I don’t know about you but this is the hardest part of the holidays. I can get through Halloween and Thanksgiving, but my will power not to indulge at every party is waning.

Thankfully, all year long we have been practicing quality over quantity in our Pilates practice and that applies to party treats too!

This week, we will get through the whole mat in 30 min (complete with modifications if needed) because a little of each exercise will go a long way in our Pilates practice.

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

Too often we skip Control Balance at the end of our practice. Sometimes we run out of time, other times we think we are not ready for it. But, you may be ready sooner than you think! And, sometimes it’s just a matter of learning how to be upside down, stand on your shoulders and breathe!

This week let’s take the oath to Control balance! It’s a little road less traveled but the feels are worth it!

xx-LL

Sooo… one of the things I see as I travel around teaching people, is how much they are not using their down reach in their down stretch. In fact, they’re doing an incredible job working their shoulders and many are good at not hanging in their lower back. But, there’s soo much good stuff in the down stretch. So, whether you’re on the Mat or joining us on the Reformer too get ready to get down in your down stretch!

Let’s get down to go up!

xx~LL

Opening your front without closing your back!

This week’s class is a special request from one of YOU! While I don’t work hours in front of my computer I too am on my devices or working hours rounded forwarded working with a client.

In today’s day, it’s more common that we are rounding forward than sitting or standing tall. But, how do you open your chest without crunching your shoulders blades onto your back and causing your shoulders to rise into your ears?

This week’s class is going to take a tour through our regular mat order but with an open front and a wide back!

See you on your mat!

xx-LL

The Boomerang! Not just any mat exercise. But, almost every mat exercise!

I used to just say Boomerang was a rolling Teaser. But, as I made this class the truth is it’s more than that. It’s the rollover, it’s the seal, it’s the double leg kick arms, it’s inner thighs of spine twist and so many more.

Boomerang is often skipped in a mat class because it has so many moving parts, so this week’s class gives it the spotlight it truly deserves… Have fun thinking about the Boomerang for a full 30 min!

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

Somethings in life you can just “wing it.” But, in Pilates the set up is at least half the battle. And, while it’s important to move it’s also important to set yourself up for success. Even if you just hold it!

This week we will still get our move on but we will discuss the set up more in depth that usual. And, if you decide to hold it for the length of the exercise awesome or you can flow through until we set up the next one. This week the in between is your call and I’ll handle all the good stuff to get you anchored in place.

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

Join Lesley Logan for a 30 min Pilates mat class designed for you to do anywhere you can lay down! Seriously, Pilates was designed on the mat first. Sometimes we can’t get to a studio, can’t leave the house, office or we are off traveling. Lesley’s mat class is perfect for your 30 min window dedicated to all things you. Turn your notifications off and lay out your mat (or even a towel) and get connected to your mat.

Your mat is just like a piece of equipment. It gives you feedback on what’s touching, not touching and supports your movements. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get connected!

xx-LL

I am the biggest fan of a good Swan exercise! I absolutely love to do this exercise. It feels so good when I connect to all the right spots. But, how did Joe do it in his book? That’s what we will explore this week as well as a few other OG versions of our Mat work from his book Return to Life. Which if you haven’t read you should! It’s pretty great at guiding you through his mat practice.

xx-LL

As the end of the year approaches it has me thinking about the end of our mat order: The Push-ups. When I first started teaching I would wonder why they came at the end.  Why not at the beginning or somewhere in the middle?

This week we will take a look at how we are being prepared for the push-ups our entire mat practice and also how the Push-ups wrap up our mat work with a tight bow!

Are you ready to wrap up this year, enjoy the end of the mat work and put a bow on all of it?  Yep, me too!

xx-LL

Rolling exercises look so easy – and then you do them! And, the trickiest part about them is how easy it is to do them wrong. Yep, you can roll and get back up and be cheating your whole way through.

In this weeks Mat class we’ll use the Magic circle to help us Roll like a pro. And on the Reformer we will focus on how practicing our Rolling exercises allows us to do things like Shortspine, Knee Stretches and even Corkscrew.

Share your love or discoveries in the class comments or in our private member group!

xx~LL

Happiest new year! It’s the first week of 2019 and it’s that resolution time. But, instead of this being about how many times you’ll commit to doing your Pilates. What if instead we used this class as a marker and a goal setter? What if as the class goes on you see just how far you can go and make a note of where you want to get in your practice?

For example: what if you find your roll up rocks but your neck pull has some work todo? This class will help reveal where you rock and where you want to rock a little bit more!

I’ll be layering exercises to help you build from one to the next so you can make some exercise goals!

xx-LL

P.S. Afterwards I would love to hear what your exercise goals are!

I really think you can Up Stretch sooner than you think. And, I know my Mat-only lovers are wondering… Upstretch? What? Don’t worry, you know it! You do it in many forms on the Mat, but we call it Double Straight Leg Stretch or Jackknife. So, let’s get up in our Upstretch and we’ll explore how the Mat exercises truly do prepare you for some of the complicated Reformer exercises.

See you on the Upside

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