Today, I will discuss body shapes and movements to help you understand how your body moves during exercise.
One of my favorite books that helped me understand how the body moves is Anatomy of Movement: Revised Edition. I use this book in my Pilates teacher training programs for the anatomy section. It's a very dense book filled with a ton of content, but I plan to condense this post down to 5 body shapes and 4 body movements. I'll use very basic language, but if you need more information, please comment on this post!
5 Body Shapes in Relation to the Spine
Please note - you can be in all the shapes below while standing, kneeling, seated, or lying down.
Tall Spine
The tallest spine shape you can make from your tailbone to the top of your head.
The pelvis is in a natural position (not tucked or arched)
Everyone's tall spine will look different.
Flexion
The longest curl forward you can make from your talibone to the top of your head.
Extension
The longest curl backward / back bend you can make from your tailbone to the top of your head.
Lateral Flexion
The longest side bend you can make.
You can make a side bend in both directions: left and right.
Rotation
Twisting along the spinal column.
You can twist in both directions: left and right.
4 Body Movements in Relation to the Spine
Body movements and shapes may be similar, but the range of the movement can change the shape.
Flexion
From tall spine, create a lifted forward curl with your upper body.
Pilates Example: Upper Ab Curl, Spine Stretch, or Rolling Like a Ball
Yin Yoga Example: any forward fold
Extension
From tall spine, create an elongated backwards curl with your upper body. Reach your heart forward and up.
Pilates Example: Swan, Swimming, Single Leg Kick, or Rocking
Yin Yoga Example: Sphinx, Supported Fish
Lateral Flexion
From tall spine, create a lifted side bend with your upper body while keeping the pelvis heavy. Equal weight in both hips / legs.
Pilates Example: Seated Side Bend, Side Bend, or Mermaid
Yin Yoga Example: Banana, Side Seal
Rotation
From tall spine, twist the spine. The neck may twist farther than the torso. The hips can also twist in opposition to create a full spinal twist.
Pilates Example: Spine Twist, Twist I, Single Leg Circle with hip lift, or Big Twist
Yin Yoga Example: Open Wing, Lying Side Twist
Can you see how the body shapes and movements overlap?
No matter what type of movement practice you are engaged in, your body will always be in one or more of the five shapes or doing one or more of the four movements. This matters because once you know what shape you are supposed to be making or what movement you are supposed to be engaging in - you can figure out how to support or challenge yourself in your practice.
Here's a real quick example of why I just said "one or more" for both the shapes and movements.
The Pilates Saw exercise is a perfect example of a complex movement.
You start in Tall Spine
You Rotate the spine one way
You curl forward (in your longest Flexion) while being twisted
You come out of your curl, then untwist back to Tall Spine
Wow, that's a lot of different movements happening in just one exercise!
When in doubt, you can always break an exercise down into the shapes and movements.
Think about the shapes in each exercise.
Think about the movement from one shape to the next.
When you understand what shape to make and how to move your body towards that shape, you can learn how to support yourself and improve movement within your own body. And when you allow yourself to utilize what you need to support your own body, you become a more independent and more advanced mover. Supporting your body gives you access to more muscles which means more connection to yourself and the exercises.
Here's my soapbox moment:
Everyone's body will look different in the 5 Body Shapes.
There is no IDEAL body or body shape.
Everyone's body will look different doing the 4 Body Movements.
There is no IDEAL range for each body movement. Range does not equal connection.
Knowing Yourself - Ways to Improve Movement in Your Body
If you've read my Size Diverse Pilates Mat Book or have any of my manuals, you'll know that I have a section called "Variations to Improve Movement" for each exercise.
Within that section, I've outlined the following:
Adjusting the Head / Neck Position
Adjusting the Spine / Pelvis Position
Adjusting the Hand / Arm Position
Adjusting the Foot / Leg Position
Now that we understand the Body Shapes and Body Movements, we can use these touch points on our bodies to find ways to support ourselves during movement. By supporting our movement practice with props, we can become stronger and feel empowered to explore even more.
I'll be doing a series of blog posts on how to support or challenge your Mat Pilates using different props over the next few months. I'll be including the ideas within this post and building on them. Subscribe to my site to ensure you get the latest blog posts.
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