Class #2509

Pilates Arc Stability

10 min - Class
89 likes

Description

Work on your stability in this Pilates Arc workout with Elizabeth Larkam. She teaches an efficient, standing workout that develops coordination and balance. She includes novel progressions to improve alignment by connecting the feet, ankles, knees, and hips to the pelvis and spine.
What You'll Need: Pilates Arc, Wall

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Transcript

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Welcome to Palladio's anytime. I'm Elizabeth Larkin. I'm here with Norris Tomlinson. Norris is the owner of Saran Pele's in Chicago and Norris and I have been collaborating on [inaudible] projects for 18 years. Checkout Norris has two classes on Pele's any time. I would also like to encourage you to take a look at the Palazzos anytime workshop by Zhang Claude West.

I am eternally grateful to John Claude for being such a generous teacher and guide to me for well over 25 years. Norris and I are here today to do a brief program of standing all standing on the Palazzos arc. First, you'll face a stable platform or a wall, a door jam and stand your right foot. Stand your right foot onto the gentle slope with your right big toe hooked over the edge. Hold on to something steady and then stand onto the steep slope with your left foot. Check to see that your arc is parallel to the wall or to the plane in front of you and make an anchor with your big toes so your big toes and heels are firmly anchored.

You have a good firm stance through your first ray rock to your right, to the gentle slope of the Ark. Drive your left sitting bone down towards your right ankle and then rock to your left. Bending your right knee. Here we go. This rocking side to side, making a clear connection between your sitting bone and your heel, keeping a force of abduction, drawing the tops of your inner thighs towards each other. So that's the first variation. Rocking side to side, alternating knees bending. Now keep your knees and extension and its tail wagging or Lumbar side bending pushed down on your right foot. Aim your right sitting bone to the left heel and pushed down on your left foot.

Aim your left sitting bone to your right heel. So lumbar spines, side bending or tail wagging, uh, deleting or editing out any kind of rotation of your pelvis, only side bending. Now the third variation in this orientation is to push down with the sole of your right big toe, steering your ankle forward over your toes and then make a clear connection from your left sitting bone through your left big toe. Alternate. Now have the intention of keeping your pelvis level. So there is a bit of a lateral translation of your central axis because of the asymmetrical design of the arch. Two more here, broad across your collarbones and long in the back of your neck.

Now for the dismount, always stand on the gentle slope. First, take your uphill foot off, stand on stable ground and turn your arc around. Stand on the gentle slope first. That would be your left big toe just on the inside of the rib of the arch and then stand onto your right foot as well. We'll rock back and forth from your right foot, pushing down to your left foot, pushing down your whole central axis shifts to the right and shifts to the left. Inhale as if to fill up your right long exhale as if to empty your right lung, all the while, steering your knees forward over their respective second or third toes and keeping a force of abduction for the second variation, both knees, steaks standard and you rock your pelvis to the right and down to the left length in the right side of your waist and length in the left side of your waist, tail wagging or Lumbar side bending, keeping the plane of your pelvis directly forward.

You could have the idea that your naval lights shine slightly towards the leg that's pushing down. It's not that your pelvis and lumbar spine actually rotate. You just have the thought naval light shines to the right. Naval light shines to the left. Now the third one is to push down with the sole of your left toes, plantar flection on the left side. Lower your left heel and plantar flection on the right side.

Alternate now having the intention of keeping your pelvis, your Asi s fairly level as you drive from sitting bone to heal from sitting bone. The heel as if the naval light shines to the right and the naval light shines to the left. The right sitting bone aims towards the inner left ankle. The left sitting bone aims to the inner right ankle. Plenty to think about. No one's bored here. Now stand on the gentle slope. That's your left foot. Careful on the dismount.

The right foot comes off and come down. Spin the arc now so that you have the steep slope towards the wall. And to make a measurement just to make sure that there's plenty of room for the arc to rock without running into the wall. Stand with your right foot at the back. Well that's not helpful. Sorry. Stand with your right foot at the back of the arc.

Keeping the arc from spinning out and your left big toe comes forward. Making sure that your left first ray, your left big toe on your left heel are firmly anchored on the arch. That's right. And sometimes a, the arch is slippery on a, um, a wooden floor. If you're on carpet, uh, the arch won't have as much instability as you inhale. Drive your hip joints, drive your pelvis and your chest bone forward and up. Keeping both heels firmly anchored as you inhale.

It's as if your naval light could shine towards the left just a little bit. Exhale to come back driving your left sitting bone down towards your left heel as you make a transition of your central axis forward and up. Leave your right heel firmly planted as both hip joints including the right come forward. Second variation here. We'll keep both knees extended and push down with your back toes so your back heel lifts up and then push down with your front toes and rock from back foot to front foot. Lengthening the back of your neck as if the light from the back of your brain could shine right up towards the roof.

Steering firm sitting bone to heal. Steering from hip joint to big toe. Stand on your back foot and this is a mid air transfer. Keep your right foot where it is, but the left foot back with it. Stand firmly with your left heel and bring your right foot forward.

Here we go. On the new side, bending the back knee and bending the front knee. Inhale to advance. Exhale to retreat. It's as if you could put up the sails of your back, filling up your lungs. Inhale, the full lungs bring you forward and up.

Exhale, driving from sitting bone to same side heel and even driving from sitting bone towards opposite heel. Now both knees are extended and you push the back foot down. Drawing that left Asi s forward and then you push the front foot down. Imagining the navel light shining towards the ocean slightly to the right, slightly to the left, slightly to the right, slightly to the left, keeping your chest bone directly above your pubic bone. Stand on the back foot.

Keep your left heel planted and take your right foot off. Spin the arc around for the third and final orientation. Make a test. See that the art can indeed clear the wall and then your right foot will stand forward onto the gentle slope of the arc. Hooking your heel over the rib and your left heel and left big toe are at the back of the arc of both your heel and your big toe.

Have a firm platform on which to stand now. Press your left sitting bone towards your left heel and rock. Sorry for that and rock back bending your forward knee and keep your back heel firmly planted. Bending your back knee. [inaudible] naval shines slightly to the right naval shine slightly to the left. Left sitting bone to left heel, right sitting bone to right heel.

Left sitting bone towards inner right ankle, right sitting bone towards inner left ankle and your pubic bone and chess phone come forward, back and forth evenly. Both knees extended now and push down with your front toes and push down with your rear foot forward and back foot. Activating your hip extensors. Making a clear connection from pelvis to foot. Stand on your front foot. Make a midair transfer.

So now your left foot is forward standing on your left foot. Relocate your right and resume alternate back heel planted. Front heel planted both heels firmly planted. Steering your knees wide over your second or possibly third toe. Yes.

Inhale to walk backwards. Exhale to rock forwards, standing firmly on both feet. The front foot pushes down, and then the rear foot alternate keeping tone in your glutes, a good connection of pelvis to foot. Now stand on your left foot on the gentle slope. Stand on your right foot and then easy on the dismount. Climb off. Thank you, Nora. [inaudible].

Thank you so much for joining us on Pele's. Anytime we look forward to hearing from you and stay with us on Pele's anytime. Bye now.

Comments

1 person likes this.
Thank you Elizabeth and Norris. Looks deceptively easy but it's not once you realize how you have to maneuver to change feet or go to the next exercise. Fabulous though for gait. And yes, having watched all of Jean Claude's tutorial, I can see now this all ties in nicely. Keep it coming!
Jamie H
This is my new favorite Pilates segment to watch. Elizabeth and Norris make it look so graceful! I feel that the is important to have in any Pilates studio to help those improve their alignment. I am now going to look for a Pilates Arc to purchase.
Thank you Lynn and Jamie! Recent research on the negative health effects of sitting countered by the benefits of standing and walking inspires me to make movement sequences that prepare for standing and walking.(Both are difficult for me due to a knee injury at age 15) Hence this Arc workout and the Standing Reformer class. The Arc is so versatile - you can add this 10 minutes to any other other PA class.
Elizabeth Larkam love this for our clients who have finished PT with ankle, knee or hip issues and are continuing rehab or strengthening with Pilates. My arcs at home are both the wooden type so I just flipped my BOSU over to feel this in my own body. Such incredible body awareness. Loved it. Thank you!

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