Even if you engage in a regular, fulfilling self practice, your alignment might be less-than- Pilates-perfect while instructing others. Here, master instructor Kyria Sabin fills us in on savvy techniques for keeping your body feeling great while providing smart hands-on cues to your clients. –Kyria SabinDoes your back ache after a day of teaching Pilates? Do you compromise your health and posture in an attempt to help your clients regain theirs? Do you practice the Pilates movement principles of balance, centering, awareness, precision and breathing as you teach them? In other words, do you practice what you teach?
Chances are, like most of us, you fall off the Pilates wagon from time to time—especially as you incorporate hands-on teaching techniques into your clients’ sessions. Even if your personal practice is balanced and centered, it’s easy to develop unhealthy habits and movement patterns in the name of teaching Pilates and facilitating movements in others. And this is a surefire recipe for burnout and possible work-related strains and injuries.
Beware of these five common detrimental teaching habits:
Continuously flexing your spine as you lean over to correct a client’s position.
Hyperextending your kneesand elbows while assisting the client’s range of motion.x
Moving from your extremities— instead of your center—while facilitating movement.
Consistently initiating hands-on techniques predominately with either your right or left side.
Over-facilitating movement at the expense of client initiative
Since hands-on teaching techniques are most commonly practiced on the Cadillac, I’ve chosen this apparatus to demonstrate ways you might incorporate manual teaching methods while taking care of your most precious resource—you. As my mentor Ron Fletcher often admonished his teachers and students, “You can’t give away what you haven’t got!” To have a lifelong career as a Pilates teacher, there’s no better way to demonstrate the power of Pilates than to practice it while you teach.
Push Through
Setting: 1 blue spring; push-through spring attached from above.
Purpose: Improves spinal articulation and awareness; enhances flexibility and shoulder stabilization.
Setup: Client is seated on the mat, with the spine in a lengthened position, holding the push-through bar, feet placed against the upright poles.
Hands-on Placement: Place the palm of one of your hands on the mid0low back to encourage vertical elongation where it’s most needed. Imagine lifting up and out of your hips.
Self care tips: Algin your body alongside the Cadillac, facing the client.
Back Contraction
Client initiates posterior contraction from the low abdominals, maintaining shoulder stabilization.
Hands-on Placement: Place the palm of one of your hands on the client’s low abdominals to encourage correct initiation. Place your other hand on their mid-upper back to limi thoracic flexion.
Self-care tips: Continue to face the client and maintain your shoulder stabilization as the client moves from one position to another. Alternate facilitating this movement from the left and right side of the Cadillac to balance your teaching practice.
Forward Contraction
Client engages in a deep spine stretch, with the emphasis on spinal flexion as opposed to hip flexion.
Hands-on placement: Same as in previous.
Self-Care tips: Follow the client’s spinal movement while maintaining your center and spinal alignment.
Hinge Stretch
The emphasis is on a lengthened, stable spine with deep hip flexion.
Hands-on Placement: Place one of your hands vertically on the client’s mid-back with your other hand on the push-through bar. Gently guide the client to elongate the spine on a forward diagonal.
Self-Care tips: Lunge in the direction of the movement and avoid using your neck and shoulders. If you’re more petite, consider standing on a (low) box. Be sure to facilitate this movement from both sides of the Cadillac to balance your movement.
Teaser
Spring: 1 blue spring; push-trhoguh spring attached from above.
Purpose: Improved spinal articulation and core initiation; enhances shoulder stabilization
Setup: Client begins in a supine position, with the legs extended, holding the push-through bar so that the arms extend vertically from the shoulders.
Shoulder Protraction and Retraction
Client lifts the shoulder blades away from mat toward the ceiling into protraction. Then he or she presses the shoulder blades back to the mat into retraction, keeping the arms straight and the back of the ribs connected to the mat.
Hands-on Placement: Kneel, or sit on a box at the end of the Cadillac to guide the motion. Either place your hands beneath the client’s scapulae, or on the shoulders to facilitate the movement.
Self-Care tip: Whether kneeling or sitting, avoid leaning toward the client and over-flexing your spine.
Scapular Elevation and Depression
Client presses the push-through bar overhead, then presses the shoulders up to the ears (scapular elevation) and finally pulls the shoulders down toward the hips (Scapular depression).
Hands on placement: Standing alongside the client, place on hand horizontally at the base of the client’s ribs with your other hand on the push-through bar. As the client inhales, encourage lateral rib movement and scapular elevation while the client presses the bar overhead. As the cellist exhales, encourage rib closure while providing gentle resistance against scapular depression.
Self Care tips: The lunge position provides power from the lower body while avoiding stress on the shoulders. Be sure to alternate sides.
Upper Body Teaser
The client begins supine with the arms extended vertically from the shoulders. The upper abdominals are contracted to flex the spine away from the mat, and the client then peels up to a back-hinge position.
Hands on Placement: Kneel alongside the client. As the client begins to contract forward, place one hand across the base of the ribs to emphasize upper contraction initiation. Support the upper back with your other hand. As the client reaches the top of the movement, support the position with one hand across the low abdominals and the other on the middle back.
Self Care tips: Position yourself so that you can maintain the same position throughout the movement without putting strain on your body.
Hinge Setup
Setting: Roll-down bar with roll-down springs, attached to the top setting.
Purpose: Stabilizes spine and pelvic placement while strengthening the hamstrings and lengthening the quadriceps.
Setup: Client begins in a lifted kneeling position on the mat, holding the roll-down bar at shoulder width, arms in line with the shoulders.
Hands-on Placement: Place one hand on the low abdominals while supporting the mid back. Encourage the client to lift up between your hands.
Self care tips: Stand alongside the client and be prepared to follow the hinge movement. Be sure to alternate sides.
Hinge
Client folds at the knees to hinge back without extending the spine or protracting the shoulders.
Hands on placement: Maintain the same hand placement to stabilize the spine and pelvis as client hinges back and returns to the starting position. Follow and support the movement without limiting it.
Self care tips: Guide the movement without over-facilitating. Be sure to alternate sides.
Hinge with High Release
From hinge position, the client stabilizes the pelvis and low back while extending the upper back.
Hands on placement: Support the middle back with one hand while placing your other hand on the sternum to facilitate chest expansion and upper back extension.
Self care tips: Ss before, focus on guiding the movement without over-facilitating. Prerequisite to extension is full Hinge (with relative ease).
Lateral Leg Springs
Setting: Leg springs attached up vertical upright bars.
Purpose: actively stabilizes the spine and pelvis while articulation hip movement.
Setup: Client begins in a side-lying position with the back lined up with the back of the mat. The bottom forearm is in line with the upright bar, with the top hand holding the same bar overhead to align and stabilize the upper body. The top foot is in the leg spring strap, and both legs are extended and stacked, slightly forward of the hips.
Hands-on placement: Standing behind the cellist, support the pelvis with one hand while gently extending and lengthening the top leg with the other.
Self Care tip: Lunge in the direction of the movement to avoid overworking the neck and shoulders.
Hip Flexion
Client flexes the top leg forward at the hip, stabilizing the pelvis and keeping the leg in line with the top hip.
Hands on placement: Continue to stabilize the top hip with one hand while facilitating hip flexion and hamstring flexibility with the other.
Self care tips: Follow the movement with your torso. Lunge in the direction of the movement.
Hip Extension
Client extends the top leg back from the hip, stabilizing the pelvis and lower back, keeping the leg in line with the top hip.
Hands on placement: Stabilize the top hip with one hand while gently facilitating hip extension with the other.
Self care tip: Use your lower body to assist and stabilize the movement.
Recognized as a master Pilates teacher and disseminator, Kyria Sabin initiated her studies with Ron Fletcher in 1991 and two years later, founded Body Works Pilates Studios in Tucson. In 1999, she initiated the first state-licensed Pilates teacher-training program in Arizona, the precursor to the Fletcher Program of Study. She is the founder and director of Fletcher Pilates®, Inc., and The Fletcher Program of Study, an international Pilates school representing one of the most rigorous programs of its kind in existence. A graduate of Duke University, a PMA-certified Pilates teacher and a licensed massage therapist, Kyria developed the Pilates program at the University of Arizona School of Dance, where she is an adjunct faculty member. She is an international presenter and has served on the boards for the Pilates Method Alliance, the UA Dance Advisory Board, the Haven Center for Women and the Foundation for Expanding Horizons.
Hanging Up
Setting: The trapeze bar attached to the top glider with heavy (black) springs
Purpose: improves spinal articulation and awareness; enhances shoulder girdle strength and stabilization.
Setup: Client begins holding on to the top parallel bars with the feet flexed and in a turned-out position in the swing, hips flexed into a V position and shoulders stabilized.
Hands on placement: Place one hand on the clients lower abdominals with your other hand on the mid-back to support a lengthened, stable spine position.
Self care tips: Practice supporting this position from both sides of the apparatus.
Contraction to Plank
Client contracts the abdominals to articulate the spine through flexion to plank position.
Hands on Placement: Keep one hand on the lower abdominals to encourage deeper contraction and your other hand on the lower back to facilitate lumbar flexion.
Self care Tip: If necessary, stand on a Box to maintain your own posture.
Inverted Plank
The next progression is an inverted plank, focusing on maintaining a stable spine, pelvis and shoulder girdle.
Hands on Placement: Provide support for both the upper and lower back.
Self Care tips: Stand on a Box to maintain your own posture. Support the client without over-facilitating the position.
Extended Hanging up
From the inverted plank position, the client pulls up to extend the spine.
Hands on Placement: Support the movement and emphasize upperback extension by placing one hand on the lower ribs and your other hand on the upper back.
Self Care tips : Stand on a Box to maintain your posture. Support the angle of the movement by placing one foot on the Cadillac.
Deborah Mendoza, PMA-CPT, is the director of education for Fletcher Pilates, where she manages curriculum development for the international program. Her strong movement background includes a BA in dance from Santa Clara University as well as extensive study with Pilates master Ron Fletcher. Deborah also directs the Arizona Fletcher Pilates campus at Body Works Pilates, where she has taught continuously since 1996.