Whenever LL hears that Pilates is easy or that an exercise isn’t hard she knows that there is zero control happening. The body is moving but it’s basically just doing the choreography. When you are doing Pilates with control and a bit of focus on precision every exercise works the whole body.

This week LL focuses on what’s moving where and really paying attention to even what’s not supposed to be moving. Get ready to ask yourself some questions and feel Pilates in your body at a deeper level.

xx-LL

It’s almost summer here (although you wouldn’t know it by all the rain). And while we likely won’t be getting in public waters anytime soon I thought it would be fun to explore all the “water” exercises!

On the Mat:
Swan, Mermaid, Swimming, Seal, and Crab

On the Reformer:
Rowing, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Swimming and Mermaid!

Get ready to warm up and get your water exercises in!

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

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!

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, your booty, 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 when you activate your butt! Let’s work your booty and more in this week’s class.

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

The Seal! Typically considered a harder version of Rolling Like a Ball. But, is it? Or, is it a time for you to shine?

I know for me the first time I did the seal I thought it was a funny exercise. I wondered why we even did it. And, then my teacher Jay Grimes reminded me that its a time to show off. To show that you can clap your legs in and out while maintaining balance. And not just at the top of the Seal but at the upside down part too!

Are you ready to let your Seal shine? Let’s Seal it Off together this week!

xx-LL

Every so often we just get our flow on. It can feel fast to do this kind of a class but it’s not about going fast or going slow, it’s all about the practice. And, as the class continues to layer in exercises and feel more advanced I will shout out options from earlier in our practice for you to do instead. But, there is to be no judgment. No feeling like you aren’t strong enough. Nope! When we do this kind of class it’s literally a check in. How are you doing? What is still a struggle and where are you feeling improvement. And then share that in our FB group!

Not only will you connect with other members on shared struggles and discoveries but you’ll also inspire themes and tutorials to help you get stronger before our next check in.

No props needed, just yourself!

See ya in class!!

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

I know you love the Reformer! Who doesn’t?! Well, in this week’s class the Reformer meets your mat. Get ready to footwork, row and snake away on your mat. Who needs a reformer when you’ve got your imagination and your muscles?

See you on your mat,

xx-LL

It’s been awhile since we did all of the mat in 30 min! And, here’s the thing, I know for many of you every exercise is not possible. I will be calling options from the beginning of the Mat to replace the end ones. So, you’ll get lots of practice!

For the Reformer while we can’t do the entire Reformer in 30 min we are going to have a good flow and get pretty close. Please feel free to take your time, pause me if you want to juice any exercises out. And, I will try to call out the next exercise info on the last rep of the exercise before so you have time to plan your transition. Are you ready?

xx~LL

Joseph Pilates created the Mat work first, then saw how hard it was for people (I mean, you know) and designed the Reformer. In this week’s mat class we’ll take some of the exercises from last week and continue to add on! If you’ve never been on a Reformer don’t worry. The Reformer exercises were born from the Mat so you’ll recognize a lot of the spine shapes.

See you on your Reforming mat,

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

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

It’s soo easy to feel like your legs just hang off your hip flexors, pull on your back and make you feel like you’re two halves instead of a whole. So, in this weeks Mat and Reformer classes we are going to explore where are legs are moving from and how that helps us in each of our exercises. I’m bringing in some of the subscriber favorites like one leg teaser and one leg stomach massage.

See you in class!

xx~LL

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