20 MINUTES TO MASTER ... PILATES. Lesley Ackland
important when you exercise the lower abdominals as it is very easy to do the opposite of what you actually want. It is natural when you breathe in for the stomach to pull into the spine and when you breathe out for it to bulge. This is not what you want. You will have to try and reverse what the body wants to do unconsciously. As you breathe in you should relax the stomach; as you breathe out you should pull the navel to the spine, engaging the lower abdominal muscles. Your body will naturally want to do the opposite, but it’s important to engage the stomach muscles when you exhale.
ONE VERTEBRA AT A TIME
Pilates frequently refers to the term one vertebra at a time. This is one of the main principles that you should keep in mind whenever you are doing an exercise that involves rolling your body up from and down to the mat. The idea is that you always roll up gradually so that you are lifting only one vertebra off the mat at a time. The same rule applies when you roll back down again. This takes some practice and initially you will need to concentrate very carefully to ensure that you are doing it correctly.
STRAIGHT ARMS AND LEGS
This is a very common term in Pilates. Your arms and legs should be relaxed and not locked. This is an important point to remember, particularly for the stretches. If an exercise requires that you stretch your arm or leg out straight, you should take care not to overextend, which causes the joints to lock.
THE FEET
The main thing to remember when exercising is that most of the time you want your feet to be relaxed. If you are in doubt – relax your feet. Most people tense their feet too much and as a result constantly complain about getting cramp in their feet when they are exercising. (If you do get cramp use a foot roller to ease away the tension.) A relaxed foot should feel comfortable, so that there is no sensation of tightness. Whenever you are required to flex your feet, do so by gently stretching out your heel then pulling the top of your foot as far as you can without straining. Do not tense your foot so that it feels strained.
THE NECK
This is a sensitive part of the body, so you do not want to put it under unnecessary strain while you are exercising. It is very important that you always follow the neck instructions very carefully. Pilates often refers to keeping your neck long, which means adjusting your head into a position that lengthens your neck. When you are doing an exercise lying on your back, the way you bring your head into alignment with the rest of your body is by moving the top of your skull and the base of your neck. Do not attempt to flatten your neck against the floor.
CHAPTER 3
The Pilates-based Body Maintenance exercises require total concentration and focus. This makes it particularly important to find a time and place to do them where you know you will not be disturbed. It helps if you get into the right frame of mind. Do this by thinking – this is my time, I am creating a space within my house, within my environment, to work on my body for myself, without distractions.
WHEN TO EXERCISE
The exercises can be done at any time of day. You might find you prefer to do them in the early evening, to help you unwind and loosen tight muscles after a busy day. If you find it difficult to get going in the mornings, a 15-minute session first thing may be just what you need.
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