In my Pilates practice I teach all different clients but I have a niche in teaching pre and post-natal women. My post-natal classes have been running for 3 years now! The post-natal women show up in class with clear goals of: getting their abdominal muscles working and finding their pre-pregnancy figure again. But then reality hits and each week the most pressing issues the moms have to deal with are back, neck, shoulder and wrist pains.
"Footwork" is an exercise that is done to begin the advanced mat workout and it can also be performed on the reformer. Standing Footwork is a variation of this exercise that is fast and easy to do at home. It's a great thing to do when you get home from work in the evening! It strengthens abdominal muscles, improves balance as well as stretching and strengthening the oft forgotten feet.
I teach a short series of exercises on the roller meant to relax and release. You will concentrate on your breathing, work your arms, release upper back tension and then do a bit of balancing to focus on engaging your deep abdominal muscles.
This spring I thought it would be fun to do a simple challenge with one exercise to complement your weekly or bi-weekly Pilates class and to throw into your home workout. For those who do not workout at home yet here's the perfect opportunity to try to do a little something: the Pilates Plank Challenge!
Between screen time and kid time, the neck and shoulder area is a place that is very typically plagued with tension. Here are some easy exercises that you can do while simply standing in your living room or at the office, when you have two minutes to spare and tensions to release.
One of the pillars of the Pilates method and one of the aspects that makes it unique is the focus on articulating the spine. Stretch your spine to release tension in your back and neck with this Pilates exercise. Practice with photos!