I’m happy to introduce our newest Pilates Instructor: Jess Ingram. Jess has been taking Pilates for more than twenty years and is a breast cancer survivor. Read Jess’ bio to learn more about her story.
I started taking mat Pilates while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I loved how strong I felt and how much my proprioception and balance improved. I started taking reformer Pilates as part of my recovery after breast cancer. When I was cleared to exercise, I found a lot of mat work was difficult for me – being on all fours, laying flat on the ground, even some side lying work. I went into a Pilates Reformer class for the first time and was so nervous. Not only wondering how to work this machine, but also questioning if could I do it. I had so little strength on one side. It was miraculous how supported I felt and how quickly my body began to see results in improved alignment and strength.
After radiation treatments, I felt like my mind-body connection had been severed. I had several falls which resulted in injuries. I’d never felt so clumsy! Working on the Reformer and Cadillac allowed me to mindfully connect with my body; I was able to work out of the fear I felt and into confidence and strength.
When my Pilates teacher mentioned teacher training at Spiral Spine to me, I looked it up and decided to go for it. I enrolled and haven’t looked back! Spiral Spine has been a welcoming community for me. I hadn’t shared how cancer had affected my body that was still experiencing the muscular discrepancies from my recovery much before I first walked into Spiral Spine. At Spiral Spine, I was welcomed, supported, and encouraged; this is what I endeavor for my clients to feel when working with me. I look forward to sharing my love of movement, healing, and community at Spiral Spine.
Heather Massie beat me to some of my favorite exercises, but there are always more to love! Along with Heather’s choices, these are some of my go to exercises for my own body.
STANDING ARMS FACING AWAY
I am a fan of arm work on the tower! I love how pitching forward in a standing plank offers a great opportunity to stabilize through the core while doing arm work. It’s a moment of fun instability. I’m also a huge fan of shoulder stabilization work since I have a tricky shoulder that gets less tricky the more I do shoulder stability work.
To start armwork on the tower facing away, determine your distance – the resistance is controlled by how close or far you are from the tower. I use a long yellow spring (or a slastix is my preference). The spring should be just above shoulder height. Start standing away from the tower with the handles in your hands, find a good resistance, then lean forward, keeping your abs engaged. Your feet can be in parallel or in a lunge position.
For Hug A Tree, as seen here, begin with arms up parallel to the ground and out to the side with your elbows gently bent. Palms should face each other. Bring the hands together as if in a hug, and when you take your arms back out, keep your hands in your peripheral vision. I do about ten of these.
LONG BOX OVERHEAD PRESS AND LONG BOX SWAN
Long Box Swan on the reformer has been great for mobilizing my upper thoracic spine. I often go into extension from my lumbar and the feedback of the footbar helps me get those scaps down and into more extension in my upper back instead of simply hinging from my lumbar spine.
To start, lie on your belly on the long box with your head towards the footbar and your chest off the box. Place your hands on the footbar slightly wider than shoulder width. I usually start with bent arms. During the entire sequence, keep your abs up and engaged, and legs active. Take a big inhale, make sure your scapulae are reaching down your back. As you exhale, engage your abdominals and push the bar away with both arms. I like to do about eight of these on two red springs. I then drop down to one red spring, and place one arm behind my back for single arm presses, and do about eight more each side.
To move into Swan, put both hands on the footbar, inhale and re-engage those abs, check the scapulae are reaching down your back and your legs are engaged. Exhale to press the footbar away and to straighten your arms. Inhale and press down on the footbar to lift your chin and torso into extension. The carriage will move towards the footbar. Think about extending not only from your lumbar spine but from your thoracic spine. Exhale and lower back onto the box. Repeat and pay attention to using your breath, keeping your abs engaged, your shoulders down your back, and your legs active. I normally do six of these.
ONE ARM PUSH UP
I love whole body exercises that make me feel strong and where everything is engaged. Planks and push ups are also excellent exercises for tracking improvement. Win Win!
To start, pick the Chair spring that you think is a good starting point – you can always adjust. I use a black three. Get into a plank position with one hand on the pedal, and one hand on the floor. Raise the pedal while maintaining your plank. Pay special attention to keeping your shoulders down, your neck in line with your spine, and your pelvis stable (hips level). It’s tempting to roll your body open towards the chair, and that’s the challenge. Repeat ten times and then do the other side. You can experiment with spring weight and reps. Enjoy!
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