Begin your mat journey here.  We want to encourage you to shift your mindset and see this video series as much more than a workout.  If you are not living the movement that we are covering together, what the heck is the point??! Be sure to do each video a few times.   Remember…..it feels good to feel good!

There really is nothing ‘basic’ about the work we do on the mat.  There is a sense of simplicity and minimalism to the workout because it is you and your mat.  Although the movements that we learn together might look easy, they do have layers of complexity to them as you master this new art of fitness.  This workout progresses nicely from the Beginner Mat Basics 1 and will begin to fill the canvas of the new picture that we are creating!

This mat workout will weave the Pilates Principle of Concentration throughout.  To concentrate is to pay attention to what you are doing. To be present with, and in control of, the task at hand.  Without concentration, the exercises lose their form and their purpose. As Joe Pilates often said, “It is better to do five repetitions perfectly then 20 without paying attention.” This mat workout will focus on learning how to concentrate while we are moving through our mat exercises.  Turn off your phone (a major distraction in our life), get on your mat, grab your water bottle, away we go!

This workout will focus on the Pilates Principle of Whole Body Movement.  Pilates is fundamentally about integration: integrating movement into a flowing whole-body experience, integrating the mind and body to create clarity and purpose, integrating mind, body and spirit to create a life of balance.  When we can move with this intention on the mat, our activities of daily living off the mat become better.

“Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it.”  The breath is an essential link between the mind and the body. It is the foundation of our existence and the rhythm that accompanies us from birth to death.  In Pilates, the breath is integrated into every movement in order to focus our awareness on what we are doing, to improve the flow of oxygen through our bodies and to improve the capacity of our lungs. Your challenge in this mat workout will be to incorporate purposeful breath into the exercises that make up this workout.

What? Relax? I thought we were doing a mat workout??  Well, we are, but in this workout we are going to start to learn about the concept of balance of effort while we move.  To be healthy in body and mind, it is important to understand the balance between effort and relaxation. In Pilates, we learn to use just the amount of effort needed to complete the exercise correctly, no more, no less. Learning to release unnecessary tension in our bodies helps us to find ease and flow in movement and in the rest of our lives.

The Pilates Principle we are highlighting today is Balanced Muscle Development.  Often ‘fitness’ will work the body in pieces (arm day, lower body day, back day) and although this is a movement strategy, over time it can result in a lack of balance between muscles.  This mat workout will start to teach your body the basics of balanced muscle development and the importance of coaching your muscles to work as part of a system vs pieces of a whole.

Pilates is all about precise movements.  Precision, is the ability to perform exercises with optimum alignment, unconscious control and just the right amount of effort. Precision is the end product of concentration, control, centering and practice.  Remember - quality over quantity!

Centering – In Pilates, all movement radiates outward from the centre.  Developing a strong, stable and flexible centre is one of the defining features of this form of exercise.  Joe Pilates said “Our arms and our legs start from our core.” This workout will introduce the concept of centering as we continue to fine tune our movement on the mat.

Congratulations!! You reached your first milestone!!  Joseph Pilates said that after 10 sessions, you will start to FEEL a difference.  We hope you are feeling different these days!! In our last Mat Basics workout, we are highlighting the Pilates Principle of Rhythm and Flow.  All movements in Pilates are done with a sense of rhythm and flow.  Flow creates smooth, graceful and functional movements. It decreases the amount of stress placed on our joints and develops movement patterns that integrate our body into a smoothly flowing whole.

The next 10 videos will make up the Progressions part of your mat journey. These videos will build on what you learned in the Pilates Mat Basics Series.  Be prepared to have fun and be challenged by the Intermediate Pilates work.

We will thread movements together, the pace will also pick up so that you can continue to experience the Pilates Principle of Rhythm and Flow as you did in the 10th Beginner Mat Basics workout.  We are going to have some fun with the transitions in between exercises! Have a water bottle close! Let’s move!!

This workout is centered around the Pilates Principles of focus and concentration - do not make the mistake of thinking that this is an easy class! When our mind and our body are on the same page, simple shifts in our body start to occur - we get stronger, we improve our balance, we feel energized. 

Get ready to layer more learning in this workout, you will start to notice the flow of the class will continue to get more and more challenging! You can do it!

Refine, refine, refine is the name of the game in today’s workout. Remember that these movement experiences are meant to be done multiple times before moving onto the next one so that you can gain a deeper understanding into the intention of each Pilates mat exercise.

We introduce the concept of inverting the spine in today’s workout with the Rollover Prep. Inverting the spine happens when the tailbone is higher than the heart and gravity gets to work differently on the spine.  A safe inversion requires the organization of the breathe alongside the movement. 

Teaching a muscle how to work with just the right amount of effort can be a challenge, especially if that muscle has been overworking for a very long time.

Creating simple shifts in muscle memory is critical to opening up new possibilities for improved joint range of motion, less discomfort and better overall movement patterns. This workout is all about learning how to use just the required amount of effort.

Relationships.  This workout will start to clarify some of the important relationships between various groups of muscles.  We will feature the relationship between the inner thigh muscles and the pelvic floor in this mat workout. We can even map the actions of the big toe to the inner thigh and the pelvic floor - how COOL is that?!

Effortless effort is a concept we talk about a lot in Pilates. Our body becomes a better version of itself when we are moving using just the ‘right’ amount of effort, no more, no less.  The Pilates Mat work is the optimal place to learn how to teach certain muscles to ‘back off’ and others to work more effectively. This workout will help you to find your effortless effort!

As your body begins to respond to the mat exercises in this 30 workout experience, you are going to realize that the exercises that you like the least are the ones that the body needs the most.  Instead of just doing your challenging exercises with the mindset of ‘just getting them done’, approach those ones as opportunities for your body to learn something new!

How can we tap into endurance in a 30 minute workout??  One of the great things about Pilates is that you can be so efficient with this workout and get tons of benefits in a short duration when you are assigning work to all your muscles, your joints and your posture.  When those systems work together we gain strength, flexibility, joint range of motion and…..endurance! Metabolism gets a boost, so it is a win-win-win-win-win!!!

Today’s workout marks the next HUGE Pilates milestone for you!  It is the 20th mat workout in the Mat Transformation Pack! Joe Pilates said that after 20 classes, you will start to SEE a difference in your body.  If you have been consistent with your workouts, doing them multiple times, by now you will see changes in your posture, the way you move and the way you look! Congrats on this milestone, now celebrate!!

In our first workout of the Summit Series, we are highlighting the Pilates Principle of Rhythm and Flow.  All movements in Pilates are done with a sense of rhythm and flow.  Flow creates smooth, graceful and functional movements. It decreases the amount of stress placed on our joints and develops movement patterns that integrate our body into a smoothly flowing whole.

The Rhythm is a part of matching our breath to our movement and creating fluid movement on the mat.   Remember how far you have come since the Mat Basics workouts, flow and rhythm should feel very different to you at this point!

To be in control is to understand and maintain the proper form, alignment and effort during an entire exercise.  Pilates exercises are never done without engaging the mind to control the movements and the efforts that the body is making. 

As we advance our mat understanding there is a chance that we can start to flip on the ‘autopilot’ switch and move through the exercises with less focus and control than we did in the early days of learning the mat work.  Moving slow and controlled is hard, be sure to stay in control of your body and your mind to create beautiful movement.

To concentrate is to pay attention to what you are doing.  Often in fitness, we plug in our earbuds and away we go. To be present with, and in control of, the task at hand is how we take what we learn in our workouts and translate that into our everyday life. 

Without concentration the exercises lose their form and their purpose. As Joe often said, “It is better to do five repetitions perfectly then 20 without paying attention.”

In Pilates, all movement radiates outward from the centre.  Pilates Mat Summit 4 is all about the Principle of Centering.  Developing a strong, stable and flexible centre is one of the defining features of this form of exercise. 

Joe Pilates said “Our arms and our legs start from our core.” This workout will introduce the concept of centering as we continue to fine tune our movement on the mat.

Pilates is all about precise movements.  When we covered the Principle of Precision in the Mat Basics series, your body was in a very different place compared to where you are today.  With this workout, focus on your precision.

Perform exercises with optimum alignment, unconscious control and just the right amount of effort. Precision is the end product of concentration, control, centering and practice.  Remember - quality over quantity!

Pilates is fundamentally about integration: integrating movement into a flowing whole-body experience, integrating the mind and body to create clarity and purpose, integrating mind, body and spirit to create a life of balance. 

When we can move with this intention on the mat, our activities of daily living off the mat become better. This workout really starts to require that the whole body moves with confidence through the repertoire including our super challenging Pilates inversion exercises!

“Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it.”  The breath is an essential link between the mind and the body. It draws our wandering mind back to our bodies and back to the task at hand.  It is the foundation of our existence and the rhythm that accompanies us from birth to death.

In Pilates, the breath is integrated into every movement in order to focus our awareness on what we are doing, to improve the flow of oxygen through our bodies and to improve the capacity of our lungs. Your challenge in this mat workout will be to incorporate purposeful breath into the exercises that make up this workout.

What? Relax? I thought we were doing a mat workout??  Well, we are, but in this workout we are going to start to learn about the concept of balance of effort while we move.  To be healthy in body and mind, it is important to understand the balance between effort and relaxation.

In Pilates, we learn to use just the amount of effort needed to complete the exercise correctly, no more, no less. Learning to release unnecessary tension in our bodies helps us to find ease and flow in movement and in the rest of our lives.

In our last workout before the grand finale Full Mat Repertoire, we are highlighting the Pilates Principle of Rhythm and Flow.  All movements in Pilates are done with a sense of rhythm and flow. 

Flow creates smooth, graceful and functional movements. It decreases the amount of stress placed on our joints and develops movement patterns that integrate our body into a smoothly flowing whole. The Rhythm is a part of matching our breath to our movement and creating fluid movement on the mat.

Think Pilates Mat work is easy…..think again. Jana will lead you through the Full Mat Repertoire workout.  The pace of this workout is best suited to you if you are an Intermediate level client who has learned all of the Pilates Mat Exercises in the Pilates Mat Basics and Pilates Mat Progressions videos.  Have your water bottle and a towel to dab your brow….let’s go!