practice – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

You Have to See

Sometimes when I’m teaching I’ll cue people to look at a certain place. I may say “You should be looking at your knees, not your toes” or “Look over your shoulder.”

While watching some videos on the concepts of Pilates (as one does), an instructor used a similar cue (that’s not atypical). But she added: “It’s not enough to look. You have to see.”

I loved the concept.

It’s not enough to look. You have to see.

The concept instills the idea of intention and being present. And it doesn’t have to be limited to Pilates. Think of all the times we drive somewhere on autopilot. We’re looking, but probably not seeing. In the Pilates realm seeing vs looking can spark our attention and help us reconnect with the moves.

In playing with the concept in my own practice of Pilates focusing on what I actually see as I move helps me stay in tune with my body. It makes sense. Balance is easier with the eyes open. Vision helps us sense ourselves in space. It’s basically doubling up the senses and utilizing more of the tools in our body.

So whether you do Pilates or another […]

Improve turnout for ballerinas, Irish step dancers and everyone alive

Most dancers crave a solid turnout. That’s when your hips, knees and feet laterally rotate (or turn out) instead of being parallel with each other. Every foot position in ballet is done in turnout. What changes is how wide the stance is or where your feet are lined up in relation to each other, but the feet, knees and hips are always in turnout. The motion should come from the lateral rotators of the hip, but not everyone is born with a natural turnout and some people really struggle to increase turnout.

To try and mask a poor turnout, people often torque their feet to make it look like they have a turnout. This can create the appearance of turnout, but it’s fake. And the problem is that a fake turnout weakens the ankle and foot, a problem if you are a ballerina or Irish step dancer because foot and ankle strength are vital for dancers.

So how do you actually develop a strong turnout from the hip using the proper muscles?

One simple exercise is known as the clam.

It’s fairly easy, but be careful. A common mistake it to move the entire pelvis, not just the leg. Moving the leg might […]