HOW:
From your Pilates rest position : supine hips knees and ankles in alignment and neutral spine (preserving the natural lumbar and neck curves) with bent knees. Breathe in to prepare. As you start breathing out flatten the lumbar curve using your abs to get into imprint, deepen the curve to a pelvic tilt (engaging the gluts). Then, segment by segment, lift your back off the mat until you have created a diagonal line from your knees all the way to your shoulders layering on the use of the hamstrings. Make sure you keep your knees parallel. If your knees don’t stay in alignment, then you can put a block or a cushion between the legs as this helps you to keep the inner thighs engaged. At your highest point, breathe in then, on the out breath, start lowering the spine down still making space between each segment as if your spine was a string of pearls and one by one you place them on the mat. Keep your pelvic tilt until the very last moment pass through your imprinted spine and lastly put your pelvis back into neutral, allowing the natural gap to form again between the lumbar spine and the mat.
WHY:
This is a fantastic exercise to mobilize the spinal segments and helps to improve mobility in the spine. It is recommended for people with back pain and helps to keep buttocks and hamstrings health making a perfect exercise also for knee issues. Like all Pilates moves, the breathing pattern, contracting of your corset muscle (Transversus Abdominis) and lifting of the Pelvic Floor means you are working your core as well. As we age, our spine tends to get stiffer, which can restrict our movements in our everyday activities. The Pilates Bridge helps to keep the spine agile, mobile and less injury prone as the individual spine segments learn to move freely and the disks and nerves are less likely to get compressed. Focusing on mobility in the spine is also great for those suffering from sciatica and back pain, as long as they are not in an acute phase. Enjoy this little gem at home or came and try it at Pilatestudio in Wimbledon.
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