The Pilates Mat – Part II

Each week I’ve been sharing information about an apparatus in the Pilates studio. Last week it was the Pilates mat (or mats – since you can use either a yoga mat or an upholstered Pilates mat). I want to talk about mat Pilates just a little bit more before we move on to another apparatus next week. Why? Because the mat work is where Pilates started. 

When you learn the mat work the way Joseph Pilates taught it in his book, The Return to Life Through Contrology, you’ll get a pretty good understanding of the fundamental exercises. You’ll then see how the same movements repeat on the apparatus. Here’s a little secret: Pilates is really a lot of the same exercises repeated, but with slight changes. 

In Pilates, It’s All Connected

Since many Pilates exercises are so similar, learning to do one really well and with control will help you to do another exercise better. For instance, once you learn to roll like a ball with control, your roll over will become easier. When you have those two going well for you, your open leg rocker will become more consistently successful. Yes, getting stronger helps you to gain more control in each exercise, too. This means consistent practice! 

With consistency comes awareness of your alignment. For example, how you’re holding your arms and how they connect to your back. This is where the other apparatuses, like the reformer, tower, chair, magic circle, and spine corrector, help. They teach you how to find that alignment. 

When I first started my training all I wanted was to have a reformer and was super fortunate to find a nearly brand new reformer/tower for my home use. The more I’ve learned over the years, the pickier I’ve become about what equipment I like to work with. The classical equipment like the Gratz reformer and towers, or the Contrology reformer and mat that are in my studio now, really change the workout. They make you work and help you to find those connections in your body that will help you get stronger and more aware of your movement so that you can do the mat work with more strength and control – PLUS do some of the more advanced exercises that you thought you would never be able to do.  

Now Back to the Pilates Mat

When I figured out that Pilates is really just a few exercises done in various positions (with additional variations to add difficulty), it made Pilates make more sense to me. Just like in any sport or dance, the Pilates fundamentals (or basics) are the foundation of all the other work. You can always get better at those basics and they will help you to execute other movements or skills that you might have never expected that you would be able to do.  Those basics will become second nature when you know them and have them in your body.  

Just Ask Kobe

I’ve heard this story about Kobe Bryant’s training regime several times. He’d be at the gym at 4am or earlier and always practiced the basics for 45 minutes. Of his practice, he said: “Why do you think I’m the best player in the world? Because I never ever get bored with the basics.” 

From the Basics to Advanced

Kobe knew that mastering, practicing, and reviewing the basics is what made him successful at his sport. Starting with the basics of mat Pilates, you can do the same thing. Think about which exercises have you rolling back, inverted, or curving your spine into a C shape? How are they the same or different? There will be some that are very basic, while others have more elements or require more strength or balance. 

Let’s look at the rolling exercises as an example: 

• Rolling like a Ball. You are in a tight ball shape and you roll back and up again.
• Open leg Rocker. As above, but now your legs are extended out straight, which makes the rolling more difficult to control because your legs want to pull you over.
• Boomerang. -Now you roll back, roll up to a teaser, and add arm and leg movements that knock you off balance. This requires strength and control, and gives you a good stretch.
• Seal. This exercise again puts you into a tighter ball, but your legs are turned out. At both ends of the roll, you “clap” your feet together. It’s much more difficult than rolling like a ball. Hip mobility and strength are really needed to execute this exercise well.  
• Crab. If you thought you were in a tight ball for rolling like a ball, this one is even tighter! Plus you roll all the way over onto the top of your head and then way back to your shoulders. Hip strength, mobility, and core strength and control are needed – elements that you’ll have worked on in the previous exercises.

To improve at the rolling exercises on the Pilates mat, you can use the other apparatuses to help. Here are a few exercises you can try: 

• Stomach massage series on the reformer
• Monkey and reverse monkey on the tower
• Foot work on the chair
• Leg springs on the tower
• Short spine on the reformer

My Love for Mat Pilates

I liked mat pilates when I started, but then I discovered the reformer and wasn’t so keen on it anymore. Then I attended a conference where I could only do mat classes, and my love came flooding back. Over time, and with more courses and workshops, I really started to piece together all of what Pilates is and how it works together. While I realize that repetition is so important (and maybe sounds boring), it actually made me more excited for my practice. It has opened up so many options as to how I go about achieving my goals.