My first Pilates equipment purchase was a Wunda Chair. I was obsessed with this Pilates chair. There are three pieces of Pilates equipment that are a chair. You can do exercises on the Wunda Chair, High Chair and Arm Chair, aka Baby Chair.
Each one offers something different for your body. And whether you are a Pilates professional or not I do believe everyone needs at least one of these in their possession because they take up little space and they challenge your entire body!
- Do you want to have better posture?
- Do you want to strengthen your entire body?
- Do you want to take your Mat and/or Reformer practice up a notch?
Then yes, you should buy a Pilates chair!
So, which chair should you buy?
Well, in my ideal world, you would have all three. But if you only have the space and funds for one, then start with a Wunda Chair. And you don’t need to buy new. Many people sell their chairs because they don’t use them. Mostly because they don’t know how. But, don’t worry. Remember I have all the free tutorials for you here! And, I also have two Wunda Chair workouts that you can buy and do over and over again!
The Wunda Chair will reveal every part of your body that disconnects in an exercise you do on the Mat and the Reformer. Yep, reveals it all!! I talk about that in my Mastering the Basics on the Chairs.
The smaller surface space means you have to connect more than you think. On the Mat you still should be connecting that much but it’s easy to “cheat” because you have sooo much support. On the Chair the small surface space and the springs really help you to figure out where you can deepen your practice and you’ll feel the full body workout in every workout!
You can also use the Wunda Chair to help you teach your body an exercise. For example, if you’re struggling with the Roll Up on the Mat then doing the Push Down on the Wunda Chair will help you figure out where you need to reach from without fighting gravity. It’s a lot of fun.
But, before you think it’s all about the Wunda Chair, let’s talk about the best parts of the Arm Chair and High Chair.
The Arm Chair, aka the Baby Chair, is one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES and if you can own two chairs then you definitely want a Wunda Chair and this Arm Chair . The Arm Chair is one of the best ways to really feel where your arms move from on your back. And, also, you can get so much feedback of what’s connecting on your back by what stays and leaves the chair as you move. It’s really one of the most effective ways for learning how to move your arms and deepen your Pilates connection.
The High Chair is one of those chairs that I wish everyone could have but I know with space and budgets it’s often the one that is skipped. And truthfully, if you can have, it get it, but if you can’t, then don’t worry. I have this tutorial here that you can use to turn your Wunda Chair into a High Chair. There are 2 exercises that you absolutely cannot recreate but we can work that out later. For now, I’d love to see you expand your Pilates practice to owning some equipment and starting with one of these chairs is great!
And don’t worry, we don’t ever leave our Pilates lovers hanging. Again, aside from hundreds of free tutorials, we do have workouts and workshops to help you be your own Pilates teacher!
Which chair are you going to get?
xx-LL
