Pilates Accessories to Incorporate Into Your Practice

When you walk into most Pilates studios, you’ll notice that there are all kinds of different machines, or apparatuses. I’ve been sharing about many of the apparatuses you might come across, including the reformer, tower, wunda chair, spine corrector, magic circle, 2×4, and toe gizmo. In addition to these, there are a variety of Pilates accessories you can use with the apparatuses. 

1. Neck Stretcher. This looks very similar to the toe corrector, only much bigger. It can be attached to the tower or cadillac. The strap goes around your head and you can do various exercises that help to strengthen and decompress the neck. It feels amazing.
2. Airplane Board. This accessory is added to the leg springs and adds a little more stability for some of the flying leg springs exercises. It also is shaped with cut-outs so you can hook your legs over it for exercises like rolling in and out. It stays under your knees more securely than the roll down bar and is more comfortable under the knees.
3. C-Shaper. This C-shaped accessory helps you to find a uniform curl of your spine because as you roll back into the C shape, you can feel which areas of your spine are touching the accessory. With practice and repetition you’ll find a deeper connection into your core and more mobility of your spine. This accessory is also handy for when someone is unable to stay on their back for a long period of time for various reasons; the C shaper will keep them slightly propped up.
4. Small Pillows. There are small pillows that are helpful in lifting your head up and lengthening the neck into a more neutral and comfortable position. They can also be used between the knees or ankles to help find deeper connections. 
5. Short Dowels or Metal Bars. These are used for the short box as well as on the mat.
6. Long Dowels. These are used to help you maintain your balance and gain confidence in difficult balancing exercises, such as those done on the 2×4, the wunda chair, or on top of the reformer. 
7. Finger-Exerciser. Similar to the toe corrector, this is used to build finger strength. 
8. Pinwheel. This was designed to help people with their breathing.  
9. Jump Board. Some reformers ( like the 86” and 89” ones) come with a jump board.  These were not original designs of Joseph Pilates, they came after his time. Romana had them added to her reformers to help dancers with their jumping and rehab for dance.

When to Use Pilates Accessories

Like all of the apparatuses, each of the Pilates accessories has a purpose. If it’s noticed that someone is breathing very shallow, the pinwheel would come out to help. A pillow might be suggested to help someone with very tight chest muscles to help bring their head into alignment with their shoulders. 

These tools aren’t necessary all the time. They’re meant to help improve your trouble areas and eliminate restrictions due to imbalances in strength, mobility, or flexibility. You may need to work with these items for a few weeks or months to see an improvement. Others are more helpful to bring awareness to your movement over a class or two. 

Just like the pre-Pilates work and fundamentals, it’s good to go back every so often and practice with the Pilates accessories. They help remind your body of the small movements and connections that will help you to accomplish the more advanced exercises. 

If you’ve seen a piece of equipment in the Pilates studio and are wondering what it’s for, just ask! It may turn out to be helpful to you and your Pilates practice.