While not everyone has a set of hand weights laying around if you do grab them. If you don’t or you have a shoulder or neck injury skip the weights and join in for class anyway. Props are only a suggestion to help you feel something different in your mat practice.

xx-LL

We start our work standing and we end our work standing. What happens on the mat in between is the magic that allows standing at the end to be more invigorating and for many of us possible!

This week, let’s find the magic of the transitions and nuances of the exercises to help us go from the mat to standing on our two feet with strength and control!

xx-LL

I don’t know about you but sometimes my lower abs just feel like they are on vacation. My legs LOVE to do ALL the WORK. This week’s class we are getting low! Every exercise we examine how we can get a little more work from the lower abs. And, while we do it get ready to feel those hamstrings and seat work.

xx-LL

Last week’s mat class was a big hit, and we got lots of feedback, so this week we’re keeping the theme but putting a new twist on it!

It’s easy to think “shoulder back” or “heart open” but what if in trying to open your chest you accidentally closed your back?

Sometimes good cues can cause bad habits. So this week let’s try to hone our extension and openness skills without creating tension or bad habits!!

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

Hi, I’m Lesley Logan and I’m here with Arlene Salomon in Maui for a beautiful Pilates retreat!

We are here at her amazing Pilates studio, which happens to be on the water, and today’s class is all about feeling where we are on the mat. It is our first day and the first class of the retreat so we’re all just kind of getting to know our body on the grass. I hope you enjoy it!

xx-LL

It’s easy to think about the curling higher in Pilates or reaching more in an exercise. But, what about the “pulling” action in Pilates? And, how can you Pull from the right place to allow you to curl higher and reach more?

This weeks class we think about pulling from a few different places in every exercise to help us dive deeper into our entire mat!

We flow in this class and you don’t have to worry about anything but where to pull from!

Are you ready? See you on the mat!

xx~LL

Hello, good morning! It is day 3 here on our retreat in Maui and I can’t believe it’s going by so fast – it’s so beautiful.

We’re just about to start class. We’re doing a whole thing with the footwork in the beginning and stretching the hamstrings and really getting into our seat and our stomach because a lot of us hiked yesterday.

I hope you enjoy it and I will see you next time!

xx-LL

This week’s class is inspired by every person who has rocked back and not rocked right back up. It happens. It seems like such an easy exercise when you rock back and it’s almost shocking you can’t rock back up right? But, the truth is this rolling exercise is more than rocking back and forth. There are some key things you can do in the exercise to make it happen. And, there are pieces throughout the mat work that help teach your body how to rock back and right back up.

This week let’s roll that open leg rocker!

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

The weight pole aka bar in the Pilates Mat can be used for more than just the Roll Up and the Thigh Stretch. In fact, it’s purpose in those two exercises can be a tool for many different Pilates Mat exercises!

If you do not have a pole, weighted bar you can try 1lb weights, a dowel or a theraband. If you have none of those items I do give ways to do this class without and it will still be a challenge! So, no need to skip this week!

I hope you have fun finding your back strength and playing with the way connecting to your back with this pole can affect more than your Roll Up!

xx-LL

When doing Pilates it’s easy to get obsessed with your core or keeping your shoulders out of your ears. But, the more connected you are to your seat the stronger your entire body will feel. Some of those notorious hip grippy exercises like Spine stretch forward teaser will become more tolerable and you may even find you enjoy them a little bit!

xx-LL

In my personal Pilates practice, I’ve been noticing that while I can connect to my second seat quite well. I have been leaving my lower core hanging out! It’s so funny how our bodies like to “forget” something we already worked on ages ago. But, needless to say, I’ve been cheating a bit.

So, this past week I have been focusing on containing myself (which is quite opposite for how I like to live my life). In this week’s Pilates mat class we will focus on containing our core and what that means especially for when we are facing gravity.

Are you ready for your 30 min core containment? Register here for this week’s class.

See you on your Mat!

xx-LL

Ok, I’m coming clean! I absolutely hate stretching post a run or workout with my trainer. I mean, I would rather do a full on mat workout after a run or training session than sit and stretch or roll. And while there are plenty of opinions on whether or not stretching even works. What I can say from experience is that using Pilates as my cross training has kept me injury free even when I was a competitive runner. So, this week’s class is taking the mat workout as a post-run/spin/elliptical or cross-training workout. How can we use the mat to open up what those workouts tighten up? How can we strengthen what those workouts overlook and how can we check in with where our body is that day?

I hope you enjoy this weeks mat class!

xx-LL

The SideKicks used to just include the Front and Back. But many of Joseph Pilates students have added a few variations to this. Why? Because the sidekicks are so important. Our side strength is what helps us do movements in multiple planes at once.

Think about how you move in life. When you are taking your groceries from the cart to your trunk you are lifting, twisting, bending and turning. Having strong obliques and glutes is key to stabilizing and agility. I mean, these muscles have to be able to do movements in both directions.

This week, we are taking the strength of our sidekicks through our mat work. Get ready to feel your hips in a whole new way!

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

It’s a common cue in any Pilates class and exercise for a teacher to ask you to “find your length” or, reach in two directions. But, you are also supposed to keep everything connected at the same time.

In this week’s mat pilates class we will explore finding the length in our bodies but without letting it all hang out!

Can’t wait to hear how this feels for you!

See you on your mat!

xx-LL

What’s the deal with leg pulls? You know those two exercises towards the end of the mat that we tend to skip? They look and feel like push-ups or reverse push-ups. But, they are so much more than meets the eye.

In fact, whenever I do them I feel way more going on in my body than I ever do with a push-up. This week, we will use our entire mat to prepare us for these two Pilates gems.

See you on your mat!

xx-LL