Written by Hannah Moran - UPG Physiotherapist & Pilates Instructor
Want to start Pilates but don’t know where to start? Try these basic Pilates Principles to help you release some muscles and begin your Pilates journey.
1) Head & Cervical Placement
In most instances, the neck should continue the line created by the thoracic spine.
Begin with a slight head nod, eye gaze drops, and head stays resting on the mat (avoid jamming your chin to your chest).
Try adding in a crunch by lifting your shoulder blades up off the floor, keeping your neck in line with your spine.
2) Pelvic Placement
Rock your pelvis through anterior and posterior tilts, neutral will be found somewhere between the two.
Engage TA (transverse abdominis) by drawing your belly towards your spine, think about “tightening the corset”.
The strongest position for stability is the neutral pelvis with your TA activated.
If unable to maintain control in this position, you may need to try the imprint position by moving into a slightly more posterior pelvic tilt position with TA and obliques engagement (think about “sliding ribs to hips”)
3) Rib Cage Placement
The abdominal wall attaches to the ribcage and can appear lifted or flared when abdominal muscles are not engaged.
Think about maintaining a sense of the weight of the ribs resting on the mat, without pushing heavily down on the mat.
When adding in arm movements, think about keeping the abdominal connection and rib cage resting on the mat.
4) Scapular Movement & Stabilisation
The ’shoulder blades’ are very mobile body parts so require stabilization throughout all exercises whether arms are moving or not.
Try these different movements of the scapulae to gain awareness of their positioning.
5) Breathing
3D breathing is encouraged to promote muscle activation and helps to avoid the build-up of tension.
Breathe in through the nose, expanding the rib cage.
Breathe out through the mouth, and focus on the gentle engagement of the pelvic floor and abdomen as the air escapes.