Here we are – the final week of my ‘Healthy Body’ Pilates series, where over the last 6 weeks, I have shared just a few amazing ways in which Pilates can help to enhance your body!
For this last week, I wanted to share how Pilates can help you enhance your mental wellness, care for your mental health and become a form of self-care that you can practice to help you feel your best – inside and out.
Pilates, for me, is a form of self-care. Not only in terms of physically looking after the body, but for the meditative and mindfulness qualities it promotes – something that my clients also experience and share with me.
When practicing Pilates, there is a strong mind & body connection, with the two working hand in hand to move the body in both a powerful and fluid way to create balance, strength and harmony within the body. This strength and balance is not only experienced within the physical body through regularly practicing Pilates, but can also be felt within the mind; both on and off the mat.
Pilates is a form of meditation in motion (which is why it’s great for relieving stress, anxiety and overwhelm too, as we discovered last week!).
Connecting how we breathe with the movements we make with our bodies helps to bring us back into the present moment. When we focus on breathing in sync with how we’re moving our bodies, there really is very little else we can focus on. Therefore, this mind & body connection helps to draw us out of the mental chatter we all experience and creates more awareness of how we are feeling and what we are experiencing in the present moment.
Practicing Pilates (or any other form of movement for that matter) is an educational experience. It can teach us so much about ourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, that no practice is ever the same. It asks you to become aware of yourself so that you can explore the different ways in which you can move your body. The more you develop this self-awareness, the more you’re going to benefit from practicing loving movement and the more it will serve you, your mind and your body.
Self-love and working towards an enhanced mental state is something I am a huge cheerleader of – in fact, that was my inspiration for writing my first book ‘Health-Full: A holistic guide to your happiest and healthiest self’, because I wanted to share how you can fully transform all areas of your life to not only feel healthier, but feel happier too!
Pilates is a great way to start practicing self-care and here are 5 Pilates exercises that I wanted to share with you, to help you do just that:
I’ve included how many repetitions I’d recommend, however be mindful of your body and tailor these exercises to suit you.
It’s also important to remember that everybody is unique and therefore the way these exercises are performed may need to be tailored to the individual. These step-by-step guidelines are there as a general ‘guide’ and if you require further information or help then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
HELPFUL REMINDERS:
- Think about creating balance within the body by keeping your pelvis level and your hips and shoulders even.
- Draw your shoulders down your back and away from your ears (shoulder stabilisation).
- Working the core also includes working the muscles in the back. Don’t forget core engagement with these exercises as the front and back of your body work together in strengthening that powerhouse of muscles!
*Remember to listen to your body and move in a loving way for you. By taking part in this exercise program, you are acknowledging that you are fit, well and healthy to do so and understand that you are performing the exercises at your own risk. Always consult your physician if you’re unsure or if you’re struggling with chronic back pain. And if you’d like to find out more information on how Pilates can help you and your body, then let’s have a chat!
**I have also filmed a YouTube Pilates flow showing you how you can sequence these exercises together which you can find either by clicking here, or by heading to the bottom of this article.
SINGLE LEG STRETCH (VARIATION)
12 Repetitions each side
Helps to improve core strength, pelvic floor engagement and is a lovely inward turning exercise to promote introspection.
- Start in a supine position with your transverse abdominis (TVA) engaged, with a neutral spine and pelvis. Draw your shoulders down your back and rest your arms down by the sides of your body.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, bring both legs into a table top position (lifting one at a time) so that your knees are stacked over your hips and there is a 90 degree bend in your knees. Make sure your core is engaged and that your lower back isn’t doming off the mat. You may choose to only take one leg into table top, performing 6 repetitions on this side before taking it over to the other side.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, begin to lift the upper body off the mat into a crunch, gently taking hold behind the right leg. If you feel any pain in your neck, then lower your head back down to the mat – you can still take hold of behind the thigh.
- Exhale to extend the left leg as you draw the right knee in towards your chest.
- Inhale to hold and exhale to switch, drawing your left knee in towards your chest and extending the right leg.
- Soften your shoulders and focus on elongating through the body; elongating through the spine and all the way through the extended leg.
SWIMMING TO COBRA
8 Repetitions
Helps improve core strength, upper body strength, spine mobility and flexibility of the posterior chain. Flowing with the breath also encourages the mind and body connection.
- Start lying prone on the mat (on your belly), with your hands just by your shoulders. You may choose to take your hands wider and further out in front of the body if your shoulders feel particularly tight.
- Draw your belly button away from the mat to engage your core and pull your shoulders down your upper back away from your ears. Engage your glutes to protect your lower spine.
- Inhale to prepare and on the exhale, lift your legs away from the mat (you may choose to lift one leg at a time to build up lower back strength). Focus on lifting with your lower back rather than pushing your belly button in towards the mat. Relax your shoulders and watch that you’re not holding tension here. Think about lengthening through your legs rather than the height of the lift.
- On the inhale, lower down with your legs and start to press into your hands to lift your upper body away from the mat. You may choose to keep a bend in the elbows (baby cobra) or lengthen through your arms. Squeeze your glutes here and press the tops of your feet in towards the mat to help protect your lower back. Draw your shoulders down your back and lift up tall through the crown of your head.
- Exhale to lower back down towards the mat, lifting the legs and repeating.
DOUBLE LEG STRETCH
10 Repetitions
Helps to improve core strength, shoulder mobility and is another inward turning pose which also includes a yummy scrummy cuddle of the legs! Moving with the breath helps to enhance the mind and body connection.
- Start in a supine position with your transverse abdominis (TVA) engaged, with a neutral spine and pelvis. Draw your shoulders down your back and rest your arms down by the sides of your body.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, bring both legs into a table top position (lifting one at a time) so that your knees are stacked over your hips and there is a 90 degree bend in your knees. Make sure your core is engaged and that your lower back isn’t doming off the mat. You may choose to only take one leg into table top, performing 5 repetitions on this side before taking it over to the other side.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, begin to lift the upper body off the mat into a crunch, gently hugging both knees in towards the chest. Relax your shoulders and focus on pulling the stomach muscles in to help facilitate this.
- Inhale as you start to lengthen through your body: extending your legs out in front of you (the closer they hover towards the ground the more intense this will be) and taking your arms overhead as you lower your head down towards the mat. Focus on lengthening through your body as much as possible here.
- Exhale, sweeping your arms down the sides of the body towards your knees, drawing the knees back in and repeat.
BRIDGE – SINGLE LEG LIFTS
5 Repetitions on each side
Helps to mobilise and strengthen the spine, open up through the front facial line of the body, strengthens the glutes and lower back and improves pelvic stability.
- Start by lying supine on the mat (on your back), with your knees bent and feet on the mat. Walk your heels in towards your bottom (ideally, when in Bridge, we want the feet to be directly under the knees). Keep the feet and knees hip width.
- Draw your shoulders down your back and rest your arms by the sides of your body.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, tuck your pelvis underneath you and start to lift your hips away from the mat one vertebrae at a time until you’re in a ski-slope position. There should be a direct line of energy from your knees, to your hips, to your shoulders.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top here to help protect and strengthen your lower back.
- Inhale, squeezing your right butt cheek to activate your glutes and exhale to begin to lift your left leg away from the mat into a table top position. Keep your hips level and watch that your pelvis doesn’t start to tilt.
- Inhale to lower back down and exhale to repeat on the other side.
KNEES TO CHEST CRUNCHES
12 Repetitions
Helps to strengthen the abdominals and improve core engagement. It’s also a lovely excuse to give yourself a cuddle.
- Start in a supine position with your transverse abdominis (TVA) engaged, with a neutral spine and pelvis. Draw your shoulders down your back and rest your arms down by the sides of your body.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, bring both knees in towards your chest, hugging your knees. Make sure your core is engaged and that your arms are gently resting on your legs.
- Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, begin to lift the upper body off the mat into a crunch, drawing your nose towards your knees. If you feel any pain in your neck, then lower your head back down towards your mat and instead, focus on giving yourself a lovely cuddle.
- Inhale to lower back down, focusing on elongating your spine on the mat and repeat.
Want to learn more about how Pilates can benefit your body?Why not check these out:
- Online on demand Pilates classes (Practice Pilates with me anywhere, at any time – as long as you have access to internet!)
- My online Pilates Library (A library of a variety of 15 minute workouts so you can tailor your workout to suit your goal, ability and time-frame)
- New to Pilates? Try my 6 Week Beginners Pilates Course (Can be accessed at your own pace)
If you’re brand new to Pilates, having been meaning to try it for a while, establish a more regular Pilates practice, pick it back up after having a few years off, or simply want to learn more, then I’ve created an online course just for you! My 6 Week Beginner Pilates Course is completely online with 6 on demand classes and can be accessed at your own pace. You’ll not only learn the history of Pilates and how it can benefit your body and mind, but also refine your technique and learn how to Practice Pilates safely. How amazing does that sound? Check out my 6 Week Beginners Course here.
Over the course of 6 weeks, I want to share just a few ways in which Pilates can help support and enhance the physical wellbeing of your body so that you can feel more energised, vibrant and full of life – Yes, Pilates is an incredible form of strength training but it’s also a powerful method of mindfulness, meditation and relaxation.Catch up here:Week 1: Pilates For Back Pain
Week 1: Pilates For Back Pain
Week 2: Pilates For Better Posture
Week 3: Pilates For Digestion & Gut Health
Week 4: Pilates For Flexibility & Mobility
Week 5: Pilates For Stress Relief
1:1 Health Coaching
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