This Month's Theme: Rebuild
Fall schedules are in full swing. School, work, the holidays creeping up on the calendar. When life gets busy, it's tempting to rush through the basics to get to the "hard stuff." This month, we're doing the opposite.
November is about rebuilding from the ground up. The foundation of so much of what we do in Pilates starts with your feet, your knees and how they line up. When that foundation is solid, everything built on top of it gets stronger, safer and more efficient.
Back to basics doesn't mean easy. Done with precision, the basics are some of the hardest work we do.
November Challenge: Footwork Across Apparatus
All month, we'll slow down and own footwork on the various studio apparatuses.
The goal for every position: your knee tracks in line with your foot. Imagine a line from the center of your hip, through the center of your kneecap, to your second toe. Press out and return along that line without the knee drifting in or out. We tend to notice this more with standing splits, when supine the proprioception becomes challenging.
Cues to take with you:
Keep your pelvis and spine still. The legs move, the trunk doesn't.
Lengthen the legs without locking the knees, especially when heels on bar.
Control the return. The carriage coming home is half the exercise.
I'll be watching your alignment closely this month, and I may change your springs to help you find it. #YESYOUCAN
Anatomy Focus: Your Quads and Your Patella
Your quadriceps are the four muscles on the front of your thigh:
Rectus femoris: runs down the center and also crosses the hip
Vastus lateralis: the largest, on the outside of the thigh
Vastus medialis: on the inside, just above the knee. Its lowest fibers are often called the VMO (vastus medialis oblique)
Vastus intermedius: underneath, between the other two vasti
Fun fact: "Quadriceps" means four heads, but recent research has identified a possible fifth, the tensor of the vastus intermedius, a muscle tucked between the vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius. Anatomists are still studying how it works, but it's a good reminder that we're always learning more about the body. (Read more)
All four join into one tendon that wraps around your kneecap (patella). When your quads straighten your knee, the kneecap glides up and down in a groove at the end of your thigh bone.
Illustration by Bee's Hubby Michael, from our studio calendar
Why balance matters: The vastus lateralis pulls the kneecap slightly outward. The vastus medialis, including the VMO, works with the deeper vastus intermedius to counter that pull and keep the kneecap centered. When the muscles work in balance, the kneecap tracks smoothly in its groove. When the outside wins, the kneecap can drift, and that's one common contributor to the achy front-of-the-knee feeling many people know well.
How footwork helps: Footwork trains your quads to straighten the knee with control, in line with the hip and foot, under steady resistance. It's a big part of why it shows up in nearly every program, and a big part of my post-rehab work. Precision is the point: a knee that tracks well during Pilates is building the habit for stairs, squats and everyday life.
Have knee pain? Check in with your doctor or physical therapist first, and let me know so we can adapt your session.
Source: Bordoni B, Varacallo MA. Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Thigh Quadriceps Muscle. StatPearls, updated May 2023.
Studio News
Thanksgiving week: The studio is closed Thursday, November 26.
Final Package Sale, Friday, November 27 – Sunday, November 29: This Black Friday will be my last package sale. My schedule is so full that I can't offer discounted packages in good conscience when new spots are so hard to come by. Thank you for filling my studio. Saved Spot clients, this is your chance to stock up: buy a package and you won't pay monthly again until it runs out. Any package you already have will always be honored.
Share the love: If you enjoy your time at the studio, I'd be so grateful for a review. You can leave a Google review here or email me a few words to share on my Testimonials page. Every review helps new clients find us.
Milestone Club
Congratulations to this month's newest members, who each reached 200 sessions and signed the ladder bar:
Nina S.
Katie F.
Client Love
"I tried Pilates years ago and was bored. I didn't know what REAL Pilates was. Hearing you explain things and muscles and cues are all so good!"
S.P.
Want a Regular Spot?
My schedule is nearly full, with just a few openings each week. Here's how to get in:
Join the waitlist on my scheduling page. Pick any day and time that works for you, and you'll get an alert as soon as a cancellation opens up.
Want a regular weekly time? Email me and I'll reach out personally when a Saved Spot becomes available.
Current clients, you can always book online as usual.
Thank you for showing up for yourselves, especially in the busy seasons. Let's rebuild together.
Bee
#YESYOUCAN
