A Story of Being Thankful for Your Squat, Lunge, Plank, Kick& More
It might sound intense but think of it like this:
- Squat = getting in and out of your chair, or the toilet 🙂
- Plank = playing with the kids in your life
- Lunge = walking or climbing stairs
- Kick = dancing in your kitchen
“I am not flexible enough to do Pilates. I am too uncoordinated to take a class. I have to get in shape first. I think Pilates is too slow. I think Pilates is too fast. There is so much to think about. I am a runner. I do yoga….”
Hearing these statements happens a lot less than when I opened my two studios over 18 years ago here in NYC. In my early years of studio ownership many people would come in as total novices to Pilates, many couldn’t even pronounce the name. Today I encounter more awareness of the fact that Pilates is an approach to movement through a codified system of repertoire. It is this knowledge that we understand how we do is more important than what we do.
So be thankful for what you can do with the only body you have to live in. Honor your body while gradually adding challenges. I find the biggest mistake or setback is when someone gets discouraged by their own work in progress. An example of this is stopping your balance exercises when you feel a wobble. The wobble is the intrinsic muscles working, don’t dismiss this. Or feeling pain in the knee when squatting, try focusing on the alignment of your knees with the hips and ankles while engaging the glutes. When doing a plank, the shoulders take over and the feeling of collapsing happens- try putting your knees down and working on form. When doing a lunge, the lack of impressive range often makes people think they should stop- work a small range with proper hip alignment and gradually work on increasing the range in whatever direction you are working. And kicks, not looking like a NYC Rockette, can be 2 inches off the ground if that is all you have. Range of motion is always second to the form and the function.
The simple act of walking, climbing stairs, and getting in and out of bed, no less playing a sport, require a significant amount of harmony in the body. Taking classes, working with a coach, and using gym equipment all serve the purpose of making us feel our best and to be able to do our life’s activities with ease and longevity when we aren’t using equipment and when we aren’t with our coaches!
How do we translate this? I find this is a lifelong art in itself that I have dedicated my life to.
Our bodies need guidance, challenge, acceptance, maintenance, technique, skill, kindness, and nurturing. Basically our bodies need Pilates.
It is important to note that Joseph Pilates, whose work has stood the test of time, did not call his inventions “machines” rather he called them “apparatus.” People love toys and the reformer, Cadillac, chair, and barrels are fun, challenging, and supportive, but YOU are the machine tuning up and moving with the apparatus. Everything relates to the matwork system. Using the springs, pulleys, bars, ropes, carriage, and blocks that make up the added resistance to learn how to move when off the apparatus. The springs are extensions of your limbs and muscles which teach us how to move actively rather than passively. The resistance acts as weight which, in addition to high movement patterns, will build strength.
Carriage will crash if you don’t control it, blocks will pressure your shoulders if you aren’t using enough core strength.
Reminder as we enter the final weeks of this year to give thanks to your body and all that it does for you. Dedicate the time to it. Schedule in at least 3 appropriate time slots per week as non negotiable appointments with yourself.
- Get on your mat or carve out a space in your home to move. Try a video, or some basic moves you already know.
2. Try a class at your local gym, yoga or Pilates studio
3. Come see us!
Work with a student teacher for a studio donation, work with an apprentice at a reduced rate, or an introductory package of 2 Private Pilates lessons.
Here are some examples of Repertoire on the Apparatus that resemble last month’s blog exercises without any apparatus.
(All Exercises are from the BASI Pilates Mentor Program, part of the Legacy Program)
Lunge Side (Chair)
Push Up – Single Arm (Chair)
Semi-Circle (F2 Chair)
Up Stretch Series
Hip Extension (F2 Chair)
- Knee bend with extension
- Extension with knee bend
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