Watch this video to learn how to read the body during movement. This exercise involves a very simple slide of the leg out and back in. Listen to the creative cueing to help the client stabilize the pelvis and spine as she moves her leg. Often, clients need very subtle cues to bring them into balance. These subtle cues are the most challenging for beginner teachers to give. This video will help you develop this skill and give you courage to recognize the slightest needed adjustments in your own clients, friends, and family at home! Go for the details. That is where the real work lies.
We hope you enjoyed this video! Tell us what you thought below.
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Is there anything you recommend in place of the bungee if you don’t have one? Will any of the Cadillac springs work?
Hey there Patti! You can try and use your light leg spring, but that might be too much load, thus making it difficult to maintain a neutral pelvis during the exercise. Why don’t you experiment with different therabands attached to the cadillac and strap? This might be the easiest way to approximate the tension of the bungie that we used. Let me know how it goes!
Cheers!
Casey Marie
Jennifer, love the bungee use for extra feedback, brilliant. Not sure about so big a pillow because of the hinge created in the cervical spine?! On the video I noticed the tension in the neck on Casey. Thank you for sharing and the videos are so helpful. Be Well, Jocelyn
Hi Jocelyn,
You have a great eye. Thank you for your comment.
The pillow is one of the first Smartspine Pilates Posture Pillows that came out years ago. We use them all the time. A few weeks ago Marie Jose Blom ( creator of Smartspine) was teaching a workshop in our studio and mentioned that we need to take a bit of the material out of the pillow. But just a little bit. The SmartSpine pillows that you get now from the site do have less filling than ours do .
These pillows are designed specifically with the alignment of the upper body in mind. They help to bring the client into a bit of an incline ( as if the spine is thinking about an ab curl) and the pillow should be supporting not only the back of the head but also the top of the shoulder girdle. In this way the tissue between the shoulder blades can open into the floor, and the sternum and collar bone can release from the front of the neck. This is a great environment for primary curve education, constructive rest, breath training and stability and strength work. Because the slope of the pillow not only aligns the head but also the upper back, the mid back is able to spread into the mat so you have much more stability and grounding for exercises like leg slides or toe taps etc. In other words you are able to keep a easy home position without shifting or gripping as you move freely through the limbs. The inclined position on the Posture Pillow is also the best environment for learning, perfecting and refining you ab curl. Any level of mover should use this to fine tune the ab curl and their thoracic flexion. Casey does look a bit tense at the very start of the video as we are setting up because the bun in the back of her head was a bit in the way but once she starts to breath and organize her body into the movement the release of her front body is very clear. She also has scoliosis and her tight side in the shoulder area is the side to the camera. I talked to her about this and she said she really does need the inclined pillow under the tops of her shoulders and head to make her back feel ok . But as you point out ( as well as MJ) we do ( and did) need to take a bit of the filing out so that we can create a bit more slope.
You sound like a very detailed teacher. Would love to know more about you. Where are you from? How many years of teaching? Do you work with the SmartSpine products?
Thanks
Jen