If you’re not familiar, there are five basic principles that provide the
foundation of Stott Pilates. Skilled Pilates instructors teach practitioners
these principles as they are crucial for performing the exercises safely and
effectively.
The principles essentially demonstrate the proper way to breathe and
position the body so that the practitioner gains more awareness of their
core and how to recruit the muscles there.
As these principles can be rather involved, we’ll look in this post at the first
two principles – breathing and pelvic placement in Stott Pilates.
Breathing
Breath is life. It’s automatic, so many of us don’t give it much thought. Yet,
most people confine breathing to the chest. And there’s a tendency to hold
it when we’re tense. In retaining the breath, we’re no longer properly
oxygenating the blood . The brain cannot focus on a task and the body
compensates by holding tension and tightening in the neck, shoulders, and
back – among other places.
Pilates emphasizes the importance of breathing . Proper breathing. And this
includes a long exhale. So during Pilates movements, we practice three-
dimensional breathing which expands the rib cage in all directions and
involves the diaphragm. During the exhale, the rib cage closes in and down
and the side body shortens – causing the spine to flex slightly. So any time
there’s a movement requiring spinal flexion, an exhale is encouraged.
On the other hand, an inhalation causes the rib cage to open up and out
and the side body to lengthen. This extends the spine. So by proxy,
movements that involve spinal extension are typically done on an inhale.
There are times when an exhale is suggested during spinal extension to
maintain abdominal recruitment that stabilizes and supports the spine.
No matter what the movement in Pilates, awareness of breath and
stabilization are the first consideration.
Pelvic Placement
The second key principle is pelvic placement. Pilates places a premium on
statically and dynamically stabilizing the pelvis and lumbar spine
throughout all movements.
The two positions most often used to do this are neutral and imprint.
1. Neutral Position
In a neutral position , the natural small curve in the lower back is present
when lying supine on the mat. It isn’t an arching of the back though. It’s a
simple matter of allowing the weight of the sacrum to rest on the mat. This
position is the most stable and efficient for absorbing shock. Many
exercises in Stott Pilates start from this basic position as it promotes
efficient movement.
When the spine is in neutral alignment and the transversus abdominis (the
deepest of the abdominal muscles that wrap around the spine) engaged,
the practitioner shouldn’t feel any strain. If there is tension, however, an
instructor would have the student slightly tilt the back portion of the pelvis
downward and the front portion upward to create a posterior pelvic tilt to
avoid strain on the lumbar spine.
2. Imprinted Position
Anyone who’s practiced Pilates knows about the imprint position. This is
when the practitioner aims to lessen or eliminate (depending on their
personal anatomy) the slight natural curve that occurs in neutral position.
Imprinted position is not a forceful movement. It’s a slight pelvic tilt with
minor lumbar flexion. The pelvis isn’t tilted to the point where the sacrum
(base of the spine) comes away from the mat. The degree of contact
between the lumbar spine and mat will vary from one person to another.
The purpose of the imprinted position is to ensure stability of the pelvis and
lumbar spine – particularly in cases where neutral position cannot be
effectively stabilized. When the obliques or abs are on the weaker side,
using imprinted position can help to maintain their engagement while
moving in and out of exercises. Once more strength is developed through
the abdominal muscles to achieve stability, the instructor may then
encourage a neutral position.
It Starts with Breathing and Pelvic Placement in Stott Pilates
We hope you now have a basic understanding of breathing and pelvic
placement in Stott Pilates.
We’ll explore the three remaining three basic principles in a future post, so
stay tuned!
In the meantime, if you’re curious about Stott Pilates and want to try it for
yourself, contact us today. Our experienced instructors will safely guide you
through all of the principles of the practice.