Body Parts

Pilates Method & At-Home Exercises — Part One

A LITTLE ABOUT THE PILATES PRINCIPLES
“The beauty of Pilates exercise is not in the ‘how many’ but in the ‘how one executes’ the activity,” says Dr. Rosanne Butera. “Once a person learns how to initiate a movement, the exercise takes on a new dimension — it no longer causes pain and it begins to rehabilitate, strengthen and redefine the body.” Gary Ames of Ames Skyline Pilates Studio agrees: “Think more about your form and breathing,” he says.
The following exercise can be performed on a mat in the convenience of your home. However, it’s always best to first seek the guidance of a professional when first attempting Pilates or any new exercise routine.

HALF ROLL-UP (provided by athletic trainer Laura Cannon, in conjunction with Dr. Rosanne Butera)
This exercise is the perfect preparation for the proper execution of abdominal exercises and requires the strengthening engagement of the tranversus abdominis to stabilize the lumbo-pelvic region. The exercise involves the rectus abdominus and obliques concentrically during flexing (on the way up) and eccentrically during extension (on the way down).
Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat. Imagine that you can draw a dotted line straight from your heels to your “sitz bones” (the bony protrusions at the bottom of your pelvis; you can feel them by sitting up and rocking side to side). Your heels should be about six inches from your sitz bone and you should feel all 10 toes on the mat. Your pelvis should remain in a neutral position throughout this entire exercise. In a neutral pelvis, the hip points (bony protrusion on the front of the pelvis) and pubic bone should all be on the same plane making a level triangle. You can feel this out by finding the bony landmarks with your hands and checking yourself continuously. You will feel the lumbar spine curve away from the mat slightly; this is okay, just make sure that your pubic bone is not tipping down below the plane of your hip points. Your arms should be straight, resting on the mat by your sides, palms facing down. Your fingertips should pull down toward your heels, stabilizing the scapula (shoulder blades). The clavicle (collar bone) is wide across the front.
Throughout the exercise, adhere to the breathing guidelines detailed below. This is the basic breathing technique of all Pilates exercises.
Inhale into the back and sides of the rib cage and lengthen through the top of the head. Exhale and nod the head to create cranio-vertebral flexion. (Imagine that you have to hold a lemon between your chin and neck.) Press the belly button down to the spine and imagine that you are making your abdominal wall concave, like the inside of the spoon. Slide the ribcage toward the pelvis. As the thoracic spine flexes, the finger tips reach toward the heels and the head, and the neck and shoulders float off of the mat. Look at your navel; soften your sternum (breast bone); and keep widening through your clavicle and sliding your scapula down your back. Be sure to keep your pelvis in a neutral position and all 10 toes on the mat, with your feet and knees in proper alignment.
Inhale, expanding the back and sides of the ribcage while maintaining that concave abdominal engagement. Exhale, pressing the belly button further toward the spine. Return the upper body and arms to the mat, releasing the neck to neutral once the head is on the mat. Repeat.
Next month’s Body Parts column will offer additional Pilates exercises for you to try at home. For more information on the above exercise, call Dr. Rosanne Butera of Butera Chiropractic at (512) 323-6767. Butera Chiropractic and Ames Skyline Pilates Studio both offer private reformer classes (using apparatus) as well as group mat classes. Gary Ames can be reached at (512) 577-6175.