Pilates with Raylene

5 exercises, one happy body 🍂 🍃
This series challenges your lower body from every angle while keeping your whole body (and mind) connected and engaged, with the odd shake😉

🍃 1. Leg pull with Adductor side plank: building upper body stability, core connection & inner thigh strength
🍃 2. Unilateral leg work: Strengthening glutes strengthening the glutes and hamstrings on one leg while challenging the soleus (deep calf muscle) on the other.
🍃 3: Knee Stretches with rotation and a longer lever — adding load, mobility and core control to a Pilates classic.
🍃 4: Isometric lunge with arm circles — improving lower body endurance, posture, shoulder mobility and balance.
🍃 5: Hamstring and glute strength with a balance challenge

Strong glutes. Resilient hamstrings. Stable & functional calves. Better balance. A connected body.

Which one will you try first?



🍃

When we are blessed with mild yet fresh winters and beautiful surroundings, these spicy single leg and oblique variations definitely warm the core 🔥

We spent a perfect weekend in a gorgeous home called Formoaa Wooden Cottage in the idyllic Storms River Village where walks, craft beers, cracking fires and a fair amount of red wine made the weekend incredibly enjoyable. But I digress...

Try out these variations and let me know how the abs feel.
🔥 Slow
🔥 Effective
🔥 Ow
🔥 Shakes guaranteed

❤️

There is something magical about forests. Walking amongst trees that could tell a thousand stories tends to humble us.... And that beautifully crisp clean air.... Priceless!

Thank you Storms River - you have a piece of our hearts 💚

👀 Eyes open or eyes closed in Pilates?
The answer isn't as straightforward as you might think.
Some people are visual learners and benefit from watching demonstrations or checking their alignment.
Some are auditory learners, responding best to verbal cues and imagery.
Others are tactile or kinaesthetic learners, understanding movement through feeling and doing.
Eyes closed can enhance body awareness, balance and proprioception for some. Eyes open can provide valuable visual feedback for others.
A skilled instructor doesn't just teach exercises—they adapt their teaching style to suit the individuals in front of them - no matter what has been planned.
So, what's your preference: eyes open or eyes closed? And do you know how you learn / connect best? 👇

BodyAwareness MovementMatters PilatesCommunity