Pilates with Priya | Pilates with Priya

Squats – I’m a fan. How to perfect your technique.

30 November, 2014 Priya Tew

Squats are back people and they rock. I’ve always been a fan of the squat, now that I’ve learnt even more about the body I’m an even bigger fan…. and it’s not just me, squats are everywhere I look. Why?

1. They work your pelvic floor without you having to think about switching it on… this happens when you push up to standing from your squat.

2. They’re simple and safe to perform throughout pregnancy, post-natally and beyond.

3. They work your thighs and glutes, perfect for toning those areas and for helping with weak gluts which is a frequent issues I see in people.

4. They are functional, so they train you for everyday activities. I squat when picking things up, and putting the washing in the machine for example.

Pilates with Priya: how to perfect your squat — Priya squats whilst pregnant.

Start in neutral with your feet hip distance apart, in parallel. Check your pelvis is in neutral, your shoulders blades are down in your back and your core is engaged.

Now sink your weight back, letting your hips go back and feeling the weight go right into your heels so your gluts engage. You may feel you are about to topple over so try it out near a chair or windowsill to start with, preferably with a mirror nearby.

Now in that squatting position check in a mirror that:

your back is not arched
you are not leaning too far forward through your upper body
your knees should not be further forward than your toes, if you can keep them over your ankles
your heels are down
you have bent from your hips and not your back
your core is still engaged

If you are pregnant the added bonus is… They prepare your body for labour (particularly useful if you’re wanting an active birth where you’re encouraged to stay active and move around during labour).

Now get squatting!

My back hurts…. what shall I do?

30 July, 2025 Priya Tew

Many people come to us for help with their back pains and find that Pilates really helps. The act of strengthening their core, working on their posture, learning about neutral pelvis and stretching does wonders.

So here is the question. “My back hurts should I come to class this week?”

It’s a tough one. Sometimes the answer will be to rest it, sometime you will be better mobilising it in a safe environment. Here are my thoughts:

Why does it hurt? What led to it hurting in the first place? Knowing that can be very helpful to firstly preventing it happening again, helping us work out how to help you strengthen it and it will give us an idea what has happened. If you were bending down to pick up something and it twinged, then we need to work on your technique of picking things up, include some squats and core work in your repertoire.

Is this a new issue or a recurrent one. Your previous history is a great indicator of whether you should rest or keep mobile. For example if you have had disc issues in the past and the pain feels similar then you don’t want to be coming to class.

How much does it hurt? If it is a more of a dull back ache then you should probably come and let the teacher know so they can give you exercises to help. If it is a throbbing pain that you are needing painkillers for then you should be going to the GP and resting.

When you are in a class our advice is always – If it hurts then tell the teacher and stop. Pilates should not cause proper, full on pain. Yes your core will ache, your back may feel stretched, your shoulder blades may pinch…. but it is not a “No pain, no gain” type of exercise.

We are always here to give extra tips or to chat through things. For more specific exercises you can use at home remember you can always use our DVD or book a one to one.

My Pilates admission… springs, furry handles, straps and beds.

8 November, 2014 Priya Tew

Here comes a bit of an admission…. until recently I had never been on any type of Pilates equipment. Those scary looking frames, beds and chairs with straps, furry handles and springs looked rather intimidating to me… but also intriguing and I had been dying to give them a go. I completed my level 3 training when heavily pregnant and since then have been in a cycle of being pregnant, breastfeeding, pregnant again and breastfeeding again. So it has taken me some time to feel strong enough and ready enough to attempt a new challenge.

I am currently having some one to one sessions on the Pilates equipment with Marie-Claire Prettyman, who took me through my training and has taught me regularly since. Having someone who knows my body and capabilities well is helpful and reassuring.

So after my first session – I was already in love. Working on the equipment adds another dimension to Pilates. The added resistance makes you think harder and work harder. For me it has been good to have an extra challenge, a fresh approach and another pair of eyes correcting my technique. With a slightly wonky body from carrying and chasing small children we’ve been focusing on my shoulders and upper back. The most frequently uttered words being “right shoulder down”. I always leave feeling alot better than when I started.

I will be completing my reformer training in April, so if you fancy giving it a go let me know!

Align your weaknesses for better posture.

19 October, 2014 Priya Tew

Ever noticed what happens to your posture when you are tired? I definitely slump through my thoracic spine (upper back) and have tendency to round my shoulders. I have a large mirror on the wall in my room and sometimes at night I will catch a glimpse of my posture. If I’m tired out it’s not a pretty sight. Knowing what your bad habits are is key to improving your overall alignment. Bad posture will lead to pain, tightness and weakness. That niggling back pain, shoulder tension and neck ache…could well be due to your posture.

A couple of definitions:

Posture: the way in which your body is positioned when you are sitting or standing. Good posture require the least amount of muscle activity to keep an upright position.

Good Posture reduces stress and fatigue on the body so helps it work more effectively.

Alignment: the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts (as of a mechanical or electronic device) in relation to each other i.e. the body constantly works to try and maintain neutral.

Alignment takes into account the forces on the body and looks at how the body should be.

I know from my bad habits that I need to remind myself throughout the day and when I am doing Pilates to check my shoulder alignment and pull up through my thoracic spine.

Top Tip: Work out your weaknesses so you can become stronger. Give yourself time to stretch and iron out thoses niggles. 2 examples that I often see:

1. Rounded shoulders: Work on lifting through the ribcage (but not sticking it out too far) and sliding the shoulder blades down in your spine. Use exercises like chicken wings and try lying on a roller to release.

2. Slumped and rounded lower back? Think about coming into neutral pelvis at certain points throughout the day. Try some pelvic tilts to find neutral and to strengthen the core.

Strengthen your gluts (bum toners)

30 July, 2025 Priya Tew

The gluts have become something of a hobby horse of mine lately. Why? Because I’ve noticed so many of my clients need to strengthen them, or cannot work them in certain exercises.

The gluteals are made up of 3 parts: gluteus maximus, minimus and medius. In general terms these are the bum muscles 😉 Weak gluts can lead to lower back pain, poor posture and a saggy bum!

Gluteus maximus is the heaviest muscle in the body and makes up the bulk of the bottom. It attaches in the hip, goes round to the sacrum and coccyx, then inserts into the femur and IT band. A big muscle. It is used in movements that extend the hip such as getting up from sitting and running, walking up stairs and jumping. I certainly notice these muscles are weak in a lot of my postnatal clients, usually as a result of poor posture in pregnancy and post-birth but also as a result of SPD/pelvic girdle pain.

Gluteus medius and minimus are a deeper muscles that helps support the pelvis. They are used for movements that require moving the hip to the side, such as a side step. A tight muscle can lead to lower back, hip and knee pain.

Glut strengtheners:

Shoulder bridge.

One of my fav exercises. However you really need to make sure you are squeezing and using your bum muscles when doing this so you don’t compensate and use the lower back muscles.

Glut Extension prone.

Try lying on your tummy and lifting one leg by squeezing in the bum. Again not using the lower back but use the glut to do the work here. If it isn’t working, try turning you heels in and your toes out (think ballet first position).

Oyster or clam.

More for gluteus medius and minimus. Make sure you don’t roll back through the hips as you do this one.

Side lying leg lift.

Another for the glut medius and minimus. Focus on leg length and staying stretched out thought the waist (no squidging!). You should find you are not able to life the leg too high if you are stretched out.

Other good exercises include squats, plies and walking up hills or stairs squeezing your bum. My postnatal DVD “Beyond your Bump” has some good glut exercises on it that are suitable for all types of people, not just post-birth.

Watch out for glut stretches on a blog post very soon.

Take a look at your feet.

23 September, 2014 Priya Tew

Your feet are complex things. There are 26 bones, 20 muscles and 33 joints in each foot. Yet we often neglect them and I’m not talking about painting your nails 😉 Our weight is carried through our feet, so really we need to turn our thinking upside down and put out feet first. For optimal all over body health our feet need to be loved and looked after. You guessed it, the walk you walk and stand can be connected to your back, so that back pain could be due to your feet.

Ideally our feet are designed to move like our hands and fingers. They are capable of similar movements. However from a young age we put our feet in socks and then in shoes. Imagine putting your hands in mittens all day, over time your body would adapt. Your fingers would not be exercised and would lose their dexterity, your forearms would adapt and compensate. The same happens to our feet, muscles in the feet become weak and underdeveloped, muscles such as the calf compensate and are overworked.

Stand up barefoot and take a look at your feet… aren’t they beautiful 😉

1. Do your feet match? We do lots of things that are one sided – car driving for example and this can lead to the muscles developing differently on one side.

2. Toes – are they scrunched up, pulled to one side or do you have bunions? All signs you need to correct the way you stand and walk.

2. Where do you feet point? Turned in, turned out or straight? One may be facing a different way to another. You want them to be facing forward, to move you forward with the leg muscles working in the correct manner. Walking from heel to toe is only possible to do correctly if your feet face forward.

3. Toes and Foot Alignment. Stand up with your foot against a straight edge such as a pilates mat. See whether is is sits flush with the edge, if it doesn’t move it until it does. That is how is should be!

Simple Exercises:

Start walking barefoot where possible – this means no shoes OR socks. This will allow your toes to spread and your feet to feel the floor.

Shake hands with your feet. To encourage your toes to stretch out and “breathe” slide your fingers between your toes. Gradually you can work your fingers further down. I know, I NEED a pedicure.

Use a tennis ball or spikey ball and roll it under your feet to massage them and stimulate them.

Try out toe socks… I’m loving these beauties for my Pilates right now:

More exercises and top tips coming up in the next blog post, a little foot series is on it’s way. So get bare footing!!

The Best Pilates Smoothie Recipe

6 September, 2014 Priya Tew

Sometimes it can be tricky to know what to eat before or after a Pilates class. If you class is close to a meal then you don’t want to have a full stomach in class. If you haven’t eaten for a while and know you need a snack then what do you have? No-one wants to hear tummy rumbles in your roll-ups and doing a teaser with a tummy full really isn’t pleasant!

So here is a great smoothie recipe for yoou that can be whizzed up in seconds and will sustain you through a class or help you replenish afterwards. The oats are slow release carbohydrates to give you energy that lasts and keep you fuller for longer. The milk provides protein and lactose sugars which is proven to be a great rehydration and refuelling substance. The fruit is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Then the linseeds are optional, I like them as they provide omega 3’s which I am always looking for ways to include in my diet.

Banana and Blueberry Oaty Smoothie:

1 tbsp oats

1 medium banana

1 handful of blueberries

150 ml milk

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp linseeds

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or glass jug that you can use with a hand blender.

Pilates with Priya: banana and blueberry smoothie 2

Blend and pour into a glass.

Enjoy!

Pilates with Priya: banana and blueberry smoothie 3

Lift without lower back pain

22 July, 2025 Priya Tew

Lower back pain, it’s the most common issue I see on our Pilates medical forms. Heavy lifting without engaging your core is often a cause of it. It’s common sense that if you lift badly or lift too heavy a weight it will hurt your back… but it is all too easy to do, especially when it is a child! For more on lifting babies see my video.

Think of the core as being the central point from which the power comes from or like a fulcrum that you pivot from. Every seen someone lift something far too heavy? You can see the force going into their back, not a good thing as it can damage the discs in the back. When I was pregnant and post birth I could instantly feel the effects when lifting my toddler, my core was far weaker and I couldn’t support my lower back.

Lifting safely involves engaging the core, bending the knees and thinking about your alignment. Here are my top tips:

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Keep the load close to your waist – easy to do when it’s cuddling a child, less so if it is a tantruming one 😉
Get a good grip.
Engage your core.
Maintain a stable base with your feet hip width apart.
Bend the knees and hips NOT the back. Keep a neutral spine.
Know your lifting limits, we aren’t all training for Ironman.
Think about using your legs rather than your back to lift.
Lower down safely, bending your knees.

It’s all about building community: the first pre/postnatal #ppnchat.

13 August, 2014 Priya Tew

Yesterday myself and Claire Mockridge hosted the first Pre/Postnatal Chat on twitter. There is a real need for education in this area and those who work in the field can find themselves a little isolated. So this chat was all about connecting people, sharing tips and information, learning from each other and thinking about how we can build community for our pre/postnatal clients and how we can work in our local community.

Here is a transcript of our first chat

Pilates with Priya: Almost 37 Weeks Pregnant. — My second baby bump at 37 weeks after a Step Aerobics class 😉

We had a great response, THANKYOU to all who tweeted along with us, the hour went fast! I loved meeting some new faces and am already looking forward to the next one.

Save the date:

Tuesday 9th September at 2.30pm

Use the hash tag #ppnchat

More details on the topic and questions to come!

Say NO to Sit Ups

8 August, 2014 Priya Tew

Sit-ups are one of those exercises that I’m really not keen on. Many people perform them incorrectly, they are not safe in pregnancy or post-birth… and yet they are often one of the main exercises people will be doing.

A sit up or any variation of this movement where you go into forward flexion , bringing your upper body towards your knees, is not a good thing for postnatal women. In fact it can cause more harm than good as it works the tummy muscles in the wrong way. So, if you’ve recently had a baby and you’re doing sit ups, STOP them immediately.

Sit ups work the tummy muscles that run vetically down the tummy, called the Rectus Abdominis but commonly known as the six-pack muscle. These lengthen in pregnancy and as your baby grows and your bump gets bigger, this muscle my start to separate around your belly button. The abdominals can take time to come back to normal after your baby has been born, so for several weeks and indeed months after birth, these muscle remains in a lengthened, separated state.

The danger of doing sit ups in this state is that you can widen any separation you may have of the abdominals and you can actually strengthen the muscles to stay in this separated state. The long term problems with separation include the risk of a hernia (the intestines poke out as there are no tummy muscles covering them), pelvic floor weakness and it also means you won’t get a flat tummy back again.

Instead of doing sit ups, you need to focus on strengthening the pelvic floor and the Transversus Abdominis, which runs like a corset around your lower tummy. By strenghtening these muscle that are deep inside you will strengthen the body from the outside in. These muscles are your foundation, once they are working then they will help realign any abdominal separation you may have and will knit you together again.

Our specialist Postnatal Pilates class and our DVD focuses on strengthening these muscles in the correct order. So we find the lower tummy (transversus abdominus) muscle first, along with the pelvic floor. We then shorten the rectus abdominus muscles running down the tummy. When this is strong enough and any abdominal separation has been realigned, then the other tummy muscles can be worked.

Tag: Pilates with Priya