Essentials for your home practice
Your Pilates journey starts here!
Hopefully you have started off your year as you intend to go on and I hope that includes a regular Pilates practice too.
A one-hour class once a week will enable you to feel the many benefits of Pilates in your body. But as with learning any skill, to make real progress - practice, patience and persistence are key. And the more of these you can give to Pilates the more your body and mind will benefit.
To help you on this journey, I have included some handy tips to help you develop a home practice and master one of the more challenging Pilates exercises....The Roll Up.
PILATES ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR HOME PRACTICE
There is nothing like the thrill of nailing an exercise which was once your nemesis. So to help you with your home practice, here are a list of Pilates essentials plus a short video below to help you practice The Roll Up – one of my favourite Pilates exercise for stretching the whole back line of the body, and of course strengthen the abs.
1. Mat – if you don’t have one already, I recommend the thicker mats which are 15mm. They are a bit more kind on the body especially when you do some of the rolling exercises.
2. Resistance band – these are really useful for assisting with some of the exercises like The Roll Up (see video) and also adds resistance to certain exercises for that extra challenge.
3. Mini Balls – these babies have endless uses, one is to place the ball behind your neck and slowly roll from side to side to help release tension.
4. Magic circle - one of the original tools that Joseph Pilates created to help you find the connections to your centre more easily. Lie on your mat with the ring between your knees, inhale deeply, and as you exhale, gently squeeze the circle between your knees. Squeeze all the air out of your body when you exhale and feel your naval sink to your spine.
5. Foam roller – such a useful piece of equipment to help improve stability, flexibility and balance. Try lying on the roller length-ways with your spine in the middle, feet on the mat and open your arms with palms facing the ceiling. Just breathe and allow your chest and collarbones to open. If you buy one, make sure it’s 90cm in length and 15cm in diameter as they do come in different sizes.
VIDEO OF HOW TO MASTER THE ROLL UP
Joseph Pilates devised The Roll Up to promote deep, full breathing as well as to strengthen the powerhouse and stretch the spine. Remember, keep practicing to progress.
I have included the use of a resistance band and a hand towel to show you how you can use different props to help you with this exercise.
SHARE THE LOVE
If you found this useful, feel free to share it with friends and family. I hope you will make the time for your self-practice, even if it’s just 5-10 minutes a day.
Once you’ve got all your Pilates gear, why not join my online classes? Equipment is often incorporated in the classes for fun, variety, resistance and assistance…a perfect combination for a full body workout!
Remember to be kind to your body. Keep moving, keep breathing, keep practicing.