There is a fundamental concept in Pilates, the principle behind which translates well into many other areas of living. Called "navel to spine," this process involves drawing your abdominal muscles up and in as you imagine your navel drawing toward your spine. Performing navel to spine while you exhale increases the stability of your torso …
Tag: Pilates
Flexibility and Control
My Pilates instructor shared an interesting video with me after attending the recent Atlanta MANIA fitness tradeshow. The video featured Chuck Wolf, M.S., an exercise physiologist who developed an interesting fitness training modality called "Flexibility Highways," who expanded on the basic point that: "Mobilizing muscles and joints without incorporating a stabilizing movement pattern can actually …
Aha! Moment
Never underestimate the power of realization. During my riding (horse) lesson on Sunday my trainer and I worked on gymnastic exercises designed to increase flexibility, strength and lightness. Both my horse and I had taken time off due to injuries, so we were both starting back up at levels lower than we had left off. …
From Coarse to Fine
I stumbled across an interesting thought while giving some thought this morning to two of my favorite forms of exercise, pilates and horseback riding. It became clear to me that both of these activities measure progress in similar ways: advancement requires increasingly less coarse or jerky movement. In fact, greater control translates into finer movement …
Gregory Hake 