It only takes a second to reset optimal posture for movement arts, to build a posture of strength in your full range of motion. You start from the ground up: Feel your weight in your heels. Lift and then place the ball of each foot on the ground, one at a time, under the hips. Spread the toes. Grab the ground with your toes. Soften the knees. Grip the Earth! Feel the weight in your feet, especially your heels. Tighten the lower abdomen. Tighten the gluts. (You have now completed the lower half of setting your posture. On to upper.) Breathe in. Roll the shoulders back and down. Lift from your Heart! Palms up. Lift the chin. Look up! Lift through the top of the head, like you’re on a string. Settle. Feel Balance. Feel Strength. Breathe.
This is how we create balance in our body. If you only have one ritual before hooping, this would be a good one. It’s also a great way to greet your day and embark upon it from a place of balance and strength.
This is how I begin every Pilates class I teach! I like my students to notice how it feels different when your core muscles are activated – you feel lighter, and your spine feels open. It can feel like ‘work’ at first, until those deep muscles get turned back on and strengthen up. I suggest they practice while waiting in line at the store, or while doing dishes until it just becomes natural.
Glad to have ‘met’ you! (from Maria’s FB page)