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.
Monday, December 8, 2008
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
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Neutral Spine
Like any good Pilates teacher I will begin with my definition of neutral spine. Neutral Spine is the place where all of the vertebral disks align parallel to each other; where the curves of the spine can provide effective shock absorption, and the muscles and connective tissue around the spine are balanced. It is the place where the spine is at once the most stable and resilient. Now its pretty impossible to to see the disks with the naked eye, so I rely on a formula that should approximate proper disk alignment, knowing that everybody is different, and gaining a look inside via x-ray, or MRI, when clients have them.
The spine has 3 large bony masses attached to it; pelvis, ribcage, and skull. The centers of gravity and plumb lines of all 3 masses should align with each other for neutral. In the pelvis, generally I look for the ASIS and the pubis to align on the same plane, a small secondary curve in the lumbar area, and the most efficient use of the psoas. In the ribcage, I look for a primary curve where the apex is around T10 or so, a secondary curve in the neck that begins around T1, and the top of the sternum and the rib margins of ribs 7-9 to align more or less on the same plane. In the skull I look for the face to align so that the forehead and chin are roughly on the same plane.
Over all I begin with the idea that, if standing, the ear, armpit, the mid point of the side of rib9, the head of the femur, and the cuniforms of the foot align; where the top of the sternum, rib margin, ASIS, and pubis align; and the occiput, T10 and the sacrum align. Using this as my model I allow for individual adjustment form body to body.
The spine has 3 large bony masses attached to it; pelvis, ribcage, and skull. The centers of gravity and plumb lines of all 3 masses should align with each other for neutral. In the pelvis, generally I look for the ASIS and the pubis to align on the same plane, a small secondary curve in the lumbar area, and the most efficient use of the psoas. In the ribcage, I look for a primary curve where the apex is around T10 or so, a secondary curve in the neck that begins around T1, and the top of the sternum and the rib margins of ribs 7-9 to align more or less on the same plane. In the skull I look for the face to align so that the forehead and chin are roughly on the same plane.
Over all I begin with the idea that, if standing, the ear, armpit, the mid point of the side of rib9, the head of the femur, and the cuniforms of the foot align; where the top of the sternum, rib margin, ASIS, and pubis align; and the occiput, T10 and the sacrum align. Using this as my model I allow for individual adjustment form body to body.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Biography
Devona has been teaching Pilates since 2000 and Yamuna Body Rolling(YBR) since 2008. She is familiar with a wide variety of styles of Pilates, from the original choreography to rehabilitation in the Pilates environment. Devona considers herself not just a fitness professional, but also a body therapist. Her focus is to help clients move with better body efficiency, resilience, and fitness. She can easily adjust to the learning styles, and personal goals of clients, creating sessions with a focus on stress relief and relaxation, or a driving brisk workout, and any where in between.
For her fitness clients she works mainly with in a Pilates framework, focusing on the "contrology" of Joseph Pilates, using his series of exercises to bring discipline to mind, body, and spirit. She uses a number of different cueing techniques, individualized for that particular client, to lead a body toward balanced work. For her clients that have injuries or other interests, she may use her full bag of tools, from Pilates and YBR, dynamic stretching and release work, to targeted neural patterning and strength training.
For her fitness clients she works mainly with in a Pilates framework, focusing on the "contrology" of Joseph Pilates, using his series of exercises to bring discipline to mind, body, and spirit. She uses a number of different cueing techniques, individualized for that particular client, to lead a body toward balanced work. For her clients that have injuries or other interests, she may use her full bag of tools, from Pilates and YBR, dynamic stretching and release work, to targeted neural patterning and strength training.
My Modalities
Pilates:
Mr. Joseph Pilates created a system of exercise for general health and well being. In addition to Matwork (exercise with out equipment) he created various types of equipment all based on spring resistance. The equipment is made to either challenge or aid you as you exercise. Mr. Pilates generally worked in two different ways.
For the average, healthy body he used exercises taught in a series. All of his students learned the same exercise routine and in each session, worked toward focusing the mind, perfecting the form, and controlling the movement. It was a discipline. For a body with an injury or condition, he would he would manipulate his exercises, maybe creating a new one or two, tailoring the work for that individual's needs. The goal was to return them to a level of fitness where they could learn and perform his more established routine.
I structure my work as a Pilates teacher in much the same way. If a client comes in with an injury or condition, I tailor my work to their needs, working towards their goal of health and wellness. If a healthy client comes to me and wants to "workout", I teach them the traditional series of exercises, focusing on movement quality, control, and perfecting form over time. Repeating the routine the same way over time has its advantages, a deep understanding that one gains from repetition overtime, but the reality is that the body will eventually plateau with out new movement. With that in mind, once I feel confident the client has learned the traditional routine I begin to incorporate variety, changing the order, or details about the exercises, even some new exercises all together.
To sum up, I offer 2 way of working in the Pilates modality:
Corrective Pilates
Traditional Pilates
Yamuna Body Rolling:
Mr. Joseph Pilates created a system of exercise for general health and well being. In addition to Matwork (exercise with out equipment) he created various types of equipment all based on spring resistance. The equipment is made to either challenge or aid you as you exercise. Mr. Pilates generally worked in two different ways.
For the average, healthy body he used exercises taught in a series. All of his students learned the same exercise routine and in each session, worked toward focusing the mind, perfecting the form, and controlling the movement. It was a discipline. For a body with an injury or condition, he would he would manipulate his exercises, maybe creating a new one or two, tailoring the work for that individual's needs. The goal was to return them to a level of fitness where they could learn and perform his more established routine.
I structure my work as a Pilates teacher in much the same way. If a client comes in with an injury or condition, I tailor my work to their needs, working towards their goal of health and wellness. If a healthy client comes to me and wants to "workout", I teach them the traditional series of exercises, focusing on movement quality, control, and perfecting form over time. Repeating the routine the same way over time has its advantages, a deep understanding that one gains from repetition overtime, but the reality is that the body will eventually plateau with out new movement. With that in mind, once I feel confident the client has learned the traditional routine I begin to incorporate variety, changing the order, or details about the exercises, even some new exercises all together.
To sum up, I offer 2 way of working in the Pilates modality:
Corrective Pilates
Traditional Pilates
Yamuna Body Rolling:
From www.yamunabodyrolling.com:
"Yamuna Body Rolling™ is a revolutionary approach to health and fitness using balls designed exclusively for this practice. It consists of a series of routines using 6 to 10-inch balls. Unlike other ball exercises, YBR goes far beyond random movement and stretch. It allows you to work specific muscles in detail, to create suppleness in tight areas and optimize range of motion.
Yamuna Body Rolling™ re-educates muscles and stimulates bone, creating positive, permanent changes in the body."
YBR is a fantastic system, that allows you to move and stretch all the spaces in your body while toning your muscles and gaining balanced strength. It can be as gentle as a massage or as challenging as a good Pilates workout. My training in YBR includes the series of routines, and hands on work with the ball. I have also developed a number of my own routines on the Yamuna balls, based on Thomas Myers' work on Anatomy Trains.
Body Therapy:
I have a talent for seeing the body's structure; where the postural mis-alignments are, the locked places in the tissue, the less faulty movement patterns. In a body therapy session I look at what the client's body needs and develop a session around that using my full bag of tricks, from hands on work to targeted exercises. This type of session targets exactly what your body needs and goes straight to the causes of pain, injury, discomfort, tightness, and instability.
Body Therapy:
I have a talent for seeing the body's structure; where the postural mis-alignments are, the locked places in the tissue, the less faulty movement patterns. In a body therapy session I look at what the client's body needs and develop a session around that using my full bag of tricks, from hands on work to targeted exercises. This type of session targets exactly what your body needs and goes straight to the causes of pain, injury, discomfort, tightness, and instability.
What I Offer
We are complex machines built to preform a multitude of tasks from manipulating our environment to self repair. We have a complex sensory network that provides us with information on our surroundings, and our internal workings, as well as warnings and alarms when things aren't working as they should. We want our bodies to be ready for the tasks we encounter, be able to rebound and recuperate when challenged, to feel good to walk around in, and to be pleasing to the eye. You have goals; there are a variety of ways I can help.
Service Manual: (Body Therapy)
We put our bodies through a lot; repetitive movements, wear and tear, injuries and traumas. You may have chronic pain, an injury or disease, or perhaps things just aren't working as expected. I offer the following:
Troubleshooting- We will look at the what, how, and why of an issue, condition, or injury.
Repair- We will make a plan for rehabilitation, helping the body fix its self through balanced strength, support, space, and movement patterning.
Maintenance: You will learn what to do to keep things running smoothly.
Owners Manual: (Corrective Pilates/Body Rolling)
Someone forgot to include one in our packaging. We walk around in our bodies most of the time without much understanding of how they work. I can help demystify your body, providing instruction on the following:
Normal Usage- How the body works and moves, building awareness of all your parts, learning to control how you use your body.
Maintenance- Regular upkeep; what you need to do to keep your body happy, healthy, and working smoothly.
Programming- Building good movement habits, and breaking down faulty ones.
Safety- Injury prevention, recognizing sensory warning signs.
Quick Start Guide: (Fundamental Pilates)
This will get you quickly accustomed to the basic operations of your body. The basic fundamentals for movement, conditioning, and resiliency.
Performance and upgrades: (Traditional Pilates)
This is where we focus on conditioning your body; strength training, flexibility, balance, control, reaction time. Your body already works pretty well and you want to challenge and push yourself. You want to create a streamlined form that looks and feels good.
Service Manual: (Body Therapy)
We put our bodies through a lot; repetitive movements, wear and tear, injuries and traumas. You may have chronic pain, an injury or disease, or perhaps things just aren't working as expected. I offer the following:
Troubleshooting- We will look at the what, how, and why of an issue, condition, or injury.
Repair- We will make a plan for rehabilitation, helping the body fix its self through balanced strength, support, space, and movement patterning.
Maintenance: You will learn what to do to keep things running smoothly.
Owners Manual: (Corrective Pilates/Body Rolling)
Someone forgot to include one in our packaging. We walk around in our bodies most of the time without much understanding of how they work. I can help demystify your body, providing instruction on the following:
Normal Usage- How the body works and moves, building awareness of all your parts, learning to control how you use your body.
Maintenance- Regular upkeep; what you need to do to keep your body happy, healthy, and working smoothly.
Programming- Building good movement habits, and breaking down faulty ones.
Safety- Injury prevention, recognizing sensory warning signs.
Quick Start Guide: (Fundamental Pilates)
This will get you quickly accustomed to the basic operations of your body. The basic fundamentals for movement, conditioning, and resiliency.
Performance and upgrades: (Traditional Pilates)
This is where we focus on conditioning your body; strength training, flexibility, balance, control, reaction time. Your body already works pretty well and you want to challenge and push yourself. You want to create a streamlined form that looks and feels good.
Practial Application of What I Offer
Great, so what does all of this mean? What is this like in terms of sessions and my goals?
Say you are pretty healthy and pain free, and want to work on getting stronger and more fit. I would suggest for you the Quick Start Guide, and Performance and Upgrades Program. You would learn some of the fundamental movement exercises and the Pilates Exercise routine.
Say you have an injury, old or new. You have done/ are doing the physical therapy that your doctor prescribed, and you have heard that pilates can help. I would suggest for you the Service Manual Program. I would look at your posture and skeletal alignment, and how supportive your muscular system is in relationship to your injury, both in standing and moving. I would then devise a program consisting of awareness exercises, light strength exercises, movement pattern re-education, and some Yamuna Body Rolling work to regain some space in the joints involved. You would gain balanced strength for support and stability, better movement efficiency, and learn how to control your movements so you feel better, and are pain free.
Say you want to learn more about your body, you are a dancer, or a runner maybe, a person who wants to better their technique or form, awareness and control, but has other outlets for physical conditioning. Perhaps you have "normal" aches and pains, are a couch potato who wants to ease into exercise, or even someone who wants to just wants to make sure all their joints work when they are 90 years old. For you I would suggest the Owners Manual Program. You will develop a concrete understanding of how the body works, and how to move with ease. You will have a body that will move with minimal wear and tear, good balance and space, and an ability to adapt and recover. We can target our sessions toward bettering your technique in a specific modality, or perhaps help you improve when you have hit a plateau.
Say you are pretty healthy and pain free, and want to work on getting stronger and more fit. I would suggest for you the Quick Start Guide, and Performance and Upgrades Program. You would learn some of the fundamental movement exercises and the Pilates Exercise routine.
Say you have an injury, old or new. You have done/ are doing the physical therapy that your doctor prescribed, and you have heard that pilates can help. I would suggest for you the Service Manual Program. I would look at your posture and skeletal alignment, and how supportive your muscular system is in relationship to your injury, both in standing and moving. I would then devise a program consisting of awareness exercises, light strength exercises, movement pattern re-education, and some Yamuna Body Rolling work to regain some space in the joints involved. You would gain balanced strength for support and stability, better movement efficiency, and learn how to control your movements so you feel better, and are pain free.
Say you want to learn more about your body, you are a dancer, or a runner maybe, a person who wants to better their technique or form, awareness and control, but has other outlets for physical conditioning. Perhaps you have "normal" aches and pains, are a couch potato who wants to ease into exercise, or even someone who wants to just wants to make sure all their joints work when they are 90 years old. For you I would suggest the Owners Manual Program. You will develop a concrete understanding of how the body works, and how to move with ease. You will have a body that will move with minimal wear and tear, good balance and space, and an ability to adapt and recover. We can target our sessions toward bettering your technique in a specific modality, or perhaps help you improve when you have hit a plateau.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Hello All
As it is my goal to publish in my field, I have begun this blog as an exercise in writing my observations about my life as a Pilates teacher. I consider this a place to keep notes, share my experiences in teaching movement and somatic healing in general, and gain feed back from readers.
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