PILATES SERIES TO improve your posture

Improve your posture, breathe better and release neck tension.

Thank you for being part of the Classical Pilates Nerd community. If you know me or have taken a class with me, you probably know that I am a Classical Pilates Nerd. I can talk about this topic forever. The other day I was giving a lesson to a student who was days away from graduating. Both of us nerds laughed because I gave her a cue that only the two of us could probably relate to. That cue was specific to just her because this is where her body is, and I knew she would understand how to apply it. 

Somatic(bodily)  experience is sensing that you can move deeper parts of your body and probably some organs during your exercise. This is key to mastering complex movements in Pilates, so you can later use them mechanically to enhance your strength and endurance.

If you have a neck or shoulder problem, as I did for two years, you can probably relate to how nagging it can be and how long it takes to regain normal function. And the most challenging part that you will face with shoulder pain is that you cannot rest it or avoid using it. On the one hand, if you don’t move your shoulder, it may turn into a frozen shoulder. On the other hand, any action you do daily like turning your head, looking down when you teach, gardening, putting on your seat belt, all these actions involve neck and shoulder. It’s a Catch 22 situation. 

We are all a little Kyphotic in our upper spine – it is the natural roundness of our spinal column. But If the Kyphosis is exaggerated, it can cause upper body imbalances and weakness. To correct this, we should strive for a “capacious” chest which is a term used by Joseph Pilates to describe how we should hold our posture all day long: Broad chest and upper back opened Neck in line with the spinal column Rib cage floating with the intercoastal muscles fully expanded on each breath. 

Good alignment is key to good health that’s a known fact. Practicing Pilates will correct poor posture by strengthening the core muscles. And that’s a known fact too! But with our lifestyle today, we need a little more preparation. It’s a good practice to release stiffness before you start your Pilates routine. Not only will it feel good, but doing this will make room for the right muscles to fire up.

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Debbie Palmer

Debbie Palmer

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Debbie Palmer - I want to become a Pilates instructor to share the empowerment of movement, the ability for a broken body to relearn movement in a way that makes sense.After spending years learning how to recover and heal herself with Pilates, we are excited to...

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