Neck Roll and Swan Dive Prep!

This 'new normal' of activity/ lack of activity has left a lot of us sitting way more than we normally might. Not only are we sitting more, but we may be sitting at desks in chairs we are not used to, or that don't fit, or maybe we are on a couch, a floor, a bed, who knows!! The point is, we are sitting more, we are hunched over our devices ... and our hips may hurt as a result.

The beauty of the Pilates system is that it is all about elongation.... lengthening out our spines, our legs long from the pelvis, our arms long from the shoulder girdle, our neck long with our crown to the ceiling (not to the device in front of us!). The Classical Mat repertoire that we follow is designed to systematically stretch and strengthen our bodies while moving through the full range of motion that is safe for each one of us.

Which exercises can we think of specifically to help with our hips? I always think of Single leg Stretch from the Abdominal Series of Five. This exercise creates a two way stretch at the hips as you draw one knee into the chest while lengthening the other out long in front of you, then you add both legs at the same time for Double Leg Stretch, and then you stretch the legs straight for Scissors and get a fabulous hamstring stretch in the process. And of course, the whole Side Kick series is a wonderful combination of strength and stretch throughout.

What we need to remember is to schedule breaks from our sitting time to move!! Whether it is pilates, taking a walk, jumping jacks in your living room.... it's all good! We should be getting up at minimum every couple of hours to do some form of movement activity... let us know what your favorite thing to do is!! - Cheryl