M5 - Ron Fletcher® Pilates Rolling Like a Ball

Balance April 30

This is my balance attempt after two weeks of daily practice. I think there is a noticeable difference. At the end of the video I say that there is one week left in the balance challenge but really there are two more weeks - I promised to practice daily for a month.

M4 - Ron Fletcher® Leg Circles

I could probably work to stabilize my core even more in these leg circles - always something to improve!

Balance challenge one week later

improving!

Pilates Day Celebration on Montara Beach

What a beautiful day on the beach yesterday. Join me for a free class to celebrate Pilates Day - May 7, 2011 10am. RSVP at mh@marthasprivatepilates to get directions to our meeting place.

M3 - Roll Over demonstrated by Martha's Private Pilates

This can be challenging - it is OK to use your triceps to press into the mat to help roll over.

M2 - Roll Up demonstrated by Martha's Private Pilates

Watch this and then try it at home. Can you just feel the strength building in your core?

M1 - 100s demonstrated by Martha's Pilates

Here is my version of Ron Fletcher's® first mat piece - the famous 100s. We had a 3.8 earthquake while I was recording the voice over - I thought it was cool so left it in! Enjoy and try the movement.

Ron Fletcher® Percussive Breathing

balance challenge

balance challenge

Take my balance challenge. Post a video of you standing on one leg with your eyes closed for 30 seconds to my facebook pilates page www.facebook/marthasprivatepilates. Then practice everyday for the next four weeks. Post a video each Saturday to monitor your progress.  Here is my videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCqoQNV0E5s

Pilates Day Celebration on Montara Beach

May 7, 2011 is International Pilates Day.  I will be teaching a free pilates class on Montara Beach at 10am. We'll do some mat style movements, some floorwork (beachwork) movements and possibly some Towelwork. It will be fun and we'll be joining people all over the world celebrating the wonderful mind body work of pilates.  Please RSVP at mh@marthasprivatepilates.com so I can plan ahead and send you directions to our meeting place.

Launching Martha's Private Pilates Video Series

OK - I've been a photographer all my life and I love self portraits. I have thousands of polaroids of myself - testing light set ups in the old days.  I still love what used to be 4 for a quarter photo strips we could do at fairs and at the Musee Mechanique at the Cliff House. So here I am, joining the real world with my iphone and its video capability - what am I supposed to do but take videos of myself performing the many wonderful pilates movements. I hope to perform and teach the whole body of work - one movement at a time.  My plan for now is to produce one week of lessons. 7 days - a different movement each day. You can watch first and then join in - move at home.  I hope you understand that there will be a learning curve on my part with producing video and know that they will get better as I go along! Watch for the first video on Monday, April 18!  I better get busy.  How are you stretching your comfort zone?

Percussive breathing to the rescue!

Ron Fletcher® developed the wonderful percussive breathing. It involves fully expanding your rib cage by inhaling through the nose and fully exhaling by engaging the abdominals to squeese the air out through a constricted mouth.  The real fun comes when you divide the inhale into two or more segments and divide the exhale as well.  A double breath would be inhale, inhale, then exhale, exhale. Try it with four inhales and exhales - move to six and eight.  See if you can do 12!  You will find yourself taking a much fuller inhale at the end of the exercise.  And it is movement!  The percussive breath adds rhythm to the work.  

It came in very handy today as I was hiking in the Purissima Creek Redwood Open Space. The hill was pretty steep.  I started in with the double breath - one step for each inhale and exhale.  The extra oxygen served me well in marching up the mountain and the rhythm kept me going at a steady pace. I really felt much more energetic and charged up than I did when I was just walking and breathing normally (heavy).

When do you need extra engery?  Try it.   Here is part of the beautiful hike.