Pilates

How To Reduce Neck Strain in Pilates

 in Pilates / Uncategorized by (updated 2503 days ago)

It is not uncommon for people to 'overuse' their neck in Pilates, it is important to know to to reduce neck strain when it arises. It is also important to know that any abdominal work can be done with the shoulders down and we need to learn to listen to the body in all cases of overuse. When contracting forward you may experience strain in the neck. It may begin at the base of the skull and lead to as low as the shoulder blades and will feel extremely uncomfortable. This strain is caused by a couple of reasons. The […]

Beware The Shallow Breathing!!

 in Health / Pilates by (updated 2570 days ago)

Have you ever noticed yourself going into a shallow breathing pattern when you get uptight about something? Or maybe this is just your regular breathing pattern and you don’t even notice it? Well, I experienced a few episodes of just that recently. I had an incident where the landlord of my Pilates business failed to send me the invoices so that I can pay my rent. Basically if I don’t receive an invoice or a bill, the bill just doesn’t get paid, pretty sure that is how it works. This has been happening quite a bit over the last few […]

4 Healthy Reasons To Do Pilates Over Winter

 in Health / Pilates / Uncategorized / Weight loss by

1- Avoid Injury There is no doubt that our body gets tighter in winter. This happens for a couple of reasons. One, we are busy trying to stay warn and this can create tension on the muscles, causing tightness. We also tend to not drink enough water in winter, this also contributes to tightness of the muscles and joints. When our bodies are tight, this inhibits mobility around the joints that can lead to injury. A well-stretched and hydrated body in winter will help keep you safe from muscular tears and potential joint problems. 2 – Avoid Winter Weight Gain […]

BLOG – Pilates Retreat March 2015

 in Health / Pilates / Uncategorized by

FRIDAY MARCH 6TH 2015 10.30 pm leave Pilates Success  We are so organised, bags packed,forms filled out, drivers ready to go, introductions done,  all our participants excitedly have left for their transport, YES…  we are on our way to our first Pilates Retreat !!!! I am feeling satisfied that this is a start of many great things, not to mention friendships, fun & laughter.  11.45 Arrive / lunch  Arrive at our Bush House Retreat to meet up with Cassie, Ged and Trish. Divine food waiting for us as we settle in and enjoy the feast, our eager participants asking curious questions […]

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PILATES BREATHING

 in Health / Pilates / Uncategorized  tagged Pilates / pilates breathing by

I know I bang on about breathing but here are a few more good reasons to master the art of quality Pilates breathing:- Teaches Quality Breathing Not just any breathing, but quality full breath. In Pilates breathing we breath in through the mouth to a count of 5, then fully exhale out the mouth to a count of five. A strong focus is on fully exhaling before the next intake of breath. Expands and Stretches The Intercostal Muscles The breathing releases the thoracic spine and rib cage allowing a free range of movement in the lumbar and cervical regions.  It […]

5 Secrets to Managing Stress

 in Health / Pilates / Uncategorized by

Really ? Only 5 Well I could go on with many more, however that would just become too stressful. Stress is a funny thing, it can be triggered by the smallest thing and at other times those small things don’t bother us at all. Take this morning, here I am, all ready planned and organised to write my long overdue blog and newsletter. I have paid staff to run the Pilates studio, I have given up my morning yoga (something I struggled with for days making the decision)  and all of a sudden there are “THINGS” here at home that […]

Are You Still Suffering From Chronic Back or Neck Pain?

 in Back Pain / Health / Pilates / Uncategorized  tagged back pain / chronic back pain / Degenerative disc disease / neck pain / Pilates by

It is possible that you have degenerative disc disease. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a condition affecting any part of the spine that is most often associated with aging and most commonly presents itself in the lumbar (lower back) or cervical spine (neck). It is in most cases a natural part of the breaking down of the body that we experience as we grow older. However DDD is found in all age groups, even a young 20 year old can experience this problematic condition, a young person can inherit a prematurely aging spine.   To understand DDD it is important […]

To Trapeze or Not To Trapeze

 in Health / Pilates / Uncategorized  tagged back pain / Pilates by

Have you ever done something that you know you shouldn’t? Well I guess the answer to that is yes, seeing as it is a human trait, and I am guessing you are human.  When on holidays recently in Bintan Island Indonesia, I was faced with a decision whether to participate in circus trapeze or not. You know those instances, when you are surrounded by friends and you want to join in but know you really shouldn’t do it. The Circus Master was stating out loud and clear “ if you have any back, neck, shoulder or wrist injuries you should […]

Where Are You Cheating in Pilates or Life ?

 in Health / Pilates / Uncategorized  tagged Pilates by (updated 2113 days ago)

I often say to my clients in Pilates class, when I am talking about a particular movement “you can do this the cheating way or the Pilates way”. The cheating way is when you let the dominant muscles do all the work therefore making the movement appear somewhat easier or we can do it the Pilates way and fully engage the stabilising muscles that the practise focuses on.  Pilates is energetically expensive Pilates is energetically expensive because it works your muscle groups in both directions. If we are doing an abdominal curl, we fully engage up and fully engage back, with no […]

Power Up Your T Line

 in Back Pain / Health / Pilates / Uncategorized  tagged Pilates by (updated 2503 days ago)

You may be wondering, what the hell is the T-line? The T-Line engagement is the building block to your core strength and managing your back pain. T Line is Pilates speak for the engagement of the Tranverse Abdominis otherwise known as the TA. Without proper lower abdominal engagement, you will not effectively build your core strength. What will happen is, you will have other more dominant muscles take over, creating muscle imbalances, you also run a very high risk of injury.  Engaging the T-Line is crucial to managing back pain, it is like the bottom layer of the pyramid and without […]