Widmer and clients in the Press-Gazette

Our semi-regular rundown of Pilates news from around the Web. Enjoy!

• On her 22nd attempt, Green Bay, Wisconsin’s Abby Widmer finally found the financing to open her own Pilates studio. “I almost felt like I’d hit a dead end, but I still tried to get my name out…then lucky number 22 pulled through for me,” she told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. She broke even for her first month on day two. Kudos to Abby!

• The Age, Melbourne, Australia’s daily newspaper, ran this excellent piece on Pilates and back pain—a great discussion of what can go wrong in unskilled hands. Here’s the subhead: “Building core strength has been hailed as a way to prevent back pain—but beware….”

• There’s just no cheating when it comes to breathing, Washington Post fitness writer Vicky Hallett reminds us. The Providence Journal is running her fantastic exploration of breath in exercise which details what happens when people tune in to their breathing. 

• Read about how one Danish study showed that exercise fights chemotherapy fatigue here, on Web MD.

• It’s official: women’s gyms are a fitness industry trend. Here’s a quick nationwide roundup.

• Teen Vogue caught up with re:Ab’s Brooke Siler, who dished advice.

• Paws-ilates: Yes, that’s Pilates with your dog. Now on video…it was only a matter of time! View the gory details here.

By Kyria Sabin
While there are many valid forms of conscious breathing that support different forms of movement and relaxation, Pilates teachers emphasize posterior-lateral breathing over other techniques. Cues like “breathe laterally” and “breathe into the back” are common. Uncommon are the WHY and HOW.

The Whys of Posterior-Lateral Breathing
The four basic “whys” are fairly straightforward:

• Increase breathing capacity and lung function
• Maintain abdominal support of the lumbar spine
• Improve thoracic spinal mobilization and function
• Restore optimal posture

How to Teach Posterior-Lateral Breathing
When teaching posterior-lateral breathing, tactile feedback often works best. The following are a few teaching tips:

• Begin with gentle spinal flexion, lateral flexion and rotation, allowing breath to initiate and facilitate the movement.
• Lie lengthwise on a foam roller with knees bent. Focus on feeling the ribs open laterally away from the spine/roller on inhalation, exhaling fully.
• Lie supine on a flat surface with knees bent. Inhale to feel the full rib cage spread or fan laterally from the back, maintaining a lengthened spine.
• Seated tall, wrap a wide band or folded towel around the lower 6 to 7 ribs, crossing the ends in front, gently pulling to emphasize closing of the ribs. Use the band to experience the opening and closing of the ribs from the spine with each breath.

Kyria Sabin is Director of Fletcher Pilates, Inc. and Body Works Studio.