What a beautiful smile I had when you said 'pilates is really good y'all'. I have got so much out of this Karen-I have been practising pilates for a long time and don't think I've ever had it so finely tuned in such an easy way-Thank you so much
Great class - with fantastic visual and tactile cueing - you were slightly out staged by the dolphins and paddle borders at 7-15 minute mark!!! Love this video x
This beginner series is filled with lots of good info and exercises. Good for many clients.Thanks to all who comment. When in doubt, get back to the basics
Bravo for this class. And thank you for taking the time to share this. Karen, your cues and the prop suggestions made me aware of tension patterns in my body. Like, the front of my neck and my throat. I used a small ball instead of a lemon, but it allowed my body to soften where it needed to. Just beautiful.
Very good and clear explanation and visualisations. Good to check back on fundamentals .new info every time new connection between body and mind. Thank you! I already used these info at my beginners.They loved how they felt connected with their bodies.
I love Karen's tutorials so I really wanted to love this class. I feel this class is geared toward the experienced pilates professional and not a beginner student practicing at home. She even said "your clients" several times. There was a lot of emphasis on the neck, which I appreciated, but not a lot of explanation about proper neck engagement. There was little acknowledgment of the lower back so I wasn't sure if the over-arching I was feeling was normal. I also think there needs to be better labeling about props. Karen mentions props at the beginning of the video but then uses different ones throughout. I loved the creativity of the props - a lemon, a bag of rice. However, most at-home beginners will not have a pilates long box or pilates pole.
Emphasis on the neck: I have found many beginners focus a lot on their midsection, and when their neck substitutes, they may not realize the overactivity (of the throat and neck area) can be as challenging as the under activity. The purpose of the lemon, or a ball or a fist or something between the chin and upper chest (anterior to the throat) is to engage the deepest neck flexors. These deep neck flexors need to learn how to curl the skull and then next, flex the neck forward.
Good point about now having a long box. One can sit on a chair, or a bench or even outside on the picnic table. This position is to challenge the curl back and the hinge back. The stick or pole can be replace with a yard stick or a broom stick. Again, for feedback. I am glad you checked in. Let me know if I can make anything else more clear.