Writer: Lucia Farina
This blog is about the different ways Pilates exercises can become more effective for you personally. In a group class, we are all doing the same exercises but it doesn’t mean we are doing them all the same exact way, or that we are led by the same guidance.
From the outside, we are all making the same external shape, how we all get there might differ slightly. Our bodies are so different, we all need something different. So as we manoeuvre in and out of the moves, for one, it might be the scoop needs to deepen for them to feel more connection or stretch and for the next person it could be about finding length in the neck which would then give that deeper connection or stretch to that person.
It’s really not one cue for all. When we set up the exercise, yes, sure, we all set up the same way perhaps, but as we get moving, different bodies require different pointers. Otherwise, we might miss something really valuable for us.
In order to create balance in our bodies, we need to work with balance while we actually DO the exercises. We often assume that balance becomes about posture, and there is a lot of emphasis on this in the Pilates realm.
I personally do not think there is too much of a link between how well someone does an exercise to how good their standing posture is. I’m still exploring this so don’t quote me but i am very fascinated by this and will talk more on it when I have got some solid info on it for you.
As a Pilates teacher, I do not consider myself or us (any teacher) to be a corrective therapist. We teach exercise. Looking at how someone moves during exercise and finding balance THERE is our responsibility. We are not trying to “fix” bodies or anything like that. I’ve never liked the term “fix” when it comes to the body anyway, unless you’ve broken a bone or ligament, there’s really nothing to fix. We can find ways to make your exercise journey comfortable, regardless of what you’ve got going on with your body and that’s what we do at Trinity.
So, when you’re doing the exercise, you might need something very personal for you to find the balance in the movement. What I'm talking about is working with an even effort across the body. This way, there isn’t one area dominating the exercise. When one area works more than another, we create tension and imbalance. It’s also tiring.
For example in a roll up, it’s assumed it’s an abdominal exercise by many. I see that much more again, as a back stretch. If we use our abs AND the lift/ length of our spines, we then have some balance. Again, finding an even effort between the two creates far more ease and also LIGHTNESS. Lightening the load, and all that :)
We rarely are using our abs in this practice to solely lift our bodies up, we are using our abs a lot to STRETCH the backs of our bodies or create a lifting sensation. Curl ups / Roll ups are a prime example of this. I’d say that if you are feeling your abs a lot in an exercise, then it would make sense, that the back of the body feels just as evenly, more stretched or you have that “longer” sensation. If you feel abs and just your abs, it would be likely that another area needs a bit more attention. We never work in isolation in Pilates. It’s never just about ONE muscle group.
Back to the opening of this blog. Everyone is different. As we watch you do the same exercise, you can all be given a different cue. It’s also going to be useful to you to take note of those personal pointers that get you working deeper or feeling better in your exercise journey, so you can use them and apply them off the bat.
Ideally when practicing, spreading the workload around the body is part of the practice. You practice doing the moves over and over and now let’s try practicing smoothness and fairness across the body when we workout. Your body deserves that. Team work is absolutely the dream work.
Comments