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

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

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

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

This week we focus our thoughts on how wide our backs can get! There is a difference between rounding your shoulders and widening your back. And, this key difference will not only make you stronger but it will make all those overhead and rolling exercises more possible!

• Want Control Balance to feel lifted and strong?
• Wish you could clap your feet 3x during Seal?
• Want your ribs to stay connected?

Then, it’s time to open your mind to the wide back!

xx-LL

Are you ready for a little magic? I know I am! It has been HOT here and so motivating to workout is not the easiest thing. But, thankfully, the mat can be done in 30 min or less. And this week’s class is no different!

This week, I’ve brought in the Magic Circle. But, you don’t have to have one to still get your Pilates and sweat on! If you have a ball or block grab it and if you have none then I’ve got some tips for you too.

Hope you enjoy it and I’ll see you next week where we see just what we can do when we “pull” a little more!

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

Good morning, aloha! Welcome to Maui, I’m here with Arlene again.

It is Day 2 and we are about to do a mat class. This one is actually going to introduce some archival standing stuff. And then see how that just warms up the body and then doing the rest of our mat work. So, I hope you enjoy it!

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

This week we’ll be doing our Reformer exercises on the Mat and the Mat exercise on the Reformer. If you have never done Pilates on a Reformer, there may be some exercise that seem odd to you. And, if you are always choosing our Reformer classes instead of the Mat, you might want to skip this week. But, I really want you to feel how the entire Pilates method works together. How the Reformer can support you and the Mat can challenge you.

On the mat have a set of 1 lb. weights nearby (if you have them it’s not necessary). Reformer lovers you won’t need any extra props just pay attention to different spring settings and flows.

See you in class!

xx~LL

I know it’s not just me. But, have you ever noticed how many exercises start with “single leg” and if they don’t how many exercises are one sided. It’s a lot!

And, why is that? Why so much emphasis on doing asymmetrical work? Well, as you know, we don’t do Pilates to do Pilates better. We do it to do life better! And so much of life is one-sided!

So, let’s rock what we got!

On our Mat and Reformer, we will explore more of the asymmetrical exercises and then challenge what we’ve learned by doing exercises that are symmetrical. You may have to work a bit more through one side!

See ya in class,

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

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

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

So, this week, I hope you are ready to connect to your seat! Because we will use some of my favorite ways to feel your booty in both your Mat and Reformer work.

For the Mat if you have a Magic circle bring it. If not a ball or your amazing imagination will do. We will start the class with some ways to wake up your seat and connect more to your center.

On the Reformer we will play around with what to press more into or less into to find your seat as we flow from start to finish. My hope is that at the end of the week you and your thut (you know your butt below the butt) have found each other created a relationship and are ready to flow.

xx~LL

P.S. What was your favorite thuttocks connection? Share in the comments below!