Sitting at your desk – how to bring your spine back to good alignment. Hailed as the new smoking, all that sitting at work, in the car, or when reading, texting etc takes its toll on the position the spine naturally gravitates towards. However, it is never too late to begin to bring the spine […]
Yoga Workshop
I am pleased to announce my forthcoming grounding Yoga Workshop. Join us on Sunday 29 January from 10am until 1.30pm at this half day Sunday morning workshop at Bamboo Yoga, a beautiful fully equipped yoga studio environment in Arnold, Nottingham. Allow yoga postures and Pilates exercises to gently awaken you and improve balance, flexibility, core […]
Principles of Pilates (5) Head & Cervical Placement
Principles of Pilates (5) Head & Cervical Placement This fifth (and final) principle of Pilates enables the skull to balance directly above the shoulders whether we are in seated or standing Pilates exercises by enabling the cervical spine (back of the neck) to maintain its natural curve. We allow this part of the spine to […]
Pilates at the Playhouse 55+
Pilates at the Playhouse 55+ I am delighted to announce I have been invited to facilitate a 10 week sequence of 90 minute Pilates classes at Nottingham Playhouse commencing on Wednesday 21 September 2016 at 1.30pm. These sessions are part of the Playhouse’s 55+ range of short courses enabling greater involvement in the theatre. This […]
Principles of Pilates (4) Scapular (Shoulder Blade) Movement and Stabilisation
Principles of Pilates (4) Scapular (Shoulder Blade) Movement and Stabilisation This Pilates principle gives a sense of stability and width in the whole shoulder girdle in the Pilates exercises but without giving way to excessive movement. The scapulae glide across the rib cage and it is important to stabilise them so the arms have a […]
Principles of Pilates (3) – Rib Cage Placement
Principles of Pilates (3) – Rib Cage Placement Rib Cage Placement is an important (but sometimes forgotten) aspect of a Pilates workout. In addition to breathing and pelvic placement, we need to maintain abdominal engagement by engaging the wall of the abdomen where it attaches to the lower ribs so the ribs don’t pop or […]
Principles of Pilates (2) – Pelvic Placement
Principles of Pilates (2) – Pelvic Placement The second of the Principles of Pilates is Pelvic Placement. The two positions used in Pilates to achieve stability of the pelvis are neutral (when beginning a practice this is mainly used in a lying down position when both feet are on the mat) and imprint (mainly used […]
Zenga
Zenga Certificate Being a fan of all things Yoga and Pilates I was naturally curious about Zenga – a mindful movement technique, so I undertook the training to become a Level 1 Zenga mat instructor. Zenga combines elements of Yoga, Pilates and dance movements and adds to these disciplines modern medical knowledge particularly in relation […]
Principles of Pilates (1) – Breathing
Principles of Pilates (1) Breathing Principles of Pilates are an important part of your workout so ensure you arrive in class in good time so you don’t have to rush through the Principles or worse miss them completely! The five Principles of Pilates work together to create an intelligent form of exercise and ensures safety […]
Yoga & Pilates – the breath
I am sometimes asked in classes how and why the use of the breath differs in Yoga and Pilates so I have put together the following to provide a short yet informative summary of the differences between the use of the breath in Yoga and Pilates. In Pilates it is believed that a relaxed and […]