Love it or loathe it Teaser is going to continue to show up in your Pilates practice. And, while it is not the “peak” post of Pilates it sure is the most “known” exercise. In this week’s Mat class we will cover all the different ways to strengthen your practice and find the Teaser that is right for you. BTW, if you have a wall near by that you can put your feet on you’ll want to have it close by.

On the Reformer side of this practice we will focus on how all the exercises that pre-ceed and proceed the Teaser really help us do the Teaser. And, if you know that Teaser on the Reformer is not your jam don’t worry. You get to keep you move on with other suggestions I have up my sleeve for you.

Our ultimate goal this week is to to see what Teaser is telling us everyday we practice.

Be sure to share what Teaser told you in the class comments or class group!

xx~LL

How does 1 little extra lb change your entire practice? I am not talking about your scale! I am talking about your mat work! What happens to how you feel your practice when you take one lb and add it in to almost every exercise?

Find out this week in class! It’s fun! And, if you don’t have a 1lb you can try a theraband or go weightless and imagine what 1 lb feels like. The mind is a pretty powerful thing!

Can’t wait to hear how what new discoveries you had.

xx-LL

It’s no secret we are a society that is beginning to round forward. Standing tall or pulling your shoulders back can only do so much. We have to strengthen the body to hold ourselves up so we don’t have to think about it all day and every day.

Today’s class with LL requires no props and if you have a mat great but as long as you have enough floor space to lay down and reach your arms out you are good to go. So, no excuses for missing 30 min to get Pilates in your body. You’ll be paying extra attention to your back muscles and your outer hips. Most of our workouts and lives do not give the side bodies enough attention. Today you will give these muscles the love and strength they deserve.

xx-LL

Back by OPC member demand – the squishy ball! We did some of these back in February when we brought our barrel work to our Mat and Reformer practices. This week we are going to bring back the bits you all voted you liked best and a few others.

If that is all gibberish to you because you’re new… don’t worry… just grab a ball and get ready to have some fun.

Don’t have a ball? Grab a Yoga bolster, foam roller or a couple good pillows to help prop you up!

xx-LL

Breathing. Easier said than done. Have you ever noticed where you are breathing from? Maybe you’re breathing into your back like a Pilates pro… or maybe you’re trying but it’s getting stuck in your chest, neck, shoulders or face?

In this week’s classes it’s less about doing things “right” and more about how we can use our breathe to facilitate our movement.

Are you ready to breathe? Don’t worry, we’ll still be getting an awesome Pilates workout!

See ya in class,

xx-LL

Sometimes we are all about the Mat! And, well, these are mat classes so it’s pretty hard not to be all about the mat work. But, the rest of the Pilates method was designed to support us when we are on the mat. So, this week, while we mat out we will be gaining strength and inspiration from Pilates exercises typically done on the other pieces of equipment!

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

Ok, the title of this week’s class is pretty boring. But the workouts will be anything BUT! Because we are focusing on all the ways we circle in our Pilates practice. Where do they start from? Where do they stop? Is it always the same?

All you’ll need is you for 95% of these classes. But if you have a magic circle, we will use it just at the beginning of both the Mat and Reformer to remind ourselves where we circle from.

See your circles in class!

xx-LL

As we know they’ve done studies that show sitting is the new smoking. And, while you’re a Pilates rockstar who probably has a standing desk the challenge of going from sitting to standing without using your hands is tricky.

Now, before I continue I know that some of you have injuries that prevent you from going from standing to sitting and sitting to standing. Don’t worry. This class is still for you. You can skip those parts. We will be focusing mostly on the exercises in between.

On the Mat we will challenge your seat and play with getting your hips up without momentum. And on the Reformer we will play with the different series that help us open and close our hips!

After all we do Pilates not to be better at Pilates but to be stronger doing life.

xx~LL

One of my most top watched Youtube tutorials is the Long Stretch Series. Every time I film a new video breaking it down it’s instantly popular. It was also my first video I ever posted to Youtube. So, this week’s Mat class will take the Long Stretch Series off the Reformer and ask how to get long, get up, get down and yes, we will even do the Elephant.

For those of you on the Reformer we will thread this series through some of the basic exercises and then a grand finale that you can join in, either on your Reformer or on the Floor (if you’re needing another option).

See you in class,

xx~LL

Whether you are doing Pilates, weight training, yoga or cardio it’s super easy to focus on the front side of the body and to not think about or connect to your back side. So, this week’s class “hello, from the other side” (yes, you can belt it like Adele) is all about what the back side of our body is doing.

On the Mat, if you have a Magic Circle we will kick class off with a mini warm up to connect to our seat. You can use your imagination or even a ball. Something you can press into.

On the Reformer we will not need anything extra but feel free to have some 1 or 2 lb. weights nearby if you want to skip the heavier springs.

See ya in class,

xx-LL

A TheraBand is useful in so many ways! It can help you stretch, challenge your strength and even be the springs and opposition that our Pilates equipment provides. So, bringing it to class this week we will find out how many ways the TheraBand can help us and a few exercises where it challenges our work!

And, the best part about this prop is if you don’t have one you’re still good to go for this week’s class. If you’re traveling, you can pack this prop in a side pocket of any bag. So no excuses!

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

Grab your Magic Circle for some of my favorite ways to use the Magic Circle! On the Mat, we’ll be using it every few exercises to wake up some more dormant muscles. You know those ones that like to rest while others work?! And, on the Reformer, we’ll use it to enhance a few exercises and teach some others.

No circle, no problem! You’ll just do the exercises like they were intended and use your imagination along the way.

Ready for some magic?

xx~LL

By request, we are starting an exploration of extension. This will be one of many that we do. This week, we explore what it means to find length in the spine without doing massive backbends. I used to think that extension could only exist if my feet were touching my head. But, after lots of studying in my own body, I have found that the more I allow the extension to stay away from my lower back and work its way up my spine the more strength I feel in my body. In this week’s class enjoy the mini extension exploration. And, take it a few times because the thing about relearning extension is the more you do it the more your body remembers!

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

If you’re not familiar with the full Pilates studio apparatus, you might be thinking, “What is a barrel?” Well, don’t worry! You don’t need to run out and get this just yet. Although, after this week’s classes, you may want one for yourself.

I’m obsessed with the Spine Corrector, we have a whole play list on it at OPC and there are several exercises we can apply to our Mat and Reformer classes. This week, if you have foam roller or yoga bolster, squishy ball or block (that would be the least enjoyable one), bring them to class and we will kick off class with a yummy series and see how it sets us up for our entire flow!

See you in class,

xx~LL