The 34 Pilates Mat Exercises No. 6

Learning the entire étude not just phrases

I have found myself still pondering Pilates' seminal book, Return to Life Through Contrology, published in 1945.  This week - I have been thinking about the second half of the book.  In this second half, Pilates simply lists his 34 four exercises - each exercise illustrated by four accompanying photos and step by step instructions on how to execute the exercise.   I have always found “exercise books” hard to follow.  Exercise by its very nature is dynamic and moving even when seemingly holding a still pose.  Especially in Pilates exercise - no pose is simply held. No pose could ever be like a still snap shot from a camera.  We breath- we lengthen, we anchor and we engage and we contract during a pose.  We move through poses and transition to the next pose.  Like a dance. Like an animal moving through life.  

Pilates is an exercise method that enlists the whole body and mind to work together in order to achieve a state of overall fitness.  The 34 Mat exercises, which Pilates described in Return to Life through Contrology are intended to be performed in their entirety, regularly and in Pilates’ sequential order.  “Soup to Nuts” as they say.  In my own experience performing the entire sequence is no small task, I have never done it in less than an hour. As well, I could spend a lifetime perfecting (or rather just learning!) the more difficult exercises, quite literally.  

Of course, any of us who practices Pilates and have taken Pilates mat classes know that teachers mix it up, generalize the order, layer or scaffold the exercises to make them easier to understand. Teachers make a selection of the 34 exercises based on the level of the students, the amount of time allotted, and the classroom environment whether it be a health club, a private lesson or at a boutique studio.  This isn’t a bad thing.  Rather, it is the evolution of Pilates Mat exercise in part due to its popularity and growth. It is FANTASTIC that so many people have made a connection to Pilates exercise. I believe that Pilates exercise can and should be accessible to all.  Pilates exercise is evolving to accommodate a more diverse group of students with different physical abilities and needs.  I teach this way as well. 

I believe in this evolution, yet, the silver lining for me in these last two years has been my own personal journey in learning the 34 Pilates Mat exercises more closely aligned to how Joseph Pilates presented them.  It has been incredibly enlightening for me to practice the entire sequence on a regular basis. I continually make unexpected discoveries about Joseph Pilates’ original objectives that I would not have discovered had I not had this experience. I am finding what gets lost when teaching just a phrase as opposed to teaching the entire etude - to use a music reference.  As a Pilates Instructor, I have realized that ultimately there is no need for a “warm up” when including the entire sequence , as the earlier exercises prepare and inform the body for the later exercises. The layering and scaffolding is already there. Similar to performing an entire choreographed dance piece, performing all 34 exercises in order engages the mind in a different way than focusing on individual exercises or phrases. We are talking about an endurance event for the mind and body! One must find the flow, find the musicality of the entire piece, start to incorporate the Movement Principles of Pilates Exercise  ~ Whole Body Movement, Breathing, Balanced Muscle Development, Concentration, Control, Centering, Precision and Rhythm ~ into the entirety of the sequence.  Concepts such as lengthening the spine and using this opposition to create tension - like a tightrope - while aligning the pelvis, ribcage and shoulder girdle on this tightrope -  in order to access one’s central core of power so that you can ultimately CONTROL your movement not only during each exercise but in the transition from one to the next. Like swimming laps in a pool with the flip turns as opposed to stopping at each end to turn around. To perform the entire sequence like a dance, moving easily from flexion to extension, side to side and in rotation from lying to standing.