I’m excited to introduce you to my newest teacher, Larsen Buck. Larsen initially came to Spiral Spine as a dancer and scoliosis client. Through her work she fell in love with Pilates as a form of movement that promotes health, strength, and confidence, which lead her to become a teacher. You’ll fall in love with her for her sharp mind and corrective eye. You can read Larsen’s full bio and find her in the studio on Thursday mornings and Sunday afternoons.
Below, Larsen shares some of favorite exercises to teach.
After experiencing several dance injuries over many years and being told by a physical therapist that I would injure my spine if I did not find healthier movement patterns, I finally tried Pilates. Pilates concepts were introduced to me that allowed me to maintain my dance technique and build upon it, all without injury. It soon became my favorite way to move my body, and I realized I wanted to share the form of movement with others. My positive experience with Pilates allowed me to dive head-first into Balanced Body teacher training with confidence and excitement.
Now as an instructor, I aspire to work with all types of clients. My goal is to encourage confidence, body awareness, and healthy movement patterns in all my clients. These targets provide much more than a positive one-hour-a-week Pilates experience, they filter into regular life activities as well. Here are some of my favorites to teach:
Scissors on the Konnector
As a dancer, I find many benefits to working with the Konnector. I love being able to to work my appendages independently, quickly showing imbalances, and the exercise Scissors does just that. It challenges both stability and flexibility while remaining a relatively simple exercise. The variations and modifications surrounding Scissors are numerous! This exercise can be adapted to mat, reformer, arc, and cadillac, making it incredibly versatile.
Water Skier on the Cadillac
Water-skier has always been one of my favorite Cadillac exercises because it requires a balance of lumbar strength and flexibility. I love how this exercise challenges both your abdominal and shoulder strength. The traction that I find at the bottom of the exercise allows me to find length on the concave side of my lumbar scoliosis curve. I also love that you can do this exercise at home by using a theraband that is fixed to a door.
Plank on the Reformer
This exercise is excellent for abdominal, shoulder, pelvic, and arm stability. Planks are the foundation for many other exercises and they are very easy to modify. One of my favorite modifications is simply lowering the knees and turning the exercise into Down Stretch on the Reformer. Props can also be added to a plank. Some of my favorites include the Pilates ring, overball, and yoga block to modify the difficulty of the exercise.
I can’t wait to share these exercises with you at Spiral Spine!