
Pilates Balances the Body
Sep 16, 2021 - Meghan Pickrell
Most fitness routines center around standing. Moving on our feet is great and should definitely be a piece of the fitness puzzle. However, there are so many other valuable orientations to explore.
A pilates session is centered around lying down (yes!). When clients first come into the Los Angeles pilates studio and realize they get to lie down when working out, they find it relaxing. “We get to relax while working out???” Yes!
During a pilates session you explore many orientations (lying on your back, lying on your belly, lying on your sides…) as a means to bring balance to your body. After the session, you stand up to experience a more balanced physical structure.
The Mind & Motion virtual studio is set up on the mat. I teach every session by utilizing the floor as a solid reference and feedback tool, just as you would utilize any of the pilates apparatuses. As your body connects to the floor, it receives information about where you are holding, and where you can release. The floor is an excellent opportunity to reconfigure, reorient and achieve balance in your unique body.
In one of my full movement sessions you move while:
* Lying on your back
* Lying on your belly
* Lying on your sides
* Sitting
* On all-4s (hands and feet or hands and knees)
* Standing
In each full body “Weekly Practice,” you move from one orientation to another. Here are what some of the movements look like (feel free to get on the ground and try them!):
Single Leg Stretch:
Double Leg Stretch:
Clam:
Spine Twist:
Knee Hover:
Squats:
You can see that there is a progression from lying on your back to standing on your feet. In each orientation we use the force of gravity to target your body’s different areas. Once you’ve moved on all sides you’ve begun to rebalance the body.
Each strength workout in the virtual studio is based around an orientation. I offer a: “front body series”, “back body series”, “side body series”, and “full body series”. The “weekly practice” is always a full body workout session that moves you through each orientation.
For more guidance we are offering a 7-day free trial on the Mind & Motion virtual studio. Want to mention us on your blog or website? Please be sure to include a link back to this page. If you need assistance with this, please contact our small business SEO managers. If you’re a Los Angeles local, be sure to come by our pilates studio in Los Angeles