Evolution Pilates Studio

10/06/2026

Btw I always find holding the pedal down in proper posture harder than doing the movement.

STOTT PILATES® Academy

10/02/2026

09/25/2026

🧜‍♀️ Mermaid thoughts 💭

Mastering rotated flexion (on any exercise) is good for your abs & can help you release tension in your lats & upper back… which can also help improve mobility of your scapula, which can also improve mechanics in your shoulder & arm. ❤️

09/16/2026

Some things you might like to do with your arms…

💪wiggle fingers
🦾 roll wrists (try closed fist vs open palm)
💪 elbow circles
🦾 arms overhead (aka “So Big!”)
💪 shimmy and/or shake
🦾 pinch and release shoulder blades
💪 swimming motions (crawl, breaststroke, back stroke)
🦾 hug yourself
💪 shrug; alternate shoulders; add a little rib shift
🦾 Muppet dance
💪 big yawn

09/12/2026

If you do some (or all!) of these things for your feet, you will get so much more out of the muscles of your legs and hips when you’re doing footwork in reformer. Not to mention strong feet will improve your breathing (and therefore your core work) too! 😘

09/11/2026

Here are some ways I mess around with the stag in class to help clients improve their body awareness during this intermediate exercise.

Getting the timing and left/right balance correct to maintain tension in the ropes can be tough at first but the stretch feels great when you master it. ❤️

06/11/2026

If you have to carry a heavy grocery bag and are worried about the downward strain on your shoulder,

Try holding a clutch, wallet or some other small item with your underarm

It helps you center your shoulder joint and engage muscles that will stabilize your torso and shoulder against the load in the bag… while preventing you from tensing your neck.

06/03/2026

If your low back is tight and your hip flexors are guarding because you sit all day at work 🪑… try warming up like this before you do your reformer workout. ❤️

🧲 Horseshoe: improves awareness of neutral alignment while stimulating sensory nerves in shoulders & hips, then…

🏊‍♀️ Swimming Prep: challenges balance and require tone without tension as you start to mobilize hip joint into extension. (When back or hips are really guarding, try a gentle beginning by sliding leg out on mat behind you without lifting it into the air), then…

🐈 Cat Stretch: can mobilize spine more easily from this quadriped position, because hips remain flexed. Can focus on diaphragmatic breathing and creating an even flexion throughout spine.
- weight shift adds more coordination and can make the wave motion of the spine feel more like it’s massaging your back muscles from the inside.

🪡 Thread the Needle: improves mobility around scapula and upper back and great way to release the lats. (Another guarding muscle which goes from your shoulder to your lower back)

If you can’t kneel, the can all be done standing in a squat, with the torso hinged forward and hands on the seat of a chair or the reformer carriage.