Starting or Advancing a Pilates Practice during a Pandemic: Part 2

In the first part of this post we talked about how inexpensive props can help you safely start and advance your Pilates practice.  In this post we are going to share some exercises you can safely do with the theraband, magic ring, and miracle balls.

Theraband

The theraband is a stretchy band that you can get with different levels of tension.  Many people are familiar with these from physical therapy.  You can use a theraband to safely strengthen your body without any weights or machines.  

Keep your movements in the range that you do not have pain.  It’s not good to do any exercise in which you feel pain.  What that does is add tension into your body and that is counter- productive. If you are starting with pain, do not do anything that increases the pain.  

Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, allows our bodies to increase oxygen is something that can take time to get used to.

Bicep curls are easy to do with a theraband, you stand on it (the arches of your feet placed over the middle of the band) and holding the ends in your hands.  Start with your arms straight and then bend your elbows as you lift your hands up and down.  You can move your hands up or down the band to find the best place for this exercise.  You will feel this in your biceps the muscles in your arms that get activated when you “make a muscle”.

Another exercise you can do with band - you can do sitting or standing.  If you are using the band, hold It in front of you with your hands about shoulder distance apart. 

First extend the arms out straight in front of you, keep your neck and jaw loose, and shoulders down.  Breath in and activate the muscles around your arms and ribs, inhale and pull the band wide – then release the band back to its original size. Do a set of these and you will feel the muscles in your arms, around your ribs, and your abs working.  After this, you can reach your arms up over head and even behind your head (if it feels good) to stretch the muscles.

Magic Circle

When using the magic ring, hold the pads one in each hand.  Breath in and activate the muscles around your arms and ribs, press the ring in, and then release (and it will expand.) Repeat this and remember to keep the neck and jaw loose, and shoulders down.

Another variation with the ring is to keep the upper arms by your side and hold the ring out (with the elbows bent.)  Inhale as you press the ring in, then straighten the arms and then bring them back. Remember to breathe. 

Miracle Balls

With limited or no access to massage or other things that people do to help release tension, miracle balls are a great DIY massage tool, and are useful in Pilates.  These balls help break the cycle of pain, constricted breathing and tightness.  They are soft and will not cause the pain that can result from a foam roller or harder tool.  

You can use these sitting in a chair or standing (putting the balls between your back and the chair or wall.)  You control the pressure by how hard you lean against the surface.  You can also use them laying down on the ground. It’s especially beneficial to breath in through the mouth and exhale through the mouth – even making an S sound is suggested by the developer of the miracle balls.

When laying on the two miracle balls, you can put one under your tailbone and one under your neck, or both under your hips (think where your back pockets would be.)  You can use the miracle ball under your tailbone when doing ab curls and other mat pilates to help make them more accessible as you build your abdominal muscles.