Behind the Pilates Moves: Mermaid
Behind the Moves is our series of expert Pilates insights explaining the Pilates movements. Lauren Hilton shares her Pilates expertise on how each core Pilates movement benefits our bodies and minds, how to improve the movement in your own Pilates practice with pro tips on how it should feel, building your knowledge and understanding of the Joseph Pilates movement principles, and feeling the benefit of your improved Pilates practice.
Each month we'll give you the why behind some of the Pilates movements you'll be most familiar with in class, so you can learn the benefits of the movements we’re offering our bodies and what those mean for our day-to-day movement and well-being.
Here we'll talk through Mermaid…
Our spine is designed to move in 4 main directions. Flexion (forward bending), extension (back bending), rotation (twisting), and lateral flexion (side bending). We want to have all of these movements available in our spine in order to keep it mobile and healthy and free of tension and pain. Mermaid in Pilates is a lateral flexion exercise or a side bend.
Mermaid on Top of the Wunda Chair gives you an ‘ahhh-inducing’ side stretch, as you lift from your waist and reach through your open side from the floor to your fingertips.
As with all of Joseph Pilates’ exercises they can be done on both the mat and on all of the Pilates apparatus. The most common movement we do daily is forward bending (flexion), we do this each time we pick up something from the ground as well as in functional tasks like putting on socks, shoes, and underwear. Unfortunately due to modern living, we tend much less to extend (back bend) and even less side bend.
Mermaid features regularly in our group classes both in the studio and in our online studio for Pilates at Home.
How does Pilates Mermaid benefit your body and your day-to-day?
Better breathing!
As well as keeping the spine healthy the intention of the Mermaid is to open the ribcage and increase mobility in this area of our spine. Our ribs do an important role in protecting our lungs (as well as other important jobs) and if we have a mobile ribcage we will be able to breathe deeply using the lower lobes of our lungs where not only is oxygen exchange more efficient but will prevent us from shallow breathing. Shallow breathing contributes to lower back pain as well as creates tension in the neck and shoulders.
Side bends like the Pilates Mermaid help us keep a mobile ribcage, so we can breathe deeply for more efficient oxygen exchange and prevent shallow breathing.
Keep your back healthy
Side bending helps to hydrate the intervertebral discs. The spine is a column, made of vertebrae that are connected to each other by small joints. Between each vertebra is a fluid-filled disc. This disc cushions each vertebra so the bones don’t rub against each other, especially when moving or bending. It also acts somewhat like a shock absorber to that the spine does not take the full impact of movement which could cause damage. Keeping our discs hydrated will stop them from deteriorating as quickly preventing wear and tear in certain areas of your back
Improve lower back pain
In a lot of cases, lower back pain is due to an immobile ribcage and causes a lot of compensatory movement in your spine, and can lead to ruptured discs and excessive muscle tightness. Your obliques are some of the muscles that help us to side bend and are attached to your lower 8 ribs, which take up more than half of your ribcage! Ensuring that your obliques are properly strengthened in biomechanically sound positions will promote proper ribcage mobility, therefore eliminating excessive stress on your spine.
Top tip: Breathe into your ribs as you’re moving, the intercostal muscles will be stretched and you’ll go a long way to improving your breathing capacity
What to consider when you’re side bending
Does your spine feel long or are you slumped? We discussed earlier the concept of hydration of the discs (moving in all four directions), in order to create space and opening in the ribs we need to sit tall. Use a block or a chair and if you’re using the Pilates equipment you can sit on a box in order to sit comfortably on your sit bones with a long lumbar spine
Imagine your ribs are like a Spanish fan, in the side bend the top side of the ribs are fanning open whilst the underside ribs are moving together.
Can you keep your weight equal on both sit bones, this is key in order to create a long and open curve in the spine.
Breathe into your ribs as you’re moving, the intercostal muscles will be stretched and you’ll go a long way to improving your breathing capacity as well as mobility by breathing deeply in mermaid.
Lauren Hilton Pilates is a boutique Pilates studio specialising in mindful Pilates movement. Located in the heart of Shrewsbury our fully equipped studio has the ultimate Pilates experience for you.
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New to Pilates?
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See you in the studio or online studio soon!
Lauren x
Owner and Pilates teacher, Lauren Hilton Pilates, Shrewsbury
Photo credit: Florence Fox Photography
