Master Class: Pre- and Postnatal Strategies

Learn how to work with pre- and postnatal clients.

Master ClassEllie HermanDecember 12, 2019Ellie Herman Pilatespostnatal, prenatal Comments

Master Class: The Shoulder

Learn the rules for a healthy shoulder, the fix for “winging,” how to stabilize a hypermobile shoulder and much more in Ellie’s notes from Master Class: The Shoulder.

Ellie HermanNovember 18, 2019Ellie Herman Pilates

Master Class: Kyphosis and Forward Head

Kyphosis is hyper-curvature of the thoracic spine. Forward head is a natural consequence of kyphosis since the eyes must look straight ahead. Learn how to work with clients suffering from this common postural malalignment.

Ellie HermanNovember 13, 2019Ellie Herman Pilates

The Knee: The Stupid Joint

If the knee can only flex and extend (with some minor rotation, of course) and is trapped between the hip and the ankle, what can we as Pilates teachers do to prevent injury? Ellie’s deep dive will show you how.

Ellie HermanNovember 6, 2019Ellie Herman Pilates

Master Class: The Hip and Lumbar Spine

Workshop: The Hip and Lumbar Spine. Notes from Ellie’s popular Master Class.

Teacher Training, Master ClassEllie HermanOctober 30, 2019Ellie Herman PilatesHip, Lumbar Spine, back painComment

Feeling Pain in Your Wrist?

When first attempting some of the upper body exercises that put weight on your hands, you may feel a load on the wrist. How do you protect the wrist and claim your rightful place as a Titan of Planking?! Read on, reader.

Demystifying the Core

In Neutral Spine, there are four muscle groups that support the spine: Transversus Abdominis, Multifidus, Pelvic Floor, and Diaphragm. Here, we shed some light on the age-old question: What is the core?

Neutral Spine and The Core

Neutral Spine is one of the most subtle, yet powerful principles in the Pilates lexicon. So what is it, really? And is Neutral Spine the same as Neutral Pelvis? Ellie unpacks these vexing questions and more.

Pilates Fundamentals, Trainer Talk, Teacher TrainingEllie HermanSeptember 3, 2019Ellie Herman Pilatesneutral, fundamentalsComment

Pain Crisis: Dealing with Sciatica

Exploring the causes of pain in the longest nerve in the human body and finding out what we can do about it.

Ellie HermanAugust 9, 2019Ellie Herman PilatesComment

Prenatal and Postpartum Physical Therapy

Guest contributor Melissa Stendahl, PT, DPT, addresses prenatal and postpartum back pain, urinary leaking, and other common issues.

Diastasis Recti: What to Do?

Strategies to safely and effectively stretch, release, and strengthen abdominal muscles afflicted with diastasis recti.

postnatalEllie HermanJanuary 31, 2018Ellie Herman Pilatesdiastasis recti, postnatal, childbirth

Knee Hyperextension: Its All In Your Mind!

Hyperextension of the knees happens because some people have loose ligaments and tendons around the knee joint. Often these people have looseness globally. They also may have pelvic misalignment like anterior pelvic tilt, posterior pelvic tilt or hyperextension of the the hip joint (or sway back). So how can you help someone correct something that is basically a structural, genetic issue? Mind control.

PainEllie HermanNovember 21, 2017knee pain, Knock knees Comments

Strategies for Bow Legs and Internal Rotation of the Femur

Let's talk about Postural Bow Legs, which are defined by Kendall as a combination of hyperextension of the knees, medial rotation of the femurs and pronation of the ankle. Since the femur is turned in, when the knee flexes and extends it does so at an oblique angle. When that knee is then hyperextended, the knees "bow" away from each other.

Strategies for Knock Knees

Postural knock knees, according to Kendall's Muscle Testing and Function are a combination of external rotation of the hip, hyperextension of the knee, and supination of the ankle.

PainEllie HermanNovember 10, 2017Ellie Herman Pilates UnionKnock knees, knee pain Comments

How My Pilates Teacher Training Differs From Most

I have over 25 years experience teaching Pilates and over 20 years experience teaching instructors. I have written ten Pilates books including Pilates for Dummies and I invented the Pilates Springboard

ANNEX, Teacher TrainingEllie HermanOctober 25, 2017Ellie Herman PilatesPilates StudiosComment

3 Ways to Improve Balance with Your Pilates Clients

Practice, practice, practice!

Pain in the Neck? Try This!

Neck misalignment can cause not only neck pain, but also headaches and upper back tightness. The most common misalignment I see is "forward head posture."

PainEllie HermanAugust 24, 2017ellie herman pilatesneck pain, occipitals, foam rolling, back painComment

Ode to the Squat: Flex Your Hip to Save Your Spine

When I teach my clients how to squat, I focus on flexing at the hip joint and maintaining a neutral spine. This is how a human should bend, especially when picking up something heavy. Proper body mechanics should be taught in elementary school so people grow up knowing how to protect their precious spine.

Ellie HermanAugust 15, 2017Ellie Herman PilatesEllie Herman Barre, Ellie Herman Pilates, SquatsComment