Peak Performance Pilates

Kathy Grant said to “Paint the wall with your eyes” as you roll down and up. This keeps the head in the proper position as the body organizes itself under the head. Try applying this image to The Seal or any of the rollings, like Rolling Like a Ball and Open Leg Rocker. As you roll back you look at a point on the front wall the entire time you roll back and then up. This will fix the problem of throwing the head back as you roll backwards, and prevent you from rolling too far onto your neck. Try it, you will like it!

Try pressing the elbows into the inner thighs when performing the Seal. You can then draw the shoulders back, elongate and curl the lower back and tail, and pull the belly away from the thighs to encourage proper mechanics.

It is that time of year to watch the elite athletes compete at the French Roland Garros Tennis Open. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdsTMB61dBo&feature=share

Jessie in Denmark is phenomenal. Imagine performing the Rowing Front 1 without the weight of your legs to keep you upright? These men have amazing centers!

There are 2 options for the placement of the head and spine in the Side Leg Kick: 1. The head is down (on a cushion, pillow or on the arm). 2. The head and waist are up so the spine is straight. The crown of the head reaches towards the wall. There is a picture of Mr. Pilates from the back performing the Side Leg Kick. His spine is straight and neck is long. Please do NOT have the head up and the waist down. It is common to see this in pictures. Is the head in line with the spine when only the head is up? No. The pictures of the spine reveal what happens to the spine when the head is up and the waist is down. The upper side is impinged. Perform the Side Leg Kick in an elongated, aligned spine and enjoy!

Mark Pedri is working on a documentary about the movement of Pilates “Movement of Movement”. Thank you Mark. He visited Paris to interview me, and to highlight Laurence Thiebaut’s beautiful studio Inspire in Paris St Cloud. His pictures nicely portray Inspire. Ron Fletcher would have loved the name “Movement on Movement” since he always emphasized the word “Movement.” You can see the pictures and follow his progress at his website: https://www.movementofmovement.com/you-and-us.html

The Side Leg Kick – lengthen the top leg away from the hip, reaching the bottom of the foot towards the wall it is facing (we’ll call it the “side wall”). This will lift the lower waist off of the floor, and lengthen and straighten the spine. The foot is long and in line with the shin. Inhale, slide the foot forward (literally or imaging) along the side wall, pulse once, then exhale, pulling the belly in, and slide the leg along the wall back reaching long and away from the hip. Pulse again. The top leg is like a well lubed gate, it moves freely upon a stable spine.  Do not think of the leg moving forward and back.  This will move and shorten the hips and back.  You can practice with the foot on the wall.

Earn 3 PMA CECs. Saturday, March 16, 2013 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm. Rolates Pilates, New York. Jennifer Stacey will be teaching the popular workshop: Honoring the Psoas in Pilates and movement  Participants will learn to optimize the function of the iliopsoas in Pilates. Participants will perform skills from Pilates and M. Feldenkrais® that encourage psoas mobility and function, with emphasis placed upon proper technique, effective imagery and cuing. Learn how to effectively stretch and release the psoas, perform Pilates skills with optimal psoas placement, diminish over-recruitment of the hip flexors and increase use of ‘center.’ Learn how to anchor the origins of the psoas during skills such as The Hundred, The Nasty Five, Teaser, Footwork and Leg Springs, which enhances use of center and reduces stress placed on the spine and hips. To register: info@rolates.com. 939 8th Ave., Suite 207, NY, NY 10019. 212-247-9603. $115.  flyer:Psoas NY 2013 flyer

The Side Leg Kick: Reach both feet away from the pelvis. This will animate the center and  open and align the hips. The bottom leg should be long and animated. When the top leg is in parallel, the bottom leg should also be in parallel. Many people will rotate the bottom leg out (externally) which indicates they are trying to stabilize with their gluteals, and not as much with the trunk or abductors. They will also bend the bottom leg, which takes me back to the saying “soggy legs = soggy center.” So next time you perform the Side Leg Kick pay attention to the bottom leg.  Next post we will discuss the top leg.