I have focused on teaching the fundamentals of finding and strengthening our internal abdominal muscles. It is important to keep a balance in strength and flexibility between our internal (primary stabilizers) and external (primary movers) core units as well as between our back and abdominal muscles.

If we neglect any part of our kinetic chain, our postural alignment will get thrown off and eventually lead to pain and injury. When observing yourself in a full-length mirror, notice if your ears are in line with your shoulders, shoulders in line with your hips and hips in line with your feet. If your shoulders naturally round forward, you probably need to focus on strengthening your back muscles and stretching you chest muscles.

Below are some sample exercises that effectively improve poster and strengthen the back muscles.

1: Locust

1a: Begin lying face down. Keep legs and feet together. Stretch your toes back, place arms beside the trunk. Place chin on floor. Straighten the knees.

2a: With palms facing the ceiling, raise arms up until they are parallel to the floor and stretch them back. Contract the buttocks muscle and press the hips into the floor. Inhale as you raise your head, chest and legs as high as they will go without straining the back. Feel that your spine is lengthening as you hold this position for 5 even breaths. On an exhale return to your starting position. Repeat this exercise 3 to 5 times. You have the option to practice raising the chest and the legs separately.

2: Pilates’ swimming

2a: Lying face down with legs in line with hips and straight and arms extended over head, pull navel to spine and lift legs and upper body. Keep back of the neck long.

2b: Lower the right arm and leg to the floor. Without allowing the body to rock, switch sides continuously 10 times.

3: Pilates’ swan dive.

3a: Lie with face down with hands under shoulders, legs straight and together, navel pulled in toward spine.

3b. Extend arms straight forward (without allowing shoulders to raise). As you circle the arms open until they are both perpendicular to the body, lift your upper body and legs of the floor. Keep gaze down until you’ve established your final position. Then lift gaze forward.

3c. Return to starting position. Repeat 3 -5 times.