge

Free and fluid articulation of the spine should be a top-of-the-list goal for every client. Many traditional and contemporary Pilates exercises ask for a fluid flow from extension into flexion and vice versa. Can you tell where your client is stuck? Which part of the spine doesn’t like to move? Are they having trouble moving […]…

Arm Springs on the Cadillac

A change of spring tension is all it takes! Different strengths and skills will come into play depending on what tension of spring you use for your client. Be specific. Just because your manual says this spring at this height is no reason to pick it for your client. What your client needs should be […]…

Swan on Cadillac

To read the body and give alignment cues is often confusing and scary to the beginning teacher. Start simple. Where is the body longer? Where is it shorter? What side of the body is heavier? Ask those types of simple questions and start from there. Know that you cannot address every imbalance in a client […]…

Neck Points

Having many varied exercises to give your clients as a way to warm up before class and as homework is essential. If they are practicing specific exercises and releases on a daily basis for just a few minutes a day, they will start to see and feel a big impact long term. Releasing the trigger […]…

Call & Response: Leg Springs

The first step to detailed cueing is seeing where the imbalances are in the body. The second is to put that into words, images, and touch that will help the client to become aware and transform. Call and Response cueing is a powerful tool. We ask for a shift and the client tries to respond […]…

Good Postures for Labor

Arming your pregnant clients with as much information and skills as possible for an easy labor and delivery is essential as you are guiding them through this extraordinary time in their life. By practicing postures for labor, as well as breath patterns that go with them, your clients will be able to go into these […]…

Mat Leg Circles

Mat Leg Circles is a very important part of the Pilates repertoire. This exercise teaches so many beautiful skills for the clients to master such as lumbo/pelvic stability as well as differentiation of movement between the leg and the pelvis. The goal of the exercise is not that you complete the circles in their prescribed […]…

Initiation of the Long Box Arms

Training the shoulder girdle can be a daunting task with clients. There is so much room for error when working with the arms due to their extreme mobility or lack thereof. Fine tuning and attention to detail is primary when working with this area of the body. The slightest rotation of the humerus can change […]…

Lateral Rib Cage Breathing

Building better breathers is a primary concern for Pilates teachers. If we can arm our clients with one thing, it is the power to cue into and work on their breath. This skill building is something that they can take with them in all facets of their life. We are primarily concerned with the breath […]…

Initiation of the Mermaid on the Foam Roller

Mermaid is such a great exercise whether it is on the mat, Reformer, Cadillac, or chair. The side bending of the spine gives the vertebrae a wonderful opportunity to yawn and expand from side to side. This is so helpful in encouraging spinal articulation in all ways. By using the foam roller here as a […]…

How to Care for Your Ladder Barrel

The ladder barrel is a wonderful piece of apparatus that any well equipped studio must have. Its uses are many, and to get the best results from it, caring for the equipment is a high priority. Even if it is not your own, taking pride in your workspace is essential. Working with the equipment requires […]…

Help! My Clients Always Cramp in Bridge!

Clients who cramp usually have a variety of reasons why this is a problem in movement. It can be anything from nutritional deficiencies to medication side effects. But it also comes from starting to innervate and move an area of the body that isn’t used to being called on. When repatterning the body to move […]…

Mary Bond Interview

We were so happy to have Mary Bond join us in Asheville for an amazing live workshop and to shoot a couple of great online workshops. If you’re not familiar with her work, you should be! Enjoy this interview – and see below for some more info on Mary. Hope you enjoyed the interview – […]…

Overball Deep Neck Flexor Strengthening Exercises

The deep flexors of the neck are a very important area to pay attention to while working with your clients. Very often the neck flexors are underused and over stretched. Poorly constructed seated posture reinforces the forward head shear that accompanies too much computer work and drive time. By focusing on the area on the […]…

Mat Bridge

Bridging is a very common exercise in group mat classes and on the equipment. Clients have a hard time establishing anchors and being able to fluidly move through the spine. Great chunks of the spine will usually be skipped over by most people while doing Bridge. Learn some valuable cueing and propping techniques so that […]…

Preparatory Counter Movement and Elastic Recoil

In this video post I’m going to add on some exercises to continue the up training of our fascial body suit and the concept of preparatory counter movement and elastic recoil. Seated springy side bends, Kneeling arch/curl, Crab modification and open leg rocker are all offered as ways that we can build up to the […]…

Pike on the Wunda Chair

The chair can help us build a lot of functional strength because so many of the exercises are done seated or standing. The Pike exercise is a full body exercise and takes an equal amount of inner and outer strength no matter what spring setting you choose. In the video you will see the contrast […]…

Differentiation: Arms and Torso

Learning and paying attention to differentiation skills is an essential building block of the Pilates Method. Realizing where the stability happens and where the movement comes from is a light bulb moment for a lot of clients. The Reformer is one of the best places to hone this skill because of all the feedback you […]…

First Training Principle of Fascial Fitness & Preparatory Counter Movement

I am recently back from Fascial Summer School in Ulm, Germany where I studied with top fascial researcher Robert Schleip and Fascial Fitness creator Divo Muller. These brilliant researchers have come up with 5 principles for training the fascia. I want to explore the first principle, preparatory counter movement. In this video post I’ll look […]…

Parkinson’s: Tennis Ball Stretches for the Hands

Tremors in the hands and fingers are very common in our Parkinson’s clients. Doing exercises that talk to their connective tissue, brain, and nervous system can really help them key down and organize better. Learn some simple hand stretches with the spiky or tennis ball that can get rid of undue tension and gripping in […]…

Spiky Ball Side Hip Release

This sequence of hip releases at the wall with the spiky ball is an excellent warm up for any group class. It is also excellent to teach your private clients so that they can come into the studio to do it before their session and can do it at home in between sessions. If done […]…

Swan on the Mat

It is important for the instructor to let the client move so you can see how they organize or don’t organize. This is when you can really pick up on where the imbalances lie. In Swan we typically see lots of compression in the lumbar spine, which can lead to a lot of dysfunction over […]…

Footwork on the Footplate

Footwork is a foundation and skill building exercise. Classical footwork done on the bar is amazing to create an awareness of core stability around the spine and pelvis, to find proper alignment, and to have ease of motion in the legs. The whole foot is never grounded on the foot bar, which can be an […]…

Mary Bowen Interview

Please enjoy this interview with Pilates Elder Mary Bowen. We had such a good time hanging out with her while she was here filming her online workshops and teaching her Pilates Plus Psyche and Lifelong Pilates. If you’ve studied with Mary, you’ll know that her energy and fullness of life is simply undeniable. This interview […]…

Call & Response: Ab Curl

A teaching basic that needs energy, practice, and patience is the idea of creating a basis of communication with your client. This communication is not always verbal, but it is just as important, if not more so, than what the client says. As a teacher, you must read what the body is saying and translate […]…

Wall Squats

The wall is such a great tool to explore the Pilates repertoire. I love to think about it like an upright Reformer, finding all the cues and movements that we find lying down on the carriage. This is the perfect place to work on the Pilates principles in the upright position. Also, wall squats are […]…

Correct Calf Raises on the Mat

Working calf raises into your mat classes and private sessions is essential in the practice of bringing the Pilates repertoire into upright moving posture. All of the work that we do in the studio means nothing if our clients cannot translate it into their everyday lives. Working on calf raises is the perfect place to […]…

How to Care for Your Chair

A part of running a successful studio is taking care of your investment in your equipment. This not only makes sense fiscally, but also in terms of your client’s overall experience. It is crucial that your studio is a clean, safe, welcoming environment for your clients to walk into. It should also be cause for […]…

Why Does the Classical Repertoire Start with the 100s?

The Hundred exercise is the perfect blend of the breath work in conjunction with spinal flexion, abdominal strength, and shoulder girdle movement. Now these movement principles need to be warmed up to and honed separately before they can be put together within one exercise. So although in theory The Hundred is the perfect kick start […]…

Saw with Blankets and an Overball

The mat Pilates repertoire is brilliant in its entirety. The exercises flow into one another with seamless transitions. Each exercise is a preparation for the the one after it. But what happens when you cannot do all of the exercises the way that they were designed? How can we get the work to translate to […]…

A Brief Animated History of Pilates

We wanted to share our short history of Pilates video. This video is part of our Course Prep Program. We had a lot of fun making it. What do you think?!…

Spine Stretch on the Cadillac

Spine Stretch on the Cadillac can be done in a number of different, creative ways. Many ways are available to modify this exercise, from propping the sitz bones on a blanket to bending the knees to shortening the range of motion. Our end goal is to always find easier and more fluid articulation between the […]…

Elephant

Elephant is a classical exercise that is taught often in the studio to work on upper/mid back stability, core strengthening and opening of the back body. By playing with the spring tension you can change the focus and muscle energy of the exercise. Your clients need both ends of this strength spectrum and everything in […]…

Side Footwork on the Reformer

Side body work is an important part of staying balanced, aligned, and strong. One of the hardest places to get into proper alignment in side lying is on the Reformer because of the restraints of the shoulder blocks, headrest, and footbar. The video below will show you how to prop the body in side lying […]…

Gladiator Theraband Leg Stretches

To truly lengthen any part of the body, we must have a point of anchoring out of which we can then grow. Ideally we want to have a fluid and systematic journey into lengthening. Unfortunately most people jam into their joint space and aren’t connected with how the breath helps to create elongation. In this […]…

Wall Squat

Squatting is the golden pose for pregnancy, but many in our culture are no where near comfortable in this position. For most people, the joints of their ankles, knees, and hips must be gently taught and coaxed into the position. Having some kind of support in the squat position is essential. In the next video, […]…

Roll Up

The Roll Up done in its original form adds up to one of the most difficult mat exercises. To execute this exercise successfully, breath control, spinal flexion, core stability, and scapular integrity all need to be well oiled and ready to dance together through the flowing movement. Unfortunately we often see this exercise done with […]…

Diaphragmatic Breathing

To help clients create expansive breath both on the inhale and the exhale, we have to explore many breathing techniques. A brilliant place to focus when trying to balance and strengthen the breath is to work the muscle of the Diaphragm. The Diaphragm after all is our primary breathing muscle. When working to full capacity, […]…

There’s Something About Mary

We were fortunate enough to spend the week with Mary Bowen here at our home studio (laboratory!) in Asheville, NC. The following is a short excerpt from a three-hour interview with Mary in her home studio in Connecticut. We hope to have the rest for you soon. Until then, enjoy! Let us know what you […]…

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