Blog - The Curious Mover
The Metaphor of Spring
In Pilates, we use springs as resistance rather than weights. That’s not really news to anyone, but let’s take this metaphor of spring a lot further, especially in this Spring season! Let’s apply the spring to muscles: pulling the spring open (lengthening) followed by closing it (contraction). Just like the two phases of muscle actions: the lengthening or load phase, and the contraction or shortening phase. I see more emphasis on the contraction phrase, but not enough on the lengthening, resulting in short and contracted muscles, which leads to pain and tightness.
The Mid Line- PART 2
In Part 2, we go into the importance of the inner thighs and their connection. You heard of the rotator cuff of the shoulder? It is made up of external and internal rotators to stabilize the shoulder joint. These five inner thigh muscles are considered the inward rotators of the hip, and with the six external rotators complete the “rotator cuff” of the hip, but have roles to stabilize and move the body. When I think inner thighs, it's hard not to think of the thigh master infomercial with Suzanne Somers. I am here to tell you, they are so much more muscle than to jam a contraction in and squeeze! We have the magic circle in Pilates, a somewhat similar contraption, but hopefully you also have a teacher that guides the connection of the inner thighs into the core cylinder.
That’s a Wrap - The Deep Six: The Bridge PART 1
The deep six. Sounds like a rock band, or maybe it's because I just finished Daisy Jones and The Six (highly recommended) all about a rock band. Ever wonder why Pilates foundation work is so big on wrapping six tiny muscles around the back of the pelvis? When I meet a beginner to the practice of Pilates, they can be so strong, but chances are these six little muscles have never been introduced. They are the bridge on the back of the leg: Connecting the foot down into the ground, then back up the leg, crossing that deep six bridge to the pelvic floor, the base of the core.
Do you Zoom?
Have you taken a class with me on Zoom or FaceTime? You might not know you are missing out...but it’s true! Taking classes online is not the same, because it is different. It seems as if it would not be as effective as in person with a full studio of equipment, but I am here to surprise you - the results of a 2 year exploration are in!
Side Plank, Side Bend, Star
I was surprised by how much these simple exercises worked. Why the surprise? I think of strengthening the lateral body by standing upright and lunging to the side as more functional, relating ground force to gravity. But these were on a mat sitting sideways and what do “rising clams” have to do with functionality?
February Flow in 2,1
You get a new challenge, both physically and mentally, which we want from our exercise “unroutines”. Routines are important, but to “unroutine” is to give your body something it is not expecting, which is why I find exploring different movement patterns crucial as well. This series explores rolling with some twists and turns.
Abs for Every Body
One of my teachers, Pilates Elder Jay Grimes, mentioned how Pilates is based on one mat exercise. Can you guess which one?