Lisa Davis: 3 post natal Pilates exercises to practise at home

As you might know I’m a big fan of yoga but before pracising yoga I actually started with Pilates which I always found really beneficial. I have tried to explain the difference between yoga and Pilates in this previous post but do bear in mind that I’m not an expert and simply an enthusiast so it’s best to experience it for yourself and make up your own mind.

Pilates has really helped me to get my core strength back after my second baby and before I started the yoga teacher training course. I took some great classes with the lovely Lisa Davis, who teaches various classes in the Kingston area and asked her if she could give us a few exercises to practise at home.

So here is Lisa’s guest post about post natal Pilates:

“Pilates is a very safe and effective form of exercise post pregnancy. The emphasis is on strengthening the core muscles, in particular the deep abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor, which is incredibly important after having had a baby.

It is important to check with your G.P or health care specialist before starting an exercise program and be sure that when looking for a Pilates class, you find an instructor that is adequately qualified in pre and post natal exercise.

There are many exercises that can be done after having a baby, but it also depends on the time frame from having had your baby, as to which exercises should be performed. (A good instructor will also ask you to write a health questionnaire before commencing)

Here are 3 Pilates exercises that I have chosen, that are safe and effective to do. I have chosen these exercises as they are quite easy to follow and really help to locate those deep muscles that are often so very hard to find again after childbirth!

Spine curl

This exercise is particularly beneficial in locating and working the pelvic floor, essential I’m sure we would all agree after giving birth!

• Lying supine (on your back) with the knees bent, feet firmly engaged with the floor, making sure that feet, ankles and knees are aligned and hip distance apart. Arms resting by your side, feel your spine lengthen and the front of your chest open and relaxed

• Your spine should be in neutral, meaning that the natural curves of the spine are present and the lower spine is not being pressed into the mat.

• Start to engage the abdominal muscles, by imagining that you are lightly pulling your naval to your spine. This should be a light engagement of the muscles, ensuring that you are also able to breathe freely during the exercise. At this point try to also locate and engage the pelvic floor muscles.

• As you exhale with the breath, start to tilt your pelvis up so that the pubic bone is a little higher than the hipbone. 

• Press down through your feet and allow the tailbone to begin to curl up toward the ceiling, peeling your lower spine, then middle spine off of the floor, keeping your knees in line with the hips. You should come to a position where you have a straight line from your knees to shoulders. You should still be able to feel your shoulder blades in contact with the floor, being sure not to arch any further with the back.
• On your next out breath, start to roll the spine back down to the mat, using your abdominals to control the movement. Roll down from top of the spine to tailbone, vertebrae by vertebrae, coming back to your neutral position, ready to start again. Repeat 3-5 times.

Knee openings

This exercise is very good for teaching pelvic stability, calling on the abdominals to work to stabilize the pelvis during the exercise. It is a gentle yet very effective exercise when performed correctly. 

• Lying supine, knees bent with feet on the floor, ankles and knees together, spine in neutral.

• Start to engage the deep abdominal muscles by pulling naval to spine. Inhale to prepare and as you exhale, start to let the right knee open out to the side, making sure that the pelvis remains in neutral. Only take the leg as far as you can maintain pelvic stability. Think of trying to anchor down the opposite hip to knee opening out. Make sure also that the supporting leg remains still.

• Slowly start to bring the leg back to your starting position. Repeat this on the other side and continue to alternate, performing 6-8 times. (Further challenge yourself by raising the arms up and in line with the shoulders. Fingers pointing to the ceiling, whilst performing this exercise)

 

Diamond press 

• Lying on your front, correctly align your pelvis and spine in neutral. (Natural curves of the spine should be present, so avoid over tilting the pelvis in either direction.) You should feel the hipbones on the floor underneath you.

• Create a diamond shape with the arms, elbows on the floor and place your finger tips together with the palms facing down. Rest your forehead onto the backs of your hands. Maintain some connection with your centre, also making sure that your legs are parallel and hip width apart.

• Breathe in to prepare and as you breath out, start to lift the head, then neck and chest off of the floor, making sure that your gaze is towards the floor and the back of your neck is long with shoulder blades lengthening down the back. You should still feel your lower ribs in contact with the floor. Hands remain in contact with the floor also, but avoiding too much pressure down into the arms. Your chest should feel open.

• Breathe in to hold the lengthened, lifted position. (Note, this is a small lift, with the emphasis on lengthening the spine, rather than gaining height)

• Breathe out as you slowly and sequentially lower back down to the floor. Repeat up to 10 times.”

About Lisa Davis

Lisa started dancing at the age of three, training at The Royal Ballet School and English National Ballet and first discovered Pilates around the age of twelve during her ballet training. She developed a real passion for Pilates in her early twenties when she had to stop dancing due to an injury and found that Pilates helped her to restore her tired body.

Almost ten years after first attending mat work classes, she decided to put that passion into teaching and is now a qualified level 3 instructor.

Lisa currently teaches the following classes in New Malden and Kingston:

Wednesdays 7.30pm at the New Malden Children’s centre

Thursdays 7.45pm at the Innerspace Studio in Kingston

Fridays 10am at the Innerspace Studio in Kingston

She is also hoping to start mum and baby Pilates classes in the Autumn and a ballet Workout class so do make sure to visit her Facebook page to be kept up to date. Lisa also offer one to one sessions on request – please contact her on indpilates@gmail.com or 07904969089.