I liked the way she explained the ribcage breathing. Definitely putting this in to my class routine. She didn't cover the rest of the ribcage expansion techniques though... I wish she showed more cues and imagery for side breathing.

Enjoyed this. Some useful techniques

Thanks Oksana for your feedback! I agree, there are lots more ways to get clients into side breathing.... the intention here was to keep it very short and simple, aiming to speak to people who have never done pilates - as if it was their very first lesson. Another useful cue is giving your client a theraband to hold across their ribs (make sure the theraband is spread wide to give a sense of broadness, and you can tie it in front or just have them hold it). Have them breath into the theraband. This gives tactile feedback, especially good for people who don't sense easily. Do you have some favorite ways?

Ruth, thank you so much for your respond and theraband technique! I can't wait to try it myself tonight! Great tip!!!

Thank you. Now I get why my neck hurts. Going to try at home tonight!

Thanks Jennifer Chan. Did you try it? How's it going?

For me the breath is essential in getting the softness of the sternum to facilitate curl ups and something that seems to take the longest for beginners to connect with, to remove any neck tension. I like the idea of tuning into the S-shape for the outbreath - do you have any other cues that seem to click with students to "crack" the curl up neck tension issue?

Hi Charlotte - besides exhaling the sternum down, I've used the foam roller sideways under bra-line, with arching back and curling up, hands supporting head. The curling up on the 6" foam roller really enhances the ribs going down - but the head must be resting in hands and mostly passive, so the ribs are what moves the head. I've also had people hold onto their bra base/shirt, and pull down while curling up to get the feeling. My pal Celia, a pilates and Gyrotonic Master teacher, had us put the backs of our hands together, palms facing out/thumbs against sternum, with our finger tips pointing towards our pelvis and curl up with our hands providing encouragement for the sternum to go down. You can always use a magic circle or towel to support the head, too....

...Too long for one post, so here's the rest of it:
The main gist is that the head sets the direction with a tiny tiny nod, then the movement goes immediately down into the thoracic spine (it moves through the neck so quickly that I never cue the neck). My first workshop for Pilates Anytime goes into the head/neck issue in more depth.....

Is there a technical problem today, PA site opens but none of the videos will load. Could there be a problem with my account or is it the site? I have been trying on and off throughout the day, I can search through the site but nothing (videos) will load, I just get a black screen.
Help!!