Transcription

• Speaker #0

  Question 1. Preparing for your Pilates exam without stress over six months and answering one question each day means learning to read the muscles beyond their names and teaching Pilates the way Joseph Pilates intended it to be shared. Today I want to talk to you about a muscle that is invisible to the eye yet central to movement. It originates from the vertebral bodies and transverse processes of T12 to L5 crosses the... the pelvis without attaching to it, and inserts on the lesser trochanter of the femur. It connects the spine to the legs, it flexes the hip, stabilizes the lumbar spine, and plays a deep role in postural balance. This muscle is also closely connected to our breathing. It shares fascial connections with the diaphragm and can contract under stress. When too short, it increases lumbar lordosis. When too weak, it disrupts alignment and interferes with gait. In Pilates, we strengthen it in footwork on the reformer, when pushing the carriage away from the footbar, or in footwork while seated on the chair, or in the straps-on-feet series on the Cadillac. We also engage it during the one-leg stretch, when the leg returns slowly to tabletop position. And we lengthen it consciously in tree on the short box, or in inverted scissors on the barrel, creating space without losing alignment. Some call it the muscle of the soul, but today I invite you to feel it before naming it. So, have you guessed? The visual answer is on page 86 of the book, Prepare for Your Pilates Exam, Mat and Reformer, by Caroline Berger de Féminy, available in bilingual French and English on Amazon. Wishing you strength and clarity as you prepare for your exam and know you won't be alone.