Pilates with Priya

Anyone else get tight hips? Do you know you need to improve your range of motion? For me my hips are always an area to keep working on.

Try these moves for size.

Then come join us in classes on the mat in person/online or 1-1 reformer sessions in person. I’d love to hear from you!

Jaw clenching really can affect your pelvic floor. A tight jaw = tight pelvic floor, which can lead to pain, leaking and dysfunction.

Obviously not clenching your jaw is a key thing to work on, but if you do it at night it isn’t easy to stop! So here are 3 self massage techniques to try out.

Comment below if you found this helpful. You can join my next 6 week pelvic floor course in November. Sign up on my website. Or DM me for 1-1 support.

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Side Kick Tutorial (aka when your mum ropes you into helping because you decided to do a Pilates class 😂).

Roped in my 11 yr old to help out… she’d love to know if this was helpful, so comment below for more!

So many of the Pilates basics look simple enough, but to really get them working your whole body it’s key to hone that technique.

Here’s Miss K helping me demo some of those side kick issues….

✅ Keep tall from the crown of the head to the base of the spine without leaning as you kick.
✅ Reach that leg out of the hip socket and really lengthen with a straight knee.
✅ Hips stay stacked on top of each other.
✅ The further you kick the leg the more core you need switched on.

Try out this side series! As always with Pilates it’s harder than you think! We used variations on this series in my classes last week - in pregnancy, postnatal, normal classes with clients aged 20-70’s love how adaptable pilates is!

Have a fabulous Pilates week! You can join us for classes most evenings and we’ve a “back to school” focus going back to the basics.

Pilates can be done anywhere, anytime! Sadly now we are almost back to school term it may not be the beach but come join us in the studio or online….

We had a fabulous bank holiday trip to the beach with the kids x 6 and paddleboard plus kayak. So good to get that sea air.

Here’s a little beach Pilates flow for you, which you can do at home too, but where’s the fun in that??

If you want more Pilates from home come join in our classes online or in studio from beginner to advanced. DM me for more or email [email protected]

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Plank Progressions.

Here’s a plank progression for you to try out. Whilst planks are so often in fitness programmes, holding them for long periods isn’t the best place to start if you are building up your core strength. They can feel like the best exercise to do, but if your core is not ready then the intra-abdominal pressure can bear down on your pelvic floor or on a weakened abdominal wall.

Listen to your body, if it isn’t ready, then there is no shame in focusing on the prep work, nail these and work up to the static holds. Trust me, it is so worth the work to nail those basics.

You can join us for postnatal and lower level pilates classes to rehab your body and then build up to harder classes with us…

Tight neck and upper shoulders? Me too!

Common if you are a mum, if you sit at a desk or just from daily life!

Here’s some lush moves you can add to your day. Give yourself a 5 min movement break. It will give your body some relief and invigorate you.

Love to hear how you find these!

Pregnancy Pilates Hips.

Those hips can be pesky things in pregnancy. That’s why in our classes we focus on keeping them strong, mobile and ready to support you throughout your pregnancy.

Try these three movements out, do them twice a week during your pregnancy for best results.

If you’re not pregnant, there’s no reason you can’t do these anyway.

Join us online or in studio for specialist Pilates pregnancy classes on Saturdays at 9 am.

We love a bit of functional resistance band work in the studio.

Here’s a little series I’ve been using in classes this week.

✅Flex and Extend the spine to get moving and feeling good.
✅ Shoulder drops to release tension and get those shoulder blades in place.
✅ Bend to Straighten, using that core to help you up.
✅ Add in arms and levers to add intensity, ensuring you find neutral and use your core each time.
✅ Tricep pulses 100 style!

Come follow for more and you can join our classes online or in person daily with classes saved for you to catch up on too.

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These hot summer days it can feel hard work to move, yet our spines love this kind of mobility work…. It’s rare I teach in shorts, so it must be hot! 🥵

This was my sequence after a hot class tonight. Moving the spine in all directions and adding my fav, the pigeon and plank in.

Always modify for your body and remember to keep breathing throughout!

MOVES with BALLS ⚽️

I love adding props into my Pilates classes. They help challenge you and help you add stability to ankles, knees, hips.

Try this little series out, working on keeping everything stable and aligned! Hard than it looks 🥰

You can join us for Pilates fun and challenges every day online or in person in the studio. Plus catch up classes in our private group.

Try these moves for your glutes 🍑 using a loop band. Plus you get to giggle at me waddling like a penguin 🐧

Strong and functional glutes are essential for supporting our pelvic floor, lower back, hip function, posture and for sitting on!

It’s a key part of our Everywoman ® Pelvic Floor and Core 6 week courses and Pilates classes.

Don’t have a loop? Tie a resistance band around your legs instead.

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We had to give this challenge a go. Love the fact Miss K is always up for it.

Shall I pop this one in next weeks classes?

Got a tea towel and a kitchen floor? Then you can join me in these moves. Proving you don’t need lots of expensive kit to work your body and also how ridiculously happy I am on cleaning days.

Not all our classes are quite this silly but we do tend to have a lovely community vibe.

We take total beginners to more advanced people.

Or you can join me for 1-1 reformer, pilates chair and tower sessions.

Try out this “under 1 foot” band series to work your arms, back, core, gluts and hips! We love multi-tasking in Pilates.

I’d recommend a longer, lighter band to start with.

How’d you find it?

TIGHT HAMSTRINGS can contribute to lower back pain… they attach at the back of the pelvis and run down the thigh to the knee. So if they are too tight it can pull on your pelvis leading to lower back pain.

We need everything functional and balanced in the body, pilates helps us create that. Which is why I love it. Everyone needs a Pilates session in their week (DM me to join ours online or in person).

Here’s some hamstring stretches for you. Give them a go regularly and see if it helps.

Anyone else suffer from tight neck and shoulders? Sitting working at a desk makes it a common complaint.

It’s defo where I hold my tension.

Top tips
- Book a sports massage to release.
- Use these exercises to strengthen and mobilise the area.
- Assess your desk set up and take regular stretch and posture breaks.
- Hold your phone higher so you aren’t straining your neck!

Any tips to add?

HIP FLEXOR STRETCHES

Using the ball can give you a glorious way to glide into these hip flexor stretches. A good one to do if you sit a lot.

Plus these are good in pregnancy to encourage baby to get into position in that pelvis!

Give them a try and drop me a comment or emoji on how you find it.

Oh and pregnancy classes, we have space Tues 6,15 and Sat 9am!

How often should you be doing those pelvic floor exercises?

Pretty much every day. Was that might seem like a chore there are so many ways you can work your pelvic floor it doesn’t have to be boring or all about the lift and squeeze.

Come and sign up for my six week pelvic floor starting in June, you can join over zoom or if you are local come along in person and let me show you how!

https://www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk/?page_id=2622

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Try this series out for size. Instead of lying down on the mat use those waist muscles to hold you up and engage your core to hold your upper body still.

Keep moving and breathing!

Love to know how you find this flow.

A little tour of the studio! It’s small yet I LOVE it.

Open for newbies so if you have never done pilates, or if you want to return to pilates, get in touch.

We have mixed ability classes with in person space:
Tues 7.15pm
Wed 7pm
Wed 8pm
Thurs 7pm
Sun 9.15am

As well as space in our pregnancy classes:
Tues 6.15
Sat 9am

And our postnatal classes:
Fri 9.30am (you can bring baby!)

Plus all classes and more than this can be joined online or you can use the catch up videos too.

Email me! [email protected]

Want to see what our classes are like? Here’s last nights class sped up super fast!

Pilates is amazing at keeping your body mobile, functional and strong. It helps you work on your balance, breath, and of course works your core too!

We use small equipment and I teach in the studio plus over zoom.

Want to join us? We have classes for all levels and are taking new people!

Never done pilates before? You can book a 30 min induction session with me to go through the basics and get you ready for a class.

Breathing is something we all do, all the time…. Yet the way we did it can make such a huge difference to our bodies and mental health too.

Here’s a few tips on getting connected to that deep breath.

1. Try it seated on your sitting bones. Wrap your hands around your ribs and breath into your hands.
2. Lie down with hands on our ribs and see if you can feel them expand as you inhale and fall back as you exhale.
3. Can you also feel the rise and fall of your pelvis? The breath should go down deep, which is how the core is activated and released too.
4. How’s your lower back? That should expand too as you inhale.

Love you to try this and comment below how you found it.

It’s been 7 years since the garage become the studio!

Wow how things have changed over that time, but one thing hasn’t. Pilates is still amazing!

You can come join on in person or online for classes, whether you are pregnant, postnatal or neither!

I also teach specialist pelvic floor rehab classes and help ladies with c section scar massage, diastasis recti healing and offers sports massage!