Anywhere Pilates

There is no need to point out the obvious (but I can’t help myself) that it has been A LONG time since my last post. To be honest, I have had difficulty finding the time to write in the midst of all the responsibilities motherhood has brought. I stopped writing in my third trimester because all I could thing about was “pregnancy, pregnancy, pregnancy” and the last thing I wanted to do was to turn this into another “look at me, I’m pregnant” blog.  And now, of course, I find myself wanting to write a  ” look at me, I have a baby!” blog. Yes, I’m a mom. Okay, so what? We all have mom’s, many of us are moms… this is not a new thing.  New to me, yes. But to the world? Um, no. Don’t get me wrong- it’s beautiful, rewarding, and difficult but there has to be a balance  So, the challenge I have in front of me now is how to balance being a mom with being a teacher and student of Traditional Authentic Pilates.

I took about 4 months off from teaching and taking Pilates at the studio where I am completing my apprenticeship. I was nervous and intimidated when I walked back through the doors in September. I immediately wanted to start where I left off and GET MY BODY BACK.  But my body had changed- my pelvis was unstable, my abdominal muscles were…well, let’s face it. What abs?  My core had disappeared! My instructor, Mary Ann,  and I had to start at the beginning. To start at the beginning we had to do the most basic and important: neutral spine exercises. Before I could move on with my Pilates workouts, I had to find my neutral spine again!

After having a baby, finding my neutral spine was incredibly difficult! I had a “duck butt” (thank you, Mary Anne, for such a descriptive and sexy phrase) from holding my daughter 24/7. A duck butt, fyi, is when you stand and press your lower back out, causing your behind to stick out. This causes a ton of lower back pain. It was such a humbling experience to start over. I realized how much I had taken for granted before. Starting at the beginning forced me to reconnect to my body- something I had taught before but had not fully appreciated.

Before you begin any Pilates program, and especially if you are doing it at home, please take a moment and explore what and where your neutral spine is.

1. Start by lying on the floor on your back. Your legs should be bent and feet flat. Check your lines; are your feet in line with your knees ( your heels should be directly under your knees)? Knees in line with your hips? Let your arms rest at your side.
2. RELAX. Your shoulders, neck and yes, even your jaw should relax. Allow your back to naturally rest on the floor.
3. Remember to breathe! Take a deep breath in and imagine that the oxygen is traveling all the way into your toes; exhale and imagine all the stale air in you body is exiting. Do this several more times.
4. Take your hands and place them under your back; you should feel a slight open space.
5. Place your hands back by your side. Take an inhale and press your pelvis down into the floor, away from your rib cage.
6. Exhale and reverse by tilting your pelvis up, towards your ribs. You should feel the small of your back connect with the floor.
7. Relax your body. Neutral spine is a place in between the two pelvic tilts you just did.
8. Next, imagine that you have a clock on your belly. 12 0′clock is below your sternum, The middle of the clock is  your belly button, and 6 0′clock is just above your pelvis and includes your kegel muscle.
9. Pull 12, then the middle, then 6 into your body. Your navel should press into your spine. Try to keep all of this connected while tilting your pelvis up and down several times- REMEMBER TO BREATHE!!
10. Relax your pelvis and just think about connecting the clock on your belly. Breathe in deeply and drop your abdominal muscles to the floor. The natural curves of your neck and lumbar spine are away from the floor and you are no longer pressing your pelvis up or down.
11. Your body should feel relaxed and aligned, and most of all, connected.

After finding the neutral spine you should be ready to begin mat work!

I am still working on my neutral spine. When I hold my daughter I check myself in the mirror and think “where is my pelvis?” It used to be in a permanent “duck butt” position, but thanks to the world of Joseph Pilates it gets better every day.

Neutrally yours,

Christine