Pilates for Better Posture

Posture and Pilates go hand in hand.  I found this out when I took Pilates Matwork Level 1.  It was actually the first time I had ever taken Pilates, believe it or not.  I’ve heard about it for years and how it’s great for your core, so I was looking forward to getting a good core workout.

Most of the work out was spent on our backs lifting our legs to strengthen our core.   We also used tools such the ring, the stretch band and maxi ball.

What I learned from this class:

• Pilates is a lot harder than it looks.  Lifting your legs up with strength of your core takes time and practice.
• In addition to core strengthening, Pilates also works on keeping a straight back which meant being aware when our shoulders were rounded and not pushing our neck and head forward.

Amber, our instructor explained to me that for those new to Pilates, it’s very important not to pull our neck forward when we are lifting our core or chest up, essentially doing a crunch.  Because many of us are used to stretching our necks to look at our computer screen, we do the same thing when we lift up to do a sit up.  What we’re supposed to do is rest our head and neck back and gently rest our chin on our neck.  This may be hard at first, but gets easier over time.  She mentioned that Pilates can actually correct our posture when practiced consistently.

Our teacher, Amber Zuckswert, is a professional modern ballet dancer and creator of Virtual Pilates.  You can learn more about her at her site, Epic Self.