Foundations: “Discover Alignment”

Quick Intro: Pelvic Rocking

What’s it good for? ⁠

🌟  Relaxing overly tensed spinal muscles in a very relaxed way.
🌟  Strengthening weak and inactive spinal muscles in a very relaxed way.
🌟  Explore the Principles of “Centering” and “Control that is part of Pilates Proper.
🌟   Finding and exploring the idea of length of the spine.

Discover Alignment: muscle tension 

🌟  With your tailbone on the mat and lengthening away from you, you try to feel equal tension between your abdominals and the muscles in your lower back.  With practice you’ll get better at identifying the sensations and it’ll become automatic.

A quick “how to”…

Getting started with Pelvic Rocking 

🌟  Start by lying down, face up, on the mat – this works best on a thin mat – or even none at all.  For now don’t worry about your position or alignment – that’s why we’re here – to explore and find it.
🌟  Roll up your tailbone off the mat.  Feel how your lower back has lengthened and now presses into the mat.  The curve that was there has now gone and your spine is flat against the mat.  Let’s call this position 12 o’clock.  Can you feel your abdominal muscles working?  If not, try pressing your spine a little further into the mat – but don’t roll it off the mat – that’s a different exercise!
🌟  Now carefully (or not at all if you have an active back injury) rotate pelvis to bring your tailbone back towards the mat and slowly arch your back off the mat.  This creates a space under your lower back.  Right now, your lower back might feel vulnerable, your ribcage might have popped out and you might even have a double chin.  Let’s call this 6 o’clock.  Can you feel your lower back muscles working?
🌟  Repeat several times until you become familiar with the movement and what’s moving and what’s not moving.
🌟  Now you are accustomed to the movement, I want you to stop somewhere between the two extremes of movement that we’ve been exploring.  Your tailbone should be on the floor.  There should be a small arch under your lower spine and the mat.

Going a little further with Pelvic Rocking 

🌟  Breathing: exhale when you melt your spine into the mat and inhale to tuck your tailbone under.  Can you notice any changes?  Does this breathing pattern affect your movement at all?
🌟  Control & Centering: as you were performing this exercise: Pelvic Rocking, did you notice your head moving also?  Keeping your head quiet and still will reduce the movement in your pelvis, but do try it.  What differences do you notice in the sensations as you move from twelve to six oclock?

Hints & Tips:

🌟  Think of lengthening your tailbone away from you.
🌟  Think of your pelvis as a bowl of soup.  Although the soup reaches the rim of the bowl – don’t spill any!

Any Questions?

Ask away – I love to help!  Click here for the Contact Page 🙂 – or leave a comment at the bottom of the post – see you there…