Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Finding My Teaching
Last summer I did a lot of continuing education; things that weren't really pilates based. Ive been trying to figure how to incorporate my new knowledge into my work. One way has been to separate the purely functional movements, hands on, and sensory experience exercises into a totally different type of session; body therapy if you will. I have not been able to figure how to smoothly work in the new information into the pilates series of exercises. Well today I think I hit upon how to do it. I dont want to slow down the series or explain a whole lot more that I already do, so the tactile experience is the way to go. Ive already been using the Yamuna work and it really lends its self to sensory knowledge, but simply tactile cueing, during the pilates exercises, and I dont just mean touch, I mean really moving the tissue around, giving it the direction that it needs to go in. Seems obvious right. I know, it was staring me in the face.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Exercise: Pelvic Clock
This image encompasses several exercises, all of which work on lower spine mobility and coordination, as well as body isolation. it creates awareness and strength in the core muscles. During these exercises breath naturally.
Position:
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Begin in neutral pelvis.
Movement Overview:
Rock the pelvis and lower back in all directions with out moving the knees or ribcage.
Image:
You are lying on a clock face. The 12 o'clock number is under your T12 vertebra (the middle back, where your last ribs are), 3 o'clock under the left hipbone, 6 o'clock under the tailbone, 9 o'clock under the right hipbone.
Directions:
12 to 6-
1. Rock your pelvis into a tucked position so that the T12 vertebra presses down on the 12 o'clock number on the clock. Your pubic bone will tip so that it is higher than your hipbones and your lower back will flatten into the mat. Think of scooping your abdomen and pulling your navel to spine. Do not allow the pelvis to leave the floor and keep the feet light, with no extra pressure into the floor. You want the abdominal muscles to do the work, not the glutes and leg muscles.
2. Rock the pelvis the other way, into an arched position, feeling the pressure shift in a straight line from 12 to 6 o'clock. Your tailbone will be pressing down onto the 6 o'clock number on the clock face, and the pubic bone will drop below the level of the hipbones. Keep the ribcage firmly down, trying not to let it arch with the pelvis, and keep the abdomen pulled in.
3. Repeat 10 times.
3 to 9-
1. Rock the pelvis to the left, pressing more on the 3 o'clock number on the clock. The right hipbone will rise and the left one will drop lower. Keep the knees still, so they are pointed up trying not to put extra pressure into the feet as above. Keep the abdomen pulled in. Your head and chest will not have moved.
2. Rock the pelvis to the right, pressing more on the 9 o'clock number on the clock feeling the pressure shift in a straight line from 3 to 9 o'clock. The left hipbone will rise and the right one will drop lower.
3. Repeat 10 times.
Clockwise and Counterclockwise-
1. Rock the pelvis to 12 o'clock as above.
2. Roll the pelvis to the left pressing on 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, and on around to each number clockwise around the clock face. Remember to keep the abdomen pressed, the knees and chest still, and the feet light on the floor. Feel for a smooth circular movement or the pelvis against the floor.
3. Repeat 3 times, slowly.
4. Reverse direction 2. moving counterclockwise around the clock face. 12, 11, 10...
5. Repeat 3 times, slowly.
Position:
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet on the floor. Begin in neutral pelvis.
Movement Overview:
Rock the pelvis and lower back in all directions with out moving the knees or ribcage.
Image:
You are lying on a clock face. The 12 o'clock number is under your T12 vertebra (the middle back, where your last ribs are), 3 o'clock under the left hipbone, 6 o'clock under the tailbone, 9 o'clock under the right hipbone.
Directions:
12 to 6-
1. Rock your pelvis into a tucked position so that the T12 vertebra presses down on the 12 o'clock number on the clock. Your pubic bone will tip so that it is higher than your hipbones and your lower back will flatten into the mat. Think of scooping your abdomen and pulling your navel to spine. Do not allow the pelvis to leave the floor and keep the feet light, with no extra pressure into the floor. You want the abdominal muscles to do the work, not the glutes and leg muscles.
2. Rock the pelvis the other way, into an arched position, feeling the pressure shift in a straight line from 12 to 6 o'clock. Your tailbone will be pressing down onto the 6 o'clock number on the clock face, and the pubic bone will drop below the level of the hipbones. Keep the ribcage firmly down, trying not to let it arch with the pelvis, and keep the abdomen pulled in.
3. Repeat 10 times.
3 to 9-
1. Rock the pelvis to the left, pressing more on the 3 o'clock number on the clock. The right hipbone will rise and the left one will drop lower. Keep the knees still, so they are pointed up trying not to put extra pressure into the feet as above. Keep the abdomen pulled in. Your head and chest will not have moved.
2. Rock the pelvis to the right, pressing more on the 9 o'clock number on the clock feeling the pressure shift in a straight line from 3 to 9 o'clock. The left hipbone will rise and the right one will drop lower.
3. Repeat 10 times.
Clockwise and Counterclockwise-
1. Rock the pelvis to 12 o'clock as above.
2. Roll the pelvis to the left pressing on 1 o'clock, 2 o'clock, and on around to each number clockwise around the clock face. Remember to keep the abdomen pressed, the knees and chest still, and the feet light on the floor. Feel for a smooth circular movement or the pelvis against the floor.
3. Repeat 3 times, slowly.
4. Reverse direction 2. moving counterclockwise around the clock face. 12, 11, 10...
5. Repeat 3 times, slowly.
Exercise: Abdominal Elevator
This exercise is good for strengthening the transverse abdominal muscle and gaining greater abdominal subtlety.
Position:
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Place one hand on your navel. Pelvis should be in neutral position, where the 3 bony points on the front of the pelvis (hipbones, and pubic bone) align on the same horizontal plane, where there is a small space between the floor and the lumbar vertebrae (the lower back).
Movement overview:
Navel will move up and down, while maintaining the stability of the bones, particularly, keeping neutral pelvis. You will feel with your hand how the belly moves in and out. You will feel the transverse abdominal muscle, expand then contract in stages.
Image:
Your abdomen is a 6 story building; the space between the floor and the spine is the basement, the spine is the first floor, the second floor is just above the spine, floors stacking up on top of each other where the 6th floor (the roof deck) is the point where you can push your navel as far up, away from the spine, as possible. The navel is an elevator that travels up and down the building stopping on various floors.
Directions:
1. Inhale; allow the navel to push all the way out so that the elevator goes up to the roof deck, the 6th floor.
2. Exhale and Inhale; keep the belly pushed out so the navel/elevator stays on the 6th floor.
3. Exhale; pull the navel in a little bit so the elevator descends to the 5th floor.
4. Inhale; keep the elevator on the 5th floor.
5. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 4th floor.
6. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 4th floor.
7. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 3rd floor. It should feel like you are halfway to the spine, or you are pulled in half the amount that you can.
8. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 3rd floor.
9. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 2nd floor.
10. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 2nd floor.
11. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 1st floor. Navel is 'all the way' to the spine. Keep in mind you should have a space for the basement still.
12. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 1st floor.
13. Exhale; imagine pulling the elevator all the way into the basement (dont crush the basement with the 1st floor though). You should feel an even stronger tightening of the abdominal muscles around the spine.
14. Inhale; hold the elevator in the basement.
15. Exhale; push the belly all the way out again, back to the roof deck and repeat steps 2-15. In total, do the exercise 3 times.
Position:
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Place one hand on your navel. Pelvis should be in neutral position, where the 3 bony points on the front of the pelvis (hipbones, and pubic bone) align on the same horizontal plane, where there is a small space between the floor and the lumbar vertebrae (the lower back).
Movement overview:
Navel will move up and down, while maintaining the stability of the bones, particularly, keeping neutral pelvis. You will feel with your hand how the belly moves in and out. You will feel the transverse abdominal muscle, expand then contract in stages.
Image:
Your abdomen is a 6 story building; the space between the floor and the spine is the basement, the spine is the first floor, the second floor is just above the spine, floors stacking up on top of each other where the 6th floor (the roof deck) is the point where you can push your navel as far up, away from the spine, as possible. The navel is an elevator that travels up and down the building stopping on various floors.
Directions:
1. Inhale; allow the navel to push all the way out so that the elevator goes up to the roof deck, the 6th floor.
2. Exhale and Inhale; keep the belly pushed out so the navel/elevator stays on the 6th floor.
3. Exhale; pull the navel in a little bit so the elevator descends to the 5th floor.
4. Inhale; keep the elevator on the 5th floor.
5. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 4th floor.
6. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 4th floor.
7. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 3rd floor. It should feel like you are halfway to the spine, or you are pulled in half the amount that you can.
8. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 3rd floor.
9. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 2nd floor.
10. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 2nd floor.
11. Exhale; pull the navel in a bit more, bringing the elevator to the 1st floor. Navel is 'all the way' to the spine. Keep in mind you should have a space for the basement still.
12. Inhale; hold the elevator on the 1st floor.
13. Exhale; imagine pulling the elevator all the way into the basement (dont crush the basement with the 1st floor though). You should feel an even stronger tightening of the abdominal muscles around the spine.
14. Inhale; hold the elevator in the basement.
15. Exhale; push the belly all the way out again, back to the roof deck and repeat steps 2-15. In total, do the exercise 3 times.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Cueing
Im thinking that I like the cue, "shoulders relaxed, neck long" over, "shoulders down". Too many people force their shoulder gridle down on their ribcage, shorten their necks into their torso.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Breath
Over the next several posts I want to outline and explore breath. Breathing is one of the most fundamental movements we make and is what I begin teaching in a first session. Joseph Pilates wrote that learning how to breath properly was one of the most important things to learn from his work. Improper breathing can contribute to a wide variety of conic pain/discomfort patterns.
To simplify the patterns of breathing and their uses in the use of the body I think of the breath as having 4 stages.
Stage 1: Belly Breathing
Stage 2: Posterior-Lateral Breathing
Stage 3: Sternial/Spinal Breathing
Stage 4: Accessory Breathing
To simplify the patterns of breathing and their uses in the use of the body I think of the breath as having 4 stages.
Stage 1: Belly Breathing
Stage 2: Posterior-Lateral Breathing
Stage 3: Sternial/Spinal Breathing
Stage 4: Accessory Breathing
Sunday, June 22, 2008
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