by Amanda Turner
As with every other piece of apparatus, there’s a prescribed way to descend to the Mat as well as ascend from the Mat. Both require the strength of the Powerhouse and balance, which is why it’s not introduced to you in your first session, and may not even be taught to you until you have many sessions under your belt. The gist is, you don’t use your hands to lie down and you don’t use your hands to get up – it’s a great way to measure your strength, flexibility, and balance.
To Descend:
1.) Stand at the very front of your Mat, arms crossed: “I Dream of Genie” style
2.) Cross one ankle behind the other, and balance on your left (for the sake of example) foot and right toes.
3.) Begin to lower the hips down, behind the heels. Do not slam on your tailbone, use your hands if needed. It sometimes takes time and practice!
4.) Once your hips are safely on the Mat, uncross your legs, straighten them and lie all the way back, centered on your Mat.
You’re ready to begin your hundred!
of using the hands to touch the Mat.
To Ascend:
The idea is to come up the way you lowered and for this example imagine you’re finishing the exercise Seal.
1.) On your last seal, as you roll back let go of your ankles
2.) As you roll up, cross your ankles, roll over the shins and plant your foot, push through the heel, and come to standing on both feet, in your Pilates V with arms return to the crossed position and then lower down by your side.
You’re ready for the next exercise – maybe Pushups!
To practice at home:
~If you practice this in the studio, by all means, practice this during your home practice.
If you’re not quite ready for the full thing, here’s what I recommend:
1.) Cross the arms genie style, feet are parallel a part – about hips width.
2.) Step one foot back (let’s use right for the sake of example), bend the knee, and lower down to a kneeling position. Repeat with the left leg so that you’re now kneeling on both knees.
3.) Reverse, step the right foot forward, dig your heel down into the ground, and press up to stand on both feet.
4.) Repeat using the left side to start.
Repeat for 3 sets total.
This is all about efficiency and precision of movement. Be patient and gentle with yourself, it’s not easy – but it is fun! I encourage you to try it or ask us to begin to teach you this if you haven’t learned it yet!
