March Matness 2016: The Hundred for any body

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The Hundred exercise is the first exercise in the sequence of Pilates Mat work and is really designed to warm you up and get you prepared for the rest of your Pilates workout.  Here’s a few of the important components of the Hundreds exercise:

  1.  Breath and timing of breath:  During the Hundred you are inhaling for 5 counts and exhaling for 5 counts and eventually trying to do 100 counts of coordinated breath.  There are so many benefits to this!  First it really forces you to concentrate on taking a full inhale and exhale and helps you learn how to breathe correctly. In his book, Return to Life, Joseph Pilates states,”Breathing is the first act of life, and our last. Our very life depends on it.  Therefore, above all, learn how to breathe correctly.”   The concentration aspect of this breath pattern prepares your body to work, centers your mind and gets you prepared for what’s to come.
  2. Breathing and coordinating movement:  Not only are you breathing in a specific pattern, but you are also coordinating pumping of your arms with this specific breath pattern.  This specific movement pattern again centers your brain and body and helps to warm up the body with movement.
  3. Core Engagement:  Like all Pilates exercises, the Hundred is designed to have you engaging your core muscles to provide a support system for your body.  The idea is that you are stabilizing your torso and legs from your center while breathing and pumping your arms in a specific pattern.  It’s important to find a body position that challenges your core stability but is safe for your body to ensure you get the most out of your Hundred exercise.

[tweetthis]”Above all learn how to breathe correctly.” ~Joseph H. Pilates #MarchMatness2016 #Hundred[/tweetthis]

 

 

#MarchMatness2016 #anybodypilates

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 From Benjamin Degenhardt:

Every day in March, participants across the global Pilates community share content related to Joseph Pilates’ traditional Mat exercises.

Using the connective power of the hashtag, all the magic will happen in the social media networks of those that participate in this unique campaign and want to share their love for Pilates. Each day is dedicated to one exercise from “Return to Life through Contrology”, the original book by Joseph Pilates.

IT’S NOT A CHALLENGE. IT’S NOT A CONTEST. IT’S A CELEBRATION OF UNIVERSAL PASSION!

Check out more details on Benjamin’s website!!

From Carey:

As a Pilates geek I absolutely LOVE the idea of March Matness!  A whole month to celebrate the amazing Pilates mat work and really the method that has influenced my life and the lives of others so profoundly!!  I love to see the content that other Pilates enthusiasts post and of course love to participate.

One of the things I absolutely love about the Pilates work is how adaptable it is for any body no matter what size or shape you are, no matter where you are in your movement practice.   As an instructor I often find the pictures and representation of what Pilates is in social media are often…intimidating, unrealistic for many bodies and doesn’t do justice to encouraging people to try this amazing work!

So I’ve decided that my postings and participation this year in March Matness will be geared toward highlighting how the Pilates Mat exercises that Joe created can be adapted to any body. I of course love the beautifulness of highlighting the Pilates Mat exercises in their ultimate form and will definitely be showing people where they are going with an exercise. But my goal will be to show you the benefits of each exercise in your body, in your life, and in your Pilates journey (even if you’ve never done Pilates!!).  Video instruction of course is never as good as in person work with an instructor but I’m hoping that you’ll be able to see how your body might be able to incorporate the Pilates work into your body and get excited about the possibilities!  I’m hoping you’ll join along and share your journey and include pictures and video of where you are at in your Pilates practice.

[tweetthis]Celebrating #MarchMatness2106 with #anybodyPilates ! #pilateslove #pilatesforeveryone #returntolife[/tweetthis]

I’ll be doing daily videos and pictures talking about each exercise Joe created and be giving you some tips and ideas on how you can adapt the exercise to where you are right now in your body.  Join the fun and use the hashtag #MarchMatness2016  and #anybodypilates and we’ll share and highlight you on our website and social media sites as well!!

See you on the Mat!!