Discover a supple core! Mermaid variations on the short box are a wonderful way to work on a dynamic and supple core connection. Slowly lowering the body with control into the well works your lateral stabilizers eccentrically. This means they gradually stretch and lengthen while also getting stronger. Ooey gooey side bending, twisting, and spinal extension in the well offers a restorative grand finale. Coordinate this core work with diaphragmatic breathing to make this exercise even more effective and functional. No sticky ribs or spines here!

A tender psoas moment. This gentle but powerful movement series is one of my favorites when I’m looking to feel strong, calm, and centered. The fluid dynamic movements both stretch and strengthen the deepest hip flexor, working the psoas eccentrically. This means the psoas stays supple while also getting stronger—important for balanced posture, healthy biomechanics, and a calmer nervous system. Did you know the medial ligaments of the diaphragm cross over the psoas muscle? This makes breathwork absolutely fundamental when addressing the psoas (and let’s be honest, all other movement patterns 🤓). When I need to return to me, and I want to feel my best self, I return to flows like this one over and over again.

Have a case of rounded shoulders? While every body is different, and consulting an expert is always best (truly, your whole body’s patterning must be considered), it’s safe to say that there are common contenders that contribute to held tension that pulls the shoulder forward and internally rotated. Three areas that will benefit from myofascial release (there are more, but this is a great place to start!): 1) The pecs 2) The serratus 3) The subscapularis Once we address and release these areas of fascial restriction, we are ready to move! At this point, movement is not only more accessible, it is absolutely necessary to make lasting change. Otherwise, we are all the more likely to slide right back into the familiar pattern. Remember, big changes don’t happen overnight. The power of cumulative effect is quite real, so be sure to integrate these releases into your pilates practice regularly.

A balancing exercise that’s both restorative and strength building? Yes please! The OOV is my favorite prop for balancing sequences (shh don’t tell the bosu). The spongy material and asymmetry makes balancing so much more interesting—not only is the material wobbly and unstable, it’s also uneven from left foot to right! The curves of the OOV are malleable under your feet, which means it’s super kind to your ankles when practicing squat variations. Proper ankle mobility and talar glide means better biomechanics at the knee, hip and spine. The extra shift in center of gravity when using arm weights or transitioning from one leg to the next adds even more feedback. This series is particularly helpful for summertime activities—paddle boarding, surfing, hiking, and of course, all of your favorite summertime dance moves!

Do your hips feel cranky from sitting throughout the day? Has anyone ever told you that your iliotibial band (IT band) is tight and maybe you should foam roll it?  An area that can get overlooked and is actually a HUGE component of hip tension and tensile strain of the IT band is the tensor fasciae latae (TFL). Addressing tension of the TFL and gluteus medius/minimus can help relieve the pull of the IT band on the hip complex and knee cap.  The IT band itself is made of such dense connective tissue that foam rolling it has very little effect on the tension of its structure.  In fact, the IT band is one of the largest stabilizing structures in your body, and it does not change length or stretch the way that a muscle does. Instead, it can be more beneficial to address the surrounding muscles/fascia that innervate with the IT band to help address lasting change.  Try this: 1) Grab a massage ball or tennis ball and identify the area at the side of the hip between your ASIS (think: frontal hip bone) and greater trochanter (think: large bony bump on the side of your upper thigh).  2) Lay on your side with the ball between those two points. Slowly sink your weight into the ball.  3) If it feels accessible, take this one step further by lifting and lowering the bottom leg and turning it in and out. This will help to change the length of the muscle as the ball presses into it.  **This principle is enormously important for runners!

Breathe it in. Let it out. When talking about abdominal/core strength, we MUST also discuss releasing the pelvic floor. This is one of the most important elements of integrated strength, functional movement, and deep core health.  So many of us hold chronic stress and tension in these muscles. Many women have been told they should practice kegels (how many of us kegel automatically whenever we see/hear the word?), but is that actually what our bodies need?  If you haven’t been advised personally to do 1000 kegels by a pelvic floor physical therapist, but instead are doing it because of a magazine article suggestion, it might be time to connect with a specialist who can advise what your personal body needs.  If we (men included!) go around tightening our PVF muscles all the time, we can end up with short, locked, grippy muscles and pelvic floor dysfunction. Chronically tight PVF muscles do NOT equal strong, functional muscles. We want all layers of the deep core to know how to contract and release. They need to be supple and dynamic.  The pelvic floor can hold chronic tension from physical and/or emotional stress. I include gentle PVF release techniques in all of my sessions. Here’s one of my favorites:  Find a supported butterfly stretch (prop your thighs so they are lifted just above where you’d feel a stretch). Take slow, gradual breaths, expanding your inhale down into your low belly, pelvis and inner thighs. Exhale slowly WITHOUT kegeling or tightening any muscles of the hips.  Extra Release: Pelvic floor tension can be mirrored by stress in the jaw. Try adding a gentle jaw release at the same time to address both areas of held tension.

This arm series with bala weights is just plain FUN. I was talking with my dear friend about how familiar movements can feel like comfort food to the body. If you’re a dancer, you might find delight exploring this series, noticing familiar principles from your training.  If you’re not a dancer (I bet you are, you just don’t know it yet!), you can still find moments of familiarity. Here, I’m practicing some movements similar to walking—Arm swing, thoracic rotation, and a little hip extension. This series has got it all (and all that jazz!).

One of the most common hip extension exercises is to lay on your stomach and lift one leg up behind you. Ideally this should work your bum and hamstring.  However, this is also one of the exercises that can flare up back pain if your body isn’t quite ready for it!  Some considerations for optimal and safe booty burn: ~ Prep with foam rolling the outer thigh and stretching your hip flexors (see last post!).  ~ Remember the goal in this exercise is to lift your leg behind you by moving it inside your hip joint, not by moving from your back! This means you must use your deep core to maintain a neutral pelvis and spine. Do not arch your back in order to lift your leg!  ~ If your leg is in parallel, you should primarily feel your hamstring. If your leg is rotated outward, you’ll feel more outer hamstring and glute.  ~ Still feeling a cranky lower back? Prop yourself up on some pillows (I’m using my pilates sitting box) to ease tension from the hip flexors so you can lift your leg off of the ground.  Once you’ve found a challenging but effective range of motion, you can add variations of bending the knee without dropping the thigh.

Scoliosis generally falls into 2 categories: STRUCTURAL scoliosis = the spine is genuinely curved from the shape of its inherent structure (because of the way it has grown).  FUNCTIONAL scoliosis = the spine appears curved due to tensional pull from other areas of the body. This could be from postural imbalances from habit (think: your bag on the same shoulder for 20 years) or from a structural imbalance elsewhere (like a leg length discrepancy).  Due to my own asymmetries, I have to continually teach my right shoulder blade how to slide and stabilize properly against my ribcage. Add super hyper-mobile shoulders, ribcage, and spine, and I can easily fall into some wonky compensations if I don’t tune in and re-educate the system.  This is a favorite go-to exercise to bring the shoulder, ribs, and spine into a happy, balanced place. By maintaining support from the serratus muscle, you’ll strengthen the arm-to-back connection and trigger a deep burn in the tricep!  Here’s the key 🔑: ▫️Keep the supporting shoulder rotating open and wide across front AND back throughout the whole series! The supporting shoulder blade should stay wide and flush against your back ribs the entire time. You might be surprised how sneaky this part is!  ▫️Elongate the front, back, and sides of the torso in each position instead of bending and twisting to your maximum. Your spine and deep core will thank you for it!