Cueing

I write about cueing over and over again, because it is so important.  As an instructor I am always looking for new ways to express the same idea, because different words work for different people.  Or maybe it's not a word at all, but simply an image.  The right word, image or feeling can not only help you find engagement, it can completely transform your quality of movement.

How we learn is always so fascinating to me.  I can watch something a thousand times and never figure out how to do it.  I am a kinesthetic learner.  If you know what kind of learner you are, share that with your instructor so that they can interact with you in more helpful ways.

Here is a cue that is really working for me right now, maybe it will work for you as well:

When standing or lying prone: 
Imagine your inner thigh lifting up to the ceiling while you press your hips lightly down.
This cue puts me right in my center with access to my pelvic floor and Pilates lift.  I love it!

Small Group Classes Starting in January

I haven't posted anything for the longest time!  I found out that I am actually not a daily blogger.  But today I have something to say!  I am finally adding some new classes to Pilates by Violet.  I love teaching one-on-one and firmly believe that this is the way to start your Pilates journey.  It's expensive though, and it dissuades a lot of people from learning this wonderful method.

I honestly don't know any better way to support yourself in wellness than learning to do Pilates correctly.  To be able to put your body in alignment and work your body safely and efficiently is simply the best gift you can give to yourself.  I want to share Pilates with everyone so I have decided that the best route to go is small group classes.

Starting in January I will be teaching a Fundamental Mat Class of 3-5 people.  This class will go over an introduction to Pilates principles and all the key ingrediants that give you a strong base for continuing into more advanced classes.  Great for beginners, but also a terrific review for those that have been doing Pilates for a long time.

I am also introducing a special small group class for tennis players which will focus on re-balancing muscular work, grounding, and core engagement.  Class size will be 3-5

Dates are still to be decided depending on interest.

Looking forward to Pilates in 2014

How to sit properly in your chair

1.     When seated your hips should be higher than your knees, or at a right angle to your hip. 

2.     Your low back (think waist) should be supported (a small rolled towel can be placed here) if your chair does not provide back support

3.     You should be able to feel equal weight across your sitting bones when seated.

     Avoid 'bucket seats', here is why:

Buckets, position your knees higher than your hips. This throws all your upper body weight back onto your gluteus maximus and piriformis muscles through which--and this is the important part--the Sciatic nerve runs. Sit on that nerve often enough and long enough, and you will probably end up with shooting pains down one or both legs.

Human beings were designed to sit on their pelvic bones, or ischium, those hard bones you sometimes feel when you first sit down on a hard chair. Sitting on those bones automatically gives us a natural arch in the small of our backs. When we sit this way, the Sciatic nerve, Sacroilliac joints, lumbar vertebrae and hips are unencumbered and unstressed.

SITTING

We do a lot of it in modern living and mostly when we are sitting we aren’t paying much attention to how we are doing it.  We slouch, we cross knees, we splay, we slump.  Think of all the time we spend seated:  in cars, using computers, sitting at work, watching television, eating meals.  We sit and sit and then sit some more.

Since we are spending so many hours on this activity it seems it would be a good idea to figure out how to do it so that we get some health benefits from it.

First things first:  Your chair!

The chair you are sitting in will have a big effect on your posture, so it is a good idea to find a work chair that has some adjustment devices so that you can set up a close to ideal scenario for your body.  Our Posture Keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly, so sitting correctly is very important!