March Matness 2016: Double Leg Stretch

The Pilates Double Leg Stretch exercise teaches you to use your center (ie core muscles) to maintain stability while you reach your legs away from your center and then pull them back in.

• Make sure you only take your legs to your working level so as not to strain through your low back.  The level of your legs(how close they are to the floor when they are extended) in your Double Leg Stretch exercise will probably be very similar to your working level on your Pilates Hundred exercise.  You may notice that the portion of this exercise where your legs are extended is essentially your Pilates Hundred’s body position.
• If lifting the head off the mat to curl up causes pain or strain you can leave your head on the mat.
• Traditional breathing is an inhale to extend legs from your center and then an exhale to pull legs in to your chest.
• As part of the original Pilates Mat sequence Joseph Pilates suggested starting with 6 of these to start with, eventually progressing to twelve