Swan Extension
This wonderful Pilates exercise for beginners is like a counter stretch to be done after a forward stretch, like the wall roll down. It opens the front body, expands the chest and stretches the abdominal muscles along with the hip flexors and quadriceps. Lie stomach down on a mat and place your hands closer to your body. The legs can be placed close together or hip width apart. Now engage your abdominal muscles and lift your torso off the floor and support your upper body by pressing your arms firmly on the ground. All the while, the head should be in line with the spine and the hips should be resting on the floor. To release, lower the body in the following sequence. The lower belly first, then mid belly, followed by the chest and shoulders. This exercise can be repeated three to five times.
Pelvic Curl
Pelvic curl is an exercise, which is generally used as a gentle warm up for the spine, abdominal muscles and lower body. It helps in coordinating breath and movement. To do this exercise, lie flat on the ground, keep your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. The feet, ankles and knees should be well aligned and the feet should be placed hip width apart. Exhale and do a pelvic tilt and engage the abdominal muscles by pulling the bellybutton down towards the spine. Now start inhaling slowly and let your tailbone lift towards the ceiling and raise the hips, lower the spine and then the middle spine. You will balance your weight on your shoulders and your feet and make sure that the abdominal muscles and hamstring are lending support to the posture as well. Exhale slowly as your bring the spine back to the floor. An important tip is not to do this exercise if you suffer from neck or upper back problem.
Imprinting
This is a wonderful exercise to release stress and for quick rejuvenation. Let’s see how to do this exercise. Lie flat on a Pilates mat, keep your arms to the side and bend your knees, but keep the feet flat on the floor. Now start relaxing each body part, starting with the shoulders. Then relax your jaw and throat. Now is the time to relax your ribcage, let your sternum drop and let the ribs of your back move on the floor. Abdominal and spinal muscles are the next to be relaxed. After those come the hips and legs. Now visualize the lengthening of your spine and as you do this do not forget to breathe deeply. This exercise should be done at least for three to five times. To support your neck, you can make use of a towel under your neck.
Wall Roll Down
This exercise stretches the back and hamstring and also works the abdominal muscles. Lean against a wall by keeping a distance of about six inches between the wall and your feet. Suck in your abdominal muscles and as you keep your shoulders away from your ears, raise your hands straight above your head. Keep your arms parallel to your ears, as you nod your head and slowly begin to roll your spine down and away from the wall. Let your head and neck relax as you keep bending down to roll your spine. Go down as much as you can without lifting your hips off the wall. You will feel the curve in the entire back as well as a stretch in your hamstring. To come up, slowly start rolling back one vertebrae after another.
Pilates Exercises for Beginners
Now let’s see what are beginner Pilates exercises. These Pilates workouts for beginners can seem to be very easy, however they leave a profound impact on a person. You may want to read about Pilates exercises at home.
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