Day 321- X Rolls on Ball

This exercise uses the large exercise ball to challenge the proprioception of the body during spine rotation.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a large exercise ball.  Start by lying on your belly on the ball with your arms lengthened out to the side.  Inhale as you rotate your spine to the side, which will open the arm and the chest to the ceiling.  Continue rotating the spine until you are almost lying on your back on the ball.  At this point bring the bottom leg out from underneath the top so that you are on your back.  Then reverse the motion by rotating the spine in the opposite direction.

Things to think about

There is a very good chance that you will fall off of the ball when learning this exercise.  That’s what makes it fun.  Be sure that you have plenty of space around the ball. 

During this exercise, imagine suspending your bones through the balanced tension of you’re myofascial system.  Allow the length of the muscles support the bones as they roll.

Day 306- Sidelying Develop with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise adds a proprioceptive challenge to the sidelying exercise.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with the soft ball underneath your hip.  Lengthen both legs long beneath you.  Inhale into the back of your ribcage as you rotate your top leg outward at the hip socket and then exhale as you bend the knee and begin sliding the foot up the leg.  Inhale again as you straighten the leg into the air and then exhale as you flex your foot and reach your top heel to your bottom heel.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

As you straighten the leg into the air most likely it will not line directly with the pelvis.  To keep the pelvis stacked most people have external rotation that is slightly less than 180 degrees.  Be sure that you are being true to your rotation.

You can always progress this exercise by suspending yourself on your elbow, and work hard to maintain an elongated spine with ease and flow in the leg movement. 

Day 305- Hot Potato with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise adds a proprioceptive challenge to the internal and external rotation of the top hip.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with the soft ball underneath you bottom hip. Lengthen your legs long beneath you and allow the top leg to float into the air.  Inhale into the back of your ribcage as you internally rotate the top leg and tap your toes on the ground in front of the bottom leg.  Exhale as you lift the top leg, externally rotate at the hip and tap the heel on the ground twice behind the bottom leg.  Repeat this pattern eight to ten times. 

Things to think about

It is important in this exercise to keep the hips stacked one on top of the other.  As you rotate your hip and reach your toe or heel to the chances are that your hips and pelvis with move with the leg.  Work hard to maintain pelvic stability.

You can always suspend your upper body above your elbow to progress this exercise even farther.

Day 304- Clam with Internal Rotation with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise adds proprioceptive challenge to the internal rotation of the hip.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with your bottom hip on the soft ball.  Your knees will be bent and your heels should be lined up with the pelvis.  Inhale into the back of the ribcage as you internally rotate the hip and lift the top foot.  Exhale as you return to neutral.  Repeat 8-10 times. 

Things to think about

This exercise can provide a great tension free stretch to the Piriformis.  It is a great way to allow your body to find release without pain in the pelvis.

As always with any rotation exercise it is important to allow the hips to remain stacked and the ribs to be connected to the pelvis.  Often the ribcage will try to fall forward when you lift the top foot.

Day 302- Side Lying Bottom Leg Circles with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise will add proprioceptive challenge and inner thigh connection to the body.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with the bottom hip on the soft ball and your bottom leg lengthened long beneath you.  Cross your top leg in front of you.  Inhale into the back of the ribs and then exhale as you lift the bottom leg and begin to make circles with your thighs.  Repeat  8-10 circles in each direction.

Things to think about

The bottom leg must be in line with the pelvis as you do this exercise.  Often the leg is sneaky and inches its way forward.  Try pressing the leg back slightly so that you can get the back of the inner thighs as well as the front of the inner thighs.

As always you can increase the challenge of this exercise by suspending your body on top of your elbow.    

Day 300- Clam with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise adds a proprioceptive challenge to the external rotation of the clam

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with your knees bent and your heels lined up with your sitz bones.  Your bottom hip will be on the soft ball.  Inhale into the back of your ribs and then exhale as you externally rotate at the hip to lift the knee while squeezing the legs together.  Inhale to release and then exhale angain.  Repeat 8-10 times. 

Things to think about

Keep the pelvis stacked in this exercise.  To isolate the rotation, it is important that the top hip does not fall backwards.  It is sometimes helpful to place a hand on the top hip to make sure that it is staying still.

As always with the soft ball try suspending the sine in the air on the elbow.  This will provide an environment that requires good connection between the ribs and the pelvis.

Day 299- Lift Both Legs with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise gives the body a chance to find the support for the spine from both the side of the body and then deep in the body.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with your legs long beneath you.  Your bottom hip will be on the soft ball.  Inhale into the back of your ribs as you flex your feet and then exhale as you reach through both legs and allow them to float into the air.  Inhale as you release and exhale as you lift them again.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

The most important part of this exercise is reaching through your heels.  This allows you to find balanced strength on both sides of the body so that you can be long on both sides of the waist during the lift.

You can always progress this exercise further by suspending your body in the air on your elbow.  Imagine how long your spine can be if you keep the ribs and the pelvis in line!

Day 298- Inner Thigh Lift with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise requires increased proprioception for the inner thigh lift.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with your bottom hip on the soft ball.  Reach your bottom leg long beneath you and allow your top leg to cross in front of the body.  Inhale in to the back of the ribs to maintain the rib to hip connection and then exhale as you reach through the bottom leg and lift it into the air.  Inhale as you release and then exhale as you repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

This exercise allows the body to find extra length in the bottom of the waist.  Lifting the lower leg puts a balanced tension on the bottom side of the body for added spine support.

To progress this exercise further you can suspend the upper body above the floor on your elbow.  Imagine that you’re spine is a suspension bridge swaying in the wind, never losing its support.

Day 296- Bicycle with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise continues to challenge the proprioception of th spine in a sidelying position.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with the soft ball under your bottom hip.  Lengthen your legs long beneath you and allow the top leg to float into the air.  Inhale as you kick the leg forward and then bend the knee and exhale as you push the heel behind you.  Inhale to straighten the knee behind you, and then kick the leg forward.  Repeat 8-10 times before reversing direction.

Things to think about

This is a very dynamic exercise.  The range of motion at the hip and the varied movement at the joints make controlling this exercise a challenge.  As always you can fall back on the axial length and connection between your pelvis and ribcage to maintain fluidity.

You can challenge yourself further by propping yourself up on your ribcage. 

Day 295- Sidekick Circles in Front with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise continues adding proprioceptive challenges to the side lying leg series.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with the soft ball under your bottom leg.  Lengthen your legs beneath you and allow your top leg to float into the air.  Inhale as you gently kick your leg forward, and then exhale as you begin to make small circles with the leg.  Complete ten circles in each direction and then bring the top leg back to meet the bottom leg.

Things to think about

To keep the spine stable you can counter balance the leg by concentrating the inhale into the back of your ribcage.  This will allow the spine to stay long and strong.

Be sure to allow the length in the hamstring keep the pelvis neutral.  Think of reaching the tailbone away from the sitz bone to stabilize the pelvis during the circles.

Day 294- Sidekick with Circles Behind with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise uses the soft ball to provide proprioceptive challenges to the body in a sidelying series

To do this exercise you will need a mat.  Start by lying on your side with the soft ball under the bottom hip.  Exhale as you lift the top leg to hip height and press it behind you.  Continue breathing as you begin to draw small circles with your thigh.  Do ten circles in each direction, and then release the thigh to the bottom leg.

Things to think about

The circular motion in the hip socket will be difficult to accomplish without movement at the ribcage.  Keep the longest possible spine so that the motion can be isolated in the hip sockets.

You can challenge yourself further by propping your body on your elbow and the soft ball.

Day 293- Sidekicks with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise adds a proprioceptive challenge to the classic Pilates Side kick

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with the soft ball under the bottom hip and both legs lengthened long beneath you.  Inhale into the back of the ribs and then exhale as you lift the top leg.  Next, Inhale as you kick the top leg forward and then exhale as you lengthen the top leg behind you.  Repeat 8-10 times and then release the top legs.

Things to think about

It is important to keep the ribcage integrated with the pelvis during this exercise.  The ribcage will want to move in the opposite direction of the leg, but if you concentrate on the length of your spine and lifting the bottom rib you can truly challenge the body.

To make it easier feel free to use your bottom hand to support the body,  or to challenge yourself allow the top arm to reach towards the ceiling.

Day 292- Side Lying Leg Lifts with Squishy Ball Under Hip

This exercise adds a proprioceptive challenge to the side lying leg lifts.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your side with your bottom hip on top of the soft ball and your legs lengthened long beneath you.  Inhale into the back of your ribs and then exhale as you reach through the top leg and allow it to lift into the air.  Inhale to release the top leg and then repeat the leg lift 8-10 times.

Things to think about

The wobbles will be here.  The soft ball requires extra stabilization throughout the entire spine as you lift the leg.  It is helpful to place a hand on the floor for support, and as always it is important to maintain the longest possible spine.

It might also help to prop yourself up on your elbow for this exercise.

Day 265- Oblique Pull Ups on Ball

This exercise uses the circular movement of the legs to create engagement in the oblique abdominals.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a large physioball.  Start by bearing weight on your hands with your shins on the large ball.  Inhale into the back of your ribs and then exhale as you draw your knees to your right armpit, then pass the knees underneath you and then point the knees at the left armpit, and finally inhale as you lengthen them long behind you.  Repeat 6 times in one direction and then reverse.

Things to think about

As you are making the circles with your knees, be sure that you are pointing the crown of your head towards the ground.  This will allow your spine to be the longest that it can be.

Make sure that your shoulders are stabile and connected to your back.  This will help maintain the connection of the ribcage to the pelvis as you rotate.

Day 264- Pull Ups on Ball

This exercise adds a proprioceptive challenge as the body is moving in and out of spine flexion.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a large physioball.  Start by bearing weight on your hands with your shins on the large ball.  Inhale to prepare and then exhale as you bend your knees and lift your belly to bend your spine.  This will bring your knees underneath you.  Inhale as you lengthen your legs away from you, and then exhale as you repeat. 

Things to think about

Think of this exercise as a much more challenging version of the cat/cow in a quadruped position.  To the flexion of the spine we are simply adding movement of the lower legs. 

Make sure you remember that your head is technically part of your spine in the alignment sense.  When you are bending your spine, you are also dropping the crown of your head to the ground.

Day 263- Leg Pull Front Legs on Ball

This exercise adds even more proprioceptive challenge to the leg pull front.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a large physioball.  Start by bearing weight on your hands and placing your shins on the top of the ball.  Be sure that you are supporting the length of your spine with the abdominals and that you are maintaining the connection of the ribcage to the front of the pelvis.  Inhale to prepare and then exhale as you lift one leg off of the ball.  Inhale to replace the leg and exhale as you lift the other leg off of the ball.  Repeat 8-10 times on each side.

Things to think about

All of our proprioceptive challenges with the foam roller were hard and the foam roller can only roll in two directions.  Now imagine the infinite directions that a sphere can move.  This requires much more abdominal control and relies on the stability of the shoulders and the pelvis to keep the spine safe.

Check in with your shoulders, are they connected to your ears?  Be sure to slide the shoulder blades down your back and maintain soft elbows so that you can keep your neck and wrists safe.

Day 187- Rolling Like a Ball with Slomo Ball

This exercise is variation on the classic Pilates Rolling Like a Ball exercise.  The soft ball adds resistance training to the inner thighs

 

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start in a sitting position with the soft ball between your knees.  Inhale into the back of the ribs and then exhale as you curl your spine.  Find a place where you are balanced towards the back of your pelvis and then allow your feet to float just above the floor.  Inhale again and then exhale as you roll back towards your shoulder blades and then return to this balanced position.  Repeat 6-8 times.

 

Things to think about

If you have osteoporosis you should not do this exercise.  But please visit The Pilates Studio’s weekly blog and visit the posts for the month of Oct 2012.  There are many osteoporosis friendly workouts

 

This exercise is a great way to explore the head to tail connection.  As you make your ball shape imagine that your head, spine, and pelvis are creating half of a circle.

 

If you feel your ribcage hit the ground before your low back, you may be having trouble finding your deep abdominals.  Stop at the top of the movement and be sure that you are finding the abdominals right below your belly button.

  

Day 176- Double Straight Leg Stretch with Pelvis on Ball

This exercise is a challenging variation of the Joseph Pilates Classic Double Straight Leg Stretch

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with the soft ball underneath your pelvis.  Your legs should be reaching towards the ceiling.  Inhale into the back of the ribcage, and then exhale as you lower your legs four inches and then bring them back to the starting positing.  Inhale in between repetitions and then exhale as you lower and lift your legs again.  Repeat 8-10 times.

Things to think about

Finding the midline of the body is essential to the safety of the spine in this exercise.  As you complete the repetitions be sure that you are squeezing your ankles, big toe knuckles, and sitz bones together. 

The exhale allows you to access the very inner core of the body.  As you exhale the diaphragm lifts into the lungs, which helps to lift the pelvic floor and engages the transverse abdominals.

Day 175-Single Straight Leg Stretch with Pelvis on Ball

This exercise is a variation of the Pilates Classic Single Straight Leg Stretch.  The Soft Ball provides a proprioceptive challenge to the core.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with your pelvis on a soft ball.  Bring your legs first to tabletop position, and then straighten your legs towards the ceiling.  Inhale into the back of your ribcage and then exhale as you lower one leg towards the ground.  Continue exhaling as you switch your legs, and then inhale for two more leg switches.  Repeat for 8-10 breath cycles. 

Things to think about

The soft ball gives added challenge to the body’s proprioception.  It is important to be connected to the breath, and to allow the diaphragm to completely release as you exhale.  This allows the spine to lengthen while the core is engaged.

As your pelvis wobbles on the ball, imagine that your belly button is smiling and that your hipbones are narrowing.

Day 174- Double Bent Leg Stretch with Pelvis on Ball

This exercise is a variation on Joseph Pilates Stomach Series.  The soft ball provides proprioceptive challenge to pelvic stability.

To do this exercise you will need a mat and a soft ball.  Start by lying on your back with your head, neck, and shoulders on the ground. Your pelvis is on the soft ball.  Hug both of your knees to your chest for a slight lumbar stretch and then bring them to a tabletop position.  Inhale into the back of your ribs and then exhale as you stretch your legs towards the opposite wall.  Inhale as you bring your knees back to you, and exhale as you lengthen them again.  Repeat this for 8-10 repetitions.

Things to think about

It is hard to maintain axial elongation when the pelvis is elevated on an unstable base.  It is important to remember the breath’s role during this exercise.  Imagine as you are lengthening your legs to the opposite wall your exhale is allowing the diaphragm to release in the opposite direction.  This gives the body length and supports the spine.