This beginner Pilates workout starts with your head and moves through your body giving you an effective short workout program. These 10 Pilates exercises will get you on the road to experiencing the many benefits of Pilates including increased strength and flexibility with flat abs, toned thighs and a firm butt.
The basic exercise instructions are here along with links to more detailed instructions, and if you are up for it, variations you can add in to fill out the workout. Before you begin, you might want to warm up with a Pilates Fundamentals Set.
Our First Exercise:
Head Nod
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Your legs should be parallel - hips, knees, and feet in one line. Arms rest along your sides, palms down. Your spine is in a neutral position - all 3 natural curves are present. Your face is flat to the ceiling.
- Inhale: Use your breath to enhance a feeling of length in your spine so that the space at back of the neck - just under the base of the skull - opens up, releasing the chin downward.
Feel this as a lengthening and opening move rather than pulling the chin down from the front. Be sure to avoid jamming your chin down.
- Exhale: Return to neutral position.
- Repeat 3 - 5 times.
