What Does Good Posture Really Mean? The Pilates Connection

Pilates is well known for two things… strengthening your core and improving your posture. Although Pilates has many other benefits, today we are going to talk about why having good posture is important and how Pilates can help you work toward it.

Having good posture comes with many benefits, including improved range of motion, decreased neck and back discomfort, better breathing, healthier joints, and increased self-confidence. Want to learn more about how good posture can contribute to these benefits? Keep reading!

One of the biggest benefits of improving posture is being able to move more freely and efficiently. In Pilates, we focus A LOT on moving from our core and finding proper alignment for our limbs. If you always reach for things by extending “out of your arm,” you may limit your range of motion and put additional strain on your shoulders and neck. Learning to reach your arms from your back, using the muscles that support your shoulder blades and upper body, can help you move more efficiently and with greater ease.

Improving posture can also help reduce unnecessary strain on your neck and back. If you sit frequently and round your back, or if you spend a lot of time on your phone and “look with your neck,” these habits can take a toll on your body over time. In Pilates, whether you are lying on your back, lying on your side, sitting, or standing, we work on finding proper alignment and strengthening the muscles that support our bodies. The goal isn't to sit perfectly straight all day long, but to develop the strength and body awareness to move comfortably and change positions when needed.

Have you ever noticed how your breathing changes when you slouch? When we round our upper backs and collapse through our chests, we can limit how freely our rib cage moves. In Pilates, we focus on breathing and coordinating it with movement, while maintaining support through our core. As we become more aware of our posture, we can learn to move and breathe with greater ease.

Posture and alignment also influence how we move and the demands we place on our joints. When certain areas lack strength or mobility, other areas may end up working harder to compensate. Pilates helps us build strength, improve mobility, and develop better control of our movements. And remember, proper alignment doesn't look exactly the same for everyone. We all have different bodies and movement patterns, so the goal is to find what works best for you.

Finally, think about how you carry yourself when you feel confident. You may stand a little taller, open through your chest, and move with more ease. As you build strength and become more aware of your body through Pilates, you may notice a difference in how you carry yourself, both physically and mentally.

One of the great things about Pilates is that we don't just tell you to sit up straight or pull your shoulders back. We work on the strength, mobility, and body awareness that help you support yourself in everyday life, whether you're sitting at your desk, walking, or reaching for something on a shelf.

Improving posture takes time and practice. It's not about holding yourself in one perfect position or correcting every little thing you do. It's about learning how your body moves, building strength, and developing habits that help you feel and move your best.

At Dover Pilates, we help you develop a better understanding of your body so you can move with greater strength, control, and confidence. If you're ready to work on your posture and discover how Pilates can benefit you, we'd love to help you get started!

Cheers!

-Jennifer

Ouch! Why does my neck hurt?

If I had a dollar for every time someone quit their Pilates practice because their neck hurt, we would have a much larger studio! All jokes aside, neck pain is not a laughing matter, you know this very well if you have ever experienced any during your sessions. What causes this nagging neck pain, and how can you get rid of it? Keep reading to find out the top causes, and how to work with them.

A well balanced Pilates session should include flexion, extension and rotation. Flexion tends to be the largest offender for neck pain in Pilates. Flexion is more than just bending at the waist, or a joint, flexion includes movements like lifting your head off the mat.

When we lift our head off the mat ideally we would be engaging our abdominals to lift and keep the weight of our head in, ideally. What tends to happen is we either lift with our face first, or we over tuck our chin. An easy way to determine which one it is you are doing, is figuring out where you feel your neck soreness. If your soreness tends to be in the front of your neck, then you are most likely lifting with your face first. If your soreness is in the back of the neck, then you are most likely over tucking your chin.

If you are lifting with your face first, try gently nodding your head “yes” before you lift. This natural tuck of the chin will help keep the weight of your head forward and engage the abdominals more.

If you are over-tucking your chin, try to find length in the back of your neck. Imagining a clementine under your chin will help keep your nod more reserved and reduce the tension from being over stretched. You’ll also find it easier to engage your abdominals while holding the head in proper alignment. 

There you have it, those are the two most common neck issues and how to address them. For more Pilates information, keep your eyes peeled for our next blog.

Cheers

-Jennifer

Pilates Isn't Just For Dancers

Do you ever watch Pilates videos and see these beautifully long, lean and flexible dancers doing Pilates? I sure do, they move flawlessly and every movement looks like a well trained dance. It can be intimidating to someone who is tight and inflexible. You may even start to wonder if you are not a dancer should you even be doing Pilates?

Yes, you really should. Pilates is for the body that wants to move better, feel better, and change for the better. Pilates is for everyone and it is a hill I will die on.

My background never involved dance, I swear I have two left feet. I liked to play sports (volleyball was my jam) lumberjack competitions and lift weights at the gym. Being strong was something I always wanted throughout my life. None of these sports built flexibility, so to say the least I have tight muscles. I couldn’t figure out how anyone could touch their feet during a standing roll down, the act itself was impossible for me.

When I started Pilates, the ability to straighten my legs and move with grace was nonexistent, but I have to say I did love it; it was challenging and gave me hope that I could become more flexible. Pilates also challenged my strength, like I stated before I do like to be strong, I found Pilates humbled me in a way that I really couldn’t understand. The spring tension didn’t seem heavy, and the Mat work didn’t seem like too much but when I did it AND KEPT PROPER FORM, it was so darn hard. It made me want to build on my Pilates strength, not just gym weights strength. Personally I do love both!

Flexibility is still a challenge for me, I’m 13 years into my Pilates life and I am so much more flexible than I have ever been, I still struggle with some of the exercises, but I remind myself that Pilates is a Practice, the more I practice the better I become, I do not need to look like a dancer; all I need is to become the best version of myself. The more I do Pilates the more I like my progress and I am proud of what my body can do.

So give Pilates a try, embrace your inflexibility knowing you will become more flexible, balanced and in control of how you move. Pilates is for every body and if you open your mind and embrace its magic, your mind and body will thank your future self for taking care of it.

xx-Nadine

Real Talk: Mat work is the heart and soul of the Pilates method.

If you aren’t doing Mat work, you’re missing out. Dare we say, if you’re not doing Mat work…are you even practicing the Pilates method at all? With the popularity of the Reformer, Mat work has taken a back seat. However, the Mat work is what came first in the method. It is the foundation, the starting point, the teacher of the method, the heart and soul if you will. The Mat work gives you so much, and we can't wait to share with you how, and hopefully convince you to take a few minutes to yourself and get curious.

The Mat work teaches and encourages autonomy. Autonomy is defined as the act of being independent, free, self governing without outside interference. Who wouldn’t want that?

When you learn the Mat order, you are learning how to connect your mind to your body. Yes you could watch a video, crane your neck and try to follow along. However, learning your order and practicing with just yourself and your Mat is much more powerful. You are learning to use an order to measure your growth and feel the differences each time you practice. The more you practice the more you will strengthen your body awareness and notice when something is off, improving or when a new connection is made. It’s like giving yourself a roadmap to your body and finding all the different routes that can lead you back home.

The Mat work is portable and FREE! You can do the Mat work anywhere! Traveling? Do your Mat work. Inclement weather? Mat work. Stressed? Mat work. Financial constraint? Mat work. Feeling lost? Mat work. Daily morning/evening routine? Mat work. Clearly we can do this all day, however we will spare you a million examples. Instead, next time you need to get movement in but can’t make it to the studio? Do your Mat work and trust that it's going to support you till then next time you’re in.

The Mat work mirrors the Reformer. There are so many sister exercises between the apparatuses. If you’re only doing one and not the other, you’re holding yourself back. Want to master Snake and Twist on the Reformer? Well how does your Spine Twist, Leg Pull Front and Side Bend look on the Mat? All the other Pilates apparatuses like the Barrels, Chairs, Cadillac and small accessories? They help build and refine both your Mat and Reformer. You don’t just do more advanced movements because you’ve practiced for x many years, you progress because you are ready and capable. The Pilates method should be practiced regularly for you to reap the full benefits, although we’d love to have you in the studio everyday we know that isn’t always a possibility. Practicing your Mat work on your own though? You can do that in addition to work on the apparatus at any time.

Want to learn more about the Mat order, the Pilates method or just nerd out with us? Make sure to follow sign up for our monthly newsletter and stay tuned for specialty pop ups.

Cheers!

-Jennifer

Why Movement Is Key In Stressful Seasons

As we all collectively as a world face these unprecedented times, self care has become essential. Whether it be allowing yourself that extra hour in bed, making your own colorful food, drinking more water or just moving your body… self care should be top of mind for everyone. It’s true that everyone's experience will be different, however one truth that never seems to fail is that movement heals. Boy, we could all use some healing right now couldn’t we?

The birth of Pilates began on a mat, it was most accessible and to this day is one of the most popular forms of Pilates you can find. The apparatus, also known as machines were developed later to help aid in the mat movements by making the movements more supportive or by challenging them. Although here at Dover Pilates we LOVE the apparatus and the way it helps/challenges our clients, we also have a deep appreciation for the mat work.

This is why every small group class starts with fundamental mat movements. It helps awaken the body and begin that beautiful mind/body connection. The coordination of breath and movement is crucial to help relax the nervous system and train those muscles appropriately. A well trained body helps ease the mind.

In lieu of the current events we will continue to offer FREE facebook live workouts. Each workout will be different, taught by the owners Nadine and Jennifer every week. We understand this is a stressful time for everyone, regardless if you are able to be working or not. If you would like to help your local studio, we encourage you to purchase a package (is good for 1 year) or a gift certificate for later use.

Stay healthy,

Cheers!

-Jennifer

We All Start Somewhere, So Just Start!

When it comes to starting a new habit, the hardest thing is well the most obvious thing, isn't it… starting! Whether your new habit is physical fitness, nutrition, or wellness related, the first hurdle always seems the most daunting. So let's make it less scary, shall we?

Pilates can seem intimidating at first, medieval-looking machines, authoritative instructors, and contortion like movements? Yikes! However, when we break it down into bite-sized pieces, it is an alignment-based workout system that focuses on controlling your body movements. Now that's not so bad, is it?

Whatever self-doubts you are wrestling with, being a beginner, overweight, too stiff, too weak. Take a deep breath, shoot us an email, and start. Here at Dover Pilates, we meet you where you're at and help customize your sessions to reach your goals. We've got you, now let's begin.

Cheers!

-Jennifer

Why I practice Pilates everyday...and you should too!

You read the title right, I practice Pilates every single day. As an instructor, we tend to be pretty over the moon with Pilates, and why shouldn’t we? We get to see first hand what this intelligent movement system does for the injured, the athlete and the novice. From strengthening our breathing, being able to reach our toes and getting back our height, Pilates is pretty powerful.

Now when I say I practice Pilates everyday, I don’t mean hour long sessions; granted some days are full sessions, others might just as well be 5 minutes long. These daily sessions over time, help build up your stamina, reinforce the movements from your studio sessions, and help you in general feel better.

Doing just 5 minutes of Pilates everyday doesn’t sound so bad now, doesn't it? Break out your mat or towel, and get started today with the hundred. Make sure to keep your arms pumping vigorously above your stomach, about a ruler length distance. You can keep your head on the mat, have it lifted, legs bent, or out long, just make sure to breathe and pump!

To find out what my ride or die Pilates exercises are… stay tuned for our next blog!

Cheers

-Jennifer