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Swan with a Ball on the Mat

Home  »  Pilates Mat Exercises | Free Tutorials   »   Swan with a Ball on the Mat
  • November 3, 2019
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Swan with a Ball on the Mat - Online Pilates Classes

Swan with a Ball on the Mat

Swan on the Pilates Mat is a delicious extension exercise. But, it’s also an easy one to cheat on. Finding the length, the strength and maintaining the connections of your arms to your back can be tricky. Using the Triad Ball or another squishy ball is a fabulous way to focus on your length and connection without feeling stuck or frustrated. I love adding a prop into your Mat practice to help you explore where you can connect more and where you need to connect more. Try the Swan with the ball and then try it without the ball.

Reach your tailbone away from your heart and keep length in your neck.

Laying on your stomach with straight arms in front of you, place both hands on top of the ball. Leg long behind you with your legs ideally hugging together. If that affects your lower back, you can separate your legs. In either leg position, spin your inner thighs up to help you get more of your hamstrings and inner thighs. Before lifting your chest, feel your shoulder blades come down your back and connect your upper back muscles into the exercise.

Pressing into the ball, lift your chest forward and slightly up. Focus on reaching your chest forward instead of trying to rise as high as you can. Then press your hands into the ball as you lower your chest down and reach your chest longer. Your legs remain hugging together and pressing down into the mat. Do this 3-5x and then remove the ball and try to do your Swan without a prop. See if you can reach your arms from your back. If you can try the dive! If you cannot repeat this exercise with the prop and then try again without it. You may not get up as high but the goal is to be long and connected.

Be sure to check out more of my Pilates Mat exercises. I want to help you continue your Pilates Mat training!

By lesley.logan

Lesley Logan, NCPT, is the founder of OnlinePilatesClasses.com, the first free online catalogue of Pilates exercise tutorial videos, where you can also find weekly online mat classes and workshops. When not teaching from her studio in Los Angeles, Lesley can be found traveling the world leading Pilates retreats, or offering Pilates business coaching to studio owners and other instructors through her private mastermind group. Connect with Lesley on instagram @lesley.logan or through the contact page on this site.

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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.

A CHRISTMAS TWIST

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

I'm sure it's similar in the USA to Europe - Christmas is around the corner and it´s a busy time when we are trying to make the end of the year something special. Often there is little time to workout or we prefer relaxing movements. In this week's Mat & Reformer Class, we will celebrate and restore our bodies with some extra lift, breath and stretch while focusing on all rotation exercises.

Props Mat: Theraband
No props needed on Reformer (just Box, Pad)

See you in class,
Yasmin 🌸

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, Theraband and a mat!

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

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

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

All IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT AS A STAR

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

Sometimes when an exercise is challenging, we get a sense of panic in our body, and we rush through it. In this work out, we’ll see how our side body can help us through challenging movement to calm us down and and help us lean into our strength. We’ll even find a few star shapes along the way.

Mat: Magic Circle
Reformer: Rod/ pole/ swifter handle

See you in class,
Megan

PLANK YOU VERY MUCH!

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

Do you know how to stop time... Do a timed Plank!! So this month we will not be stopping time, but we will go though all of the points you should think about when you are doing a plank. There are many planks throughout the Mat and Reformer work. Working on these areas from head to toe and making them all come together for each Plank! Arm/back connection, Thass® connection, and how do we stay out of those wrists? On each apparatus we will help you find these areas and strengthen your Plank each time!

Tower/Cadillac - no props
Wunda Chair - optional mat
Mat - light weights and a magic circle
Reformer - no props

See ya in class,
xx-LL 💋

ROCKING AROUND THE 🎄

Online Mat, Reformer, Cadillac & Wunda Chair Pilates Class Descriptions:

What do Rolling Like A Ball, Tendon Stretch, Teaser, Up Stretch, Pull Up, Swan-Dive, Open Leg Rocker, Flying Eagle, Short Spine, Boomerang, and Snake have in common???

They all help us build strength and allow us to explore connections in our bodies to do Around the Clock and Rocking!!

Around the Clock helps to ignite a fire in our center and continues to warm us up as we rock and stretch, rock and stretch, rock and stretch until we’ve made a full circle (clock)…and back. It’s a fun and challenging exercise.

Rocking requires us to be warm, maybe even HOT, all the way through our bodies so we can create our best and biggest extension before we start to move (rock). It’s a very empowering exercise, but it is also quite challenging.

Your OPC teachers have ALL MONTH LONG to help you find strength, connections, and flexibility to see if you can improve throughout the month. Even if you’ve never tried these exercises, see what you can do at the beginning of the month, and then check in with yourself (and us) halfway through. There will be plenty for you to explore and try during each workout, but if you find yourself questioning anything, we’ll be here to help you out! Just send in a FFF

Let's rock, rock, rock...around that Christmas tree!

No props needed.

See ya in class,
xx-LL 💋

ROCK YOUR BODY

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

We live in a world where there is a lot of sitting so it’s as if we’re closed off to the world around us. The head is forward, the shoulders round, the upper back collapses forward, the low back slumps back, and the front of our hips are in this folded position. I think we’re all familiar with this body shape.

I have practiced Pilates daily for so many years now that it’s hard to remember life before. But one of the reasons why I continue to do so is to reverse the daily effects of sitting. So for this week, we’re building up to the rocking exercise. We’ll work on opening up the front of the hips and shoulders. To do that we need to strengthen our thass connection, and our arm back connection. Good news is we have the entire order of the mat and reformer to help us prepare for rocking, and open us up!

Prop for mat and reformer is the Magic Circle. Or a yoga block or squishy ball to squeeze into, and theraband or leggings to press out.

See you in class,
Christine

MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, Magic Circle and a mat!

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

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

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

CAN YOU KICK IT?

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

I'll spare rapping for you, but that's what this is about! All about the single leg kick and double leg kick. These exercises are super important for us to slay the last half of our Mat practice. They are entirely back body, so on the Reformer, they'll really support your Swan and all your other extensions. And if you've been struggling connecting to your seat, this is where it all happens! Can you kick it?!

Mat: light weights
Reformer: no props needed

See ya in class,
xx-LL 💋

CAN YOU KICK IT?

Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

I'll spare rapping for you, but that's what this is about! All about the single leg kick and double leg kick. These exercises are super important for us to slay the last half of our Mat practice. They are entirely back body, so on the Reformer, they'll really support your Swan and all your other extensions. And if you've been struggling connecting to your seat, this is where it all happens! Can you kick it?!

See ya 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.

    NOT THE EXORCIST

    Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

    It’s a week filled with ROTATION, but I swear it’s not the scary EXORCIST kind of rotation!

    We’ll be exploring where we can add rotation to throughout our practice and how we can find our TRUE rotation in different areas of the body. No cheating!

    Join me this week as we focus on spinal rotation to help ourselves stretch and strengthen, while also exploring internal and external rotation at the shoulders and the hips.

    If you are a tactile learner, or if you like to be a bit more reflective about your practice every now and then, you’ll love class this week. We’ll slightly slow down to give ourselves an opportunity to listen to our bodies and maybe fine tune a little bit as we go along.

    Mat: Resistance Band and yoga block [barrel is optional for Roll Over]
    Reformer: Pole, small ball, and yoga block

    See you in class,
    Rachel Piper

    ALL IS CALM, ALL IS BRIGHT AS A STAR

    Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

    Sometimes when an exercise is challenging, we get a sense of panic in our body, and we rush through it. In this work out, we’ll see how our side body can help us through challenging movement to calm us down and and help us lean into our strength. We’ll even find a few star shapes along the way.

    See you in class,
    Megan

    MAT EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, Magic Circle and a mat!

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

    REFORMER EQUIPMENT NEEDED: Your awesome self, rod/pole/swifter handle and a reformer!

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

    ROCK YOUR BODY

    Online Mat & Reformer Pilates Class Descriptions:

    We live in a world where there is a lot of sitting so it’s as if we’re closed off to the world around us. The head is forward, the shoulders round, the upper back collapses forward, the low back slumps back, and the front of our hips are in this folded position. I think we’re all familiar with this body shape.

    I have practiced Pilates daily for so many years now that it’s hard to remember life before. But one of the reasons why I continue to do so is to reverse the daily effects of sitting. So for this week, we’re building up to the rocking exercise. We’ll work on opening up the front of the hips and shoulders. To do that we need to strengthen our thass connection, and our arm back connection. Good news is we have the entire order of the mat and reformer to help us prepare for rocking, and open us up!

    Prop for mat and reformer is the Magic Circle. Or a yoga block or squishy ball to squeeze into, and theraband or leggings to press out.

    See you in class,
    Christine

    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