PEAK PILATES 5-PART FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

Advancements Challenges to an exercise that make it more difficult. This happens by performing the exercise on another apparatus, taking one foot or hand away, working with fewer springs, or raising the center of gravity. Alignment The placement of body parts in relationship to one another, as well as their relationship to gravity or resistance. Alignment is the foundation for proper execution. Joseph Pilates believed that all parts of the body interconnect and influence one another. Brainpower Read More Previous Play Next Rewind 10 seconds Move forward 10 seconds Unmute 0:04 / 0:15 Full screen Anchoring A concept that describes how each exercise is stabilized by the Powerhouse and supported by the critical connections. The entire body holistically provides an additional sense of stability, a feeling of heaviness or anchoring, to support the parts that are moving. For example, during One Leg Circle the entire back of the body stabilizes to provide a solid base from which the movement of the leg can emanate from. "Lying in wet cement" is an image often used to reinforce this sensation. Arms Move From the Back This phrase underscores the awareness that arm movements initiate the back of the Powerhouse. Ideally, the serratus anterior and trapezius depress and stabilize the scapula for correct arm movement, thereby eliminating over-recruitment of the shoulder and chest muscles. Articulate The act of stacking one vertebra at a time, lifting bone by bone, or rolling down and releasing the vertebrae onto the mat one vertebrae at a time. Spinal articulation prevents jerky, out-of-control movements and increases flexibility of the spine. Box Refers to the rectangle formed by the two imaginary lines running from shoulder to shoulder and from hip to hip (ASIS to ASIS) and completed by two lines running from shoulder to hip. In optimal position, the rectangle has four 90-degree angles. Building Blocks Simpler versions of an exercise. Building blocks are used when a student is not ready for the exercise due to inadequate strength or coordination. Building blocks lower intensity by shortening the lever (limb length) and/or the range of motion of an exercise. They have the same form and goal as the original exercise. Building blocks are differentiated from modifications to keep the perspective that it is a stepping stone and not a permanent adjustment. C-Curve The shape that the spine and body assume during many Pilates exercises. It is created by the deep pull of the transverse abdominis wrapping like a girdle around the spine and the opening of the spinal column in flexion, deepening the spine into a lifted curve, such as in Spin Stretch Forward. Centerline The line running downward from the nose, navel, and pubic bone to the heels. Pilates exercise demands constant activation into the Centerline of the body, whether the legs are together or apart. Use the Centerline during the body scan to view alignment of the head, torso, and extremities in every exercise. Contraindications A symptom or health condition that makes a particular exercise inadvisable or unsuitable for a student to perform. Critical Connections Connections that when integrated with the movement or exercise, deepen the work into the Powerhouse and improve the overall quality of the execution. They help tie a movement into the Powerhouse. The Critical Connections are: 1. Three Anchors: inner thigh and sitz bones (toward the Centerline), with the abdominals scooped in and up. 2. Rib to scapula/scapula to rib: this area supports the body by aligning, stabilizing, and mobilizing the scapulae in relationship to the ribs. It highlights the connection of the serratus anterior in pulling this area together. 3. Heel and buttock connection: Promotes proper alignment of the lower limbs. Decompression The action of elongating and creating space between the vertebrae. This allows the internal organs more space for functioning at optimal levels, creates more balanced and upright posture, and allows for more functional and healthy movement patterns to be developed. Actively decompressing the spine combats the negative effects of gravity, habitual patterning, and aging of the spine. Dividing the Spine Into Thirds A way to approach and cue rolling the spine. The segments can be divided from tailbone to top of pelvis, top of the pelvis to base of sternum/bottom of ribs, and bottom of ribs upward to skull. This concept is very helpful for beginners or for a tighter student who cannot perform articulation. Elders The first generation of Pilates teachers who studied directly under Joseph Pilates. These masters have in turn handed down their experience, knowledge, and stories, helping to preserve the Pilates tradition for consecutive generations of teachers. Five Buttons This is an image of buttons pressing from front to back and back to front through the body. The lowest button is at the pubic bone, second button is at the sacral level, third button is at the navel, fourth button is at the xiphoid process, and fifth button is at the breastbone. Flow How a teacher facilitates connecting one movement to the next within an exercise to achieve fluidity. Flow creates harmonious and graceful movements. Frame A reference point that describes the limit of healthy movement in Pilates. It is the outline of the body or the apparatus. The body frames the movement, and the apparatus can frame the body. We refer to the negative spaces around the body to center us within the frame of the apparatus. Fundamentals Pre-Pilates exercises that teach how to program a motor pattern that is an element of the Pilates exercise. The Fundamentals can be thought of as elementary movement skills. Greek Column An image that invokes the feeling of power, strength, and stability created by the Pilates Stance. When applying this image, everything is pulled up, legs together, forming one leg like a Greek column. Imagery Use of words to convey a mental picture of how an exercise should look or feel. Images are used to enhance movement quality and performance. Often the most powerful images are about food, clothing, or love. Initiate A term used to distinguish movements starting from the Powerhouse and center and flowing outward. Teach and cue students first to find the Powerhouse, and then to move from the Powerhouse. Legs Move From the Front A concept that brings awareness to the idea that legs, either singularly or together, move from the Powerhouse or center, thereby creating length and opposition in any movement. This concept reinforces the idea that leg exercises are whole-body movements. Length A movement quality of reaching an extremity without tensing it. Lengthening increases the depth of work in the Powerhouse and elongates the eventual appearance of the muscles. A main goal of Pilates is to create length in the spine (axial elongation) first, followed by length through the extremities. Modification Adaptations to an exercise that are used for special cases. Joseph Pilates believed his exercises were for everyone. Modifications adapt the exercises, making them more accessible for a variety of health concerns. Modifying an exercise may include using props to help support and stabilize the body. Opposition A movement quality that reflects the concept that every exercise in Pilates has an anchor (in the Powerhouse) and a force reaching away from that anchor, creating opposition. Finding the opposition in each position strengthens the anchors/stabilizers. What are the lines of energy flowing outward from the center in opposition? Imagine the body stretching in opposite directions during Pilates, with energy sent outward to those points. Perch The active engagement of the buttocks muscles. "Pinch, lift, and grow tall as you sit" is a commonly used cue to capture this idea of sitting out of the hips by sitting on top of the sitz bones. The inner thighs, lower belly, and seat pull into the Centerline. Pilates Point Feet softly pointed, rather than being clenched strongly in plantar flexion. The top of the foot should be softly stretched from the ankle joint, the toes long and not curled under. Pilates Posture The regular practice of Pilates manifests itself in optimal personal posture. Pilates posture viewed standing is a straight vertical alignment of the body from the top of the head, through the center, to the bottom of the feet. Viewed from the side, an imaginary vertical line could be drawn through the ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. Additionally, the three natural curves of the back should be seen. From a rear view, the posture should show equal heights of shoulders, hips and knees, with the head held straight, neither tipped nor turned to one side. Pilates Stance The act of standing with the heels together, toes naturally apart, weight evenly distributed on both feet, with the body weight carried just in front of the heels. The inner thighs are firmly joined from the hips to the ankles, with the abdominals pulled in and up. Shoulders, ribs, and hips are stacked, and shoulder blades lie flat and down the back. The sternum and head are lifted, with the bony prominence of the seventh cervical vertebra in line with the back of the head.