Ondi Pilates

Ondi Pilates 2nd Gen Lo**ta Master Pilates Teacher & Educator | Physician Assistant | Girl Mom | Owner of

09/29/2026

Teaching Dan the Pilates Bridge 3 ways to target different muscle groups.

Here is what changing your setup actually does:

1️⃣ Hip-Width & Parallel: Targets the glute max, hamstrings, and adductors for a strong, stable base.

2️⃣ Wide & Turned Out: Recruits the glute medius and external hip rotators (plus glute max—your primary hip extensor) to fire up the outer hip and glutes. (Love adding a mini loop band here too!)

3️⃣ Tight Together: Activates the adductors (inner thighs) alongside the glutes.

There are plenty of other great ways to bridge as well—especially single-leg variations!

Which setup is your go-to (or least favorite)? Do you regularly switch it up?

09/28/2026

Watch Dan’s first bridge: he moves from flexion all the way past neutral into extension—more like you would in yoga. But when we make an easy adjustment, he lands right in a strong, neutral alignment.

A Pilates articulated bridge is an incredible exercise. It’s not just about spinal mobility—you’re firing up the core and strengthening the entire posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, and back extensors).

Bonus? You get hip extension, which is something almost everyone needs more of after sitting at a desk all day.

And really- does anything feel better on your spine?!?

You can find the full video on YouTube at OndiPilates (where I get more detailed and even correct his toes- did you notice they were floating up too?😉)

09/24/2026

The deep core muscles you need to care about in your Pilates practice: the multifidi.

Running all along your spine, these deep, stabilizing muscles act like internal seatbelts—protecting your low back every time you bend, lift, carry, or sit for long hours.

Enter The Arrow 🏹

Focus on reaching long through the crown of the head, engaging the back body without collapsing into the lumbar spine.

Beyond firing up those deep stabilizers, The Arrow:
• Opens the chest to reverse daily slouching.
• Strengthens shoulder blade stabilizers to improve posture.
• Teaches spinal length, so you extend without pinching your low back.

What more could you want from an exercise?😉

09/23/2026

Well, “loved it” might be an exaggeration—but every single person felt it!

This is one part of a series of exercises from Lo**ta’s repertoire. And no, I’m not turning my clients into dancers, though you can definitely see Lo**ta’s ballet roots shine here!

Setup: I’m demonstrating inside the frame, but you can easily set up at the open end holding the overhead frame, or do it on the floor facing the Cadillac.

This is such a fantastic exercise for so many people! We spend so much time lying down in Pilates, but bringing clients into an upright position is where we can work on functional strength. That is why this is one of my favorites.

Why it works:
Standing tendus force you to dynamically stabilize through your standing leg while articulating through the foot, ankle, and toes of the working leg. It activates the glutes, deep hip rotators, calves, and intrinsic foot muscles—all while challenging core control against gravity.

Save this for your next session, and let me know what you think in the comments!

09/22/2026

This is typically how I first teach clients to connect to their deep core.

We start with simple leg lifts. Before Dan draws his second leg into tabletop, I have him exhale slightly to activate his transversus abdominis—taking more strain out of the hip flexors so the deep stabilizers do more work…that’s what we are here for right?!😉

Next, we move to single-toe taps using that same exhale-before-movement pattern.

What I’m feeling for under my hands:
A subtle “draw back and inward” across the lower belly. If the abs push out and his back arches, he’s likely using his superficial muscles instead of the deep core stabilizers.

💡 Self-check: Try putting your own hands on your lower abs. You want to feel a gentle sink away from your fingers as you exhale, not a push outward.

Why this matters: Skimping on this connection can cause hip flexor gripping and low back compensation. We want to preferentially activate the pelvic floor and transversus abdominis to stabilize and protect our spine! Master this minimal movement first, and every exercise after becomes more effective. ✨

Try this next time you warm up—can you feel the difference? Can you tell the difference in your clients?

*You can find the full video on my YouTube channel

09/21/2026

Notice a couple of things during Dan’s first chest lift.

First, his gaze was lifted—which can cause unnecessary neck strain. Simply cueing him to soften his sternum dropped his gaze and instantly brought his cervical spine into better alignment.

Second, he was tucking into a posterior pelvic tilt—“faking” a higher lift by gripping with his hip flexors and glutes. Since our goal is deep core engagement, we brought his pelvis back to neutral. This simple shift allows the transversus abdominis and pelvic floor to co-contract far more efficiently and do what they’re meant to do: support and stabilize the spine.

Was this breakdown helpful for your own practice or teaching? Let me know below because I’d love to keep getting nerdy and share more!👇

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