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What if I can’t sit up straight or straighten my legs fully?

Use props like pillows or blocks to elevate your hips and bend your knees to ease strain and help with seated or leg-straightening exercises.

  • Author Name: August Support Team
  • August 28, 2024
getting started online pilates classes
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getting started online pilates classes

For seated exercises such as Spine Stretch Forward, Saw, and Spine Twist: 

  • • Prop hips up on top of a firm pillow, yoga block, stack of books, firm cushion, or balance pad. 
    • Bend the knees. 
    • Sit in butterfly position or criss cross. 

For Single Leg Circle, Single Straight Leg Stretch, Double Straight Leg Stretch, Teaser, and any other exercises where the legs are straight:

  • • Bend the knees! 
    • Place a folded towel, pillow, or pad underneath the pelvis when laying flat on your back to lift up the hips, which will take some strain off of the hamstrings. 

By August Support Team

CLIENT HAPPINESS & BARKETING SPECIALIST—This is August! He’s one of our two dogs, and he participates in every way possible. You’ll often find him sneaking into class, and wandering into our socials. Keep an eye out for email announcements from him!

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Megan Lauman

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Mindi Westfall

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UP, UP, & AWAY

ONLINE MAT, REFORMER, CADILLAC & WUNDA CHAIR PILATES CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

We are all going to feel like Super Humans after this month!!

Whenever I’m in a hard exercise (for me) where I’m holding myself up with my arms and reaching my legs away I picture myself with super human strength!!! I can do ANYTHING! It makes me smile and helps me stay STRONG.

This month our exercise is Up Stretch and when you think about it - reaching your legs away and staying strong over the carriage may feel a lot like flying!

We’ll be focusing on stabilizing our strong cores while staying equally balanced in our arms and legs. We are giving you some amazing building blocks by merging strength and stretch in all directions. You are going to get a little bit of everything that you can use to connect to your Up Stretch (and even your Roll Up and Knee Stretches Off).

Chair: Please have a foam roller and a balance pad available. We are going to challenge your balance safely.

xx-LL

ONE FOOT, TWO FOOT

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

We need to pay more attention to our feet... I know one more thing to add to the list. But! When we pay attention to our feet we get more access to our seat! So lets wake up our feet together and explore what new connections we get!

Props Needed: wash cloth and theraband or old leggings for warm up

See you in class,
-xxLL

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, pole and a Mat!

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, pole and a reformer!

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

LET IT GO, LET YOURSELF FLOW

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

We will be working through a flow without a lot of thought and correction. This is a way to evaluate where you are and what you can work on this year! Grab a notebook and if something is not feeling right, let's write it down and see if any of the upcoming classes will help us with that thing or thing(s).

No props needed.

Mindi

WANNA BUTT LIFT?

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

This theme will be a focus on what’s needed for inversion exercises. For inversion exercises, your upper back is what you “stand on” so you need your chest and shoulders open with a strong arm/back connection there. Let’s not over-neck it! Then, you need a strong center and thass to work together to get your hips up. It’s not the hips that are over your neck. It’s the hips up so the legs go overhead.

This means even if inversion exercises are not part of your regular practice, that’s ok. Because guess what? It’s more accessible to find connections when you’re right side up, and then the challenge is to maintain those connections when you’re upside down. So, as long as you’re practicing all the connections when you’re right side up, you’re continuing to build yourself up to have enough strength to someday go upside down. And even if you never go upside down, then you’re building yourself up to hold yourself upright, and that’s what you need to live your best life!

See you in class,
Christine

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Magic Circle

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Magic Circle

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

ONE FOOT, TWO FOOT

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

We need to pay more attention to our feet... I know one more thing to add to the list. But! When we pay attention to our feet we get more access to our seat! So lets wake up our feet together and explore what new connections we get!

Props needed:
wash cloth and theraband or old leggings for warm up

See you in class,
xx~LL

THINGS AREN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

Things Aren’t Always What They Seem
In this class, we’ll explore the idea that what you see isn’t only what you get. Pilates is a full-body practice, even when an exercise seems to target just one area. We’ll rethink familiar movements and bring awareness to the muscles that often go unnoticed-finding knees in hamstring curls, glutes in your Hundreds, and support where you least expect it. This class is about curiosity, connection, and discovering how everything in your body works together when you move with intention.

Props needed : ball and rod for mat

See you in class,
Megan

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self and a Mat!

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self and a Reformer!

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

ROLL WITH ME

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

Its time to focus on the rolling exercises and have fun doing it! If you struggle with rolling there's some gems in here for you. On the Reformer while we won't roll you'll gain insight on how your Reformer supports your rolling mat.

Mat: A dowel is helpful on the mat 

See you in class,
xxLL

GET GET DOWN

Let´s talk about your Squat!

Do we really have squats in Pilates? Oh yes, we do - on the Mat in the beginning to get down, we have a challenging one on the Reformer, Squats on Tower/Cadillac and smart, supportive exercises on the Wunda Chair to really help built up the strength. 

But the big question is: Are you actually using your THASS and Center to get low - or are your quads and lower back doing all the work while the rest just watches? This month, we’ll play, explore and refine this functional movement. So let's get curious and 'get get down' strong!

Props:

Mat = TBD
Reformer = box
Tower = Magic Circle, Reformer Box (low stool is fine too) - just for a few exercises, can be done without
Chair = optional mat, and option pole

See ya in class,
xx-LL

WE GO TOGETHER

ONLINE MAT, REFORMER, TOWER/CADILLAC & WUNDA CHAIR PILATES CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

"We go together like Ramma-lamma-lamma-ka-dingity-da-dinga-dong".

We all know our Hundred helps all the other exercises. But did you know that on the mat the Spine Stretch Forward exercise also goes together with Open Leg Rocker? Or that Teaser on the Cadillac/Tower helps all the other Teasers on the mat, reformer, and Wunda Chair? And strengthening goes with stretching actions!

This month - let's review some exercises that may already be in your practice that you may not know how it can help your challenging exercises, or maybe even advanced exercises. Never overestimate the fundamental or foundational exercises because it’s all connected.

Hopefully, by the time the month ends, you'll see exercises on various apparatuses that will definitely help your mat practice, as well as other exercises on other apparatuses. With all equipment membership, definitely check out all the monthly classes, and see what progresses or improves over the course of the month. And celebrate your wins! And if anything feels stagnant, let us know in the community app, so we can help and support!

Most importantly, have fun as “we go together” all month long! Bonus points if you sing along with us!

Props needed:
Mat: Dowel
Reformer: none
Tower: none
Chair: Theraband

See ya in class,
xx-LL

ROLL WITH ME

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

Its time to focus on the rolling exercises and have fun doing it! If you struggle with rolling there's some gems in here for you. On the Reformer while we won't roll you'll gain insight on how your Reformer supports your rolling mat.

See ya in class,
xx-LL

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: A dowel is helpful on the mat 

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self and a reformer.

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.

WANNA BUTT LIFT?

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

This theme will be a focus on what’s needed for inversion exercises. For inversion exercises, your upper back is what you “stand on” so you need your chest and shoulders open with a strong arm/back connection there. Let’s not over-neck it! Then, you need a strong center and thass to work together to get your hips up. It’s not the hips that are over your neck. It’s the hips up so the legs go overhead.

This means even if inversion exercises are not part of your regular practice, that’s ok. Because guess what? It’s more accessible to find connections when you’re right side up, and then the challenge is to maintain those connections when you’re upside down. So, as long as you’re practicing all the connections when you’re right side up, you’re continuing to build yourself up to have enough strength to someday go upside down. And even if you never go upside down, then you’re building yourself up to hold yourself upright, and that’s what you need to live your best life!

Props Needed : Magic circle

See you in class,
Christine

SUCH A TEASE

ONLINE MAT & REFORMER PILATES CLASS DESCRIPTIONS:

Teaser is probably one of the most photographed exercises in Pilates. Which makes people think it's a "peak pose." But, it's anything but! It's simply another layer to your Pilates practice. This week we will acknowledge how each exercise contributes to your ability to do Teaser (someday) and then how Teaser teaches you where to get curious in your practice.

On the Mat we will use light weights for one round of Teaser as they can be helpful for those still adding into their practice.
No props on the Reformer.

See you in class,

xx~LL

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, light weights and a Mat!

>> Wondering what mat I’m using? You can find out more here.

REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self and a Reformer!

>> Wondering what reformer I’m using? You can find out more here.