In Pilates, we often play with the notion of tempo during movement and though we can also speed up, I have really enjoyed slow, controlled movements lately.

As masks are now a very necessary part of our everyday lives, coupled with general anxiety in terms of the future and the state of the world, our breathing has imperceptibly fallen on the shallow side of the scale. Breathing is important not only in the delivery of oxygen to our cells, but also to the proper mechanics of the neck and shoulder complex.

This one is for all the post abdominal surgery patients out there! The exhausting journey of regaining strength/function post surgery can be overwhelming and perhaps you’ve been given the green light to start exercise, but you have no idea where to start.

There are so many benefits to Pilates including improved stability, greater core connection, and of course, fun! But there are so many more reasons to give it a try.

2020 has been a wild ride so far and it’s no wonder our nervous systems feel permanently locked in “fight or flight” mode.

Short of wishful thinking and a return to our pre-pandemic lives, how can we transition our tendency to live in a sympathetic nervous state, to a more calm “rest and digest”/ “tend and befriend” parasympathetic sense of being?

One of the core principles of Pilates is breathing. Joseph Pilates, the man behind the method, is quoted as saying “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.” As if it wasn’t enough to wonder whether or not you’re doing the exercise correctly, now you have to think about breathing too?