Hello and welcome back to the Bodyhood Pilates Tutorials! As promised, I, Charleston Samu RII Marquis, will share a new therapeutic exercise with you each month. This month it’s the Dancing Pyramid, a movement sequence that realigns our body tension and relaxes our muscles in the pelvis and lower back.
Releasing tension in the hips, pelvis and lower back
To get an idea of the exercise Dancing Pyramid, let’s watch the video below. Then I will describe in detail how we do the exercise. The sequence lasts 2:30 minutes. Click, join in and enjoy!
Starting position
Get into the pyramid position – on your hands and feet. Your head is between your arms and your weight is evenly distributed between your hands and feet. Imagine that your pubic bone is attached to a rope that is pulling it up towards the sky, and at the same time you are pushing your body weight backwards and down towards the floor.
The procedure
Make your spine long, turn your torso to the right and bring your left hand next to your right foot. Stay in the position for 5 to 7 seconds and lengthen your spine. Come back into the pyramid position and repeat on the other side. Lengthen your spine, turn your torso to the left and bring your right hand next to your left foot. Lengthen your spine again for 5 to 7 seconds and come back into the pyramid position.
Then bring your knees to the floor. Come into a quadruped stance. Bend your elbows so that your forearms rest on the floor. Open your knees to the side and hold the position for 8 to 10 seconds. Return to the pyramid position.
Repeat the whole sequence from the beginning. Only this time start with the other arm while twisting your torso. Finish the sequence again in the quadruped position.
Then in quadruped stand make a C-turn movement to the right with your upper body. Place your left hand on the outside next to your right hand on the floor. Move your legs to the left, cross your right knee in front of your left knee, press your pelvis down towards the floor and at the same time lift your chest and head up. Return to the quadruped position and repeat the C-turn movement to the left.
Finish the sequence back in the quadruped position. Lift your pelvis upwards to return to the pyramid position. With your hands walk towards your legs and roll upwards until you come to a standing position.
Voilà , what a relaxation for our lower back and pelvis! Can you feel it, too?
Coaching keys
Use our coaching keys to get more out of the exercise Dancing Pyramid. Say them and visualise them …
- In the pyramid position: “I keep my weight towards my feet and away from my arms.”
- In the C-turn: “I lengthen my spine through my 7th cervical vertebra when I rotate my upper body medially.”
- In the transition from the C-turn to the back extension: “I keep my pelvis in line with my shoulders as I turn from the C-turn to the back extension.”
The therapeutic value
The exercise Dancing Pyramid
- releases blockages and tensions in the hip joint
- supports and promotes differentiated spinal mobility and
- has a preventive effect on ischia problems.
Last but not least …
The Pilates connection
The Dancing Pyramid facilitates the kinaesthetic understanding of Pilates exercises such as the Saw and the Swan. It also gives us a new perspective on the work of our DMCS – our power engine – especially in Pilates exercises like the Spine Stretch Forward, the Saw, and the Side Leg Kick.
Try it & fly with it!
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