Mat based Pilates exercise are carried out in a variety of positions, including lying on your back, front or side, sitting and kneeling on hands and knees. In addition to these positions, there are many popular Pilates exercises you can do in standing.

Here’s a few of our Pilate’s teams favourites!

#1 Mermaid Standing

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart. Imagine your head is a helium balloon to lengthen your spine. Imagine your pelvis as a bowl resting upright to align your pelvis in the neutral position. Gently set your centre. Glide your shoulder blades downwards towards your waist. Place your hands on the brim of your pelvic bowl.
2. INHALE and lift the left arm to the side and overhead.
3. EXHALE and lengthen the curve of the spine to the right while maintaining the neutral position.
4. INHALE and return back to upright starting position.

#2 Corkscrew Warm Up Move

1. Standing upright, back of the neck long, shoulder blades set, neutral spinal position, knees soft, weight placed evenly through the feet. Arms resting long beside the body. Centre set.
2. Inhale, circle the arms outwards and upwards overhead. Keep the arms within your peripheral vision and the shoulder blades set, so pulled back and down.
3. Exhale, fold the arms and place the hands at the base of the head. Keep the back of the neck long.
4. Inhale, glide the shoulder blades upwards. Keep the collarbones wide.
5. Exhale, glide the shoulder blades downwards. Keep the collarbones wide.
6. Inhale, reach the arms overhead. Keep the arms within the peripheral vision and the scapulae set.
7. Exhale, circle the arms outwards and downwards to return to the starting position.

#3 One Leg Circle

1. Start in a natural standing posture. Hands on your waist.
2. Put your feet and heels together. Keeping your heels together, turn your feet outwards slightly.
3. Inhale, slide your right leg forwards keeping the toes on the mat.
4. Exhale, circle your right leg outwards, placing your foot directly behind your right hip. Keep the toes in contact with the mat.
5. Inhale, slide your right leg forwards, placing your floor directly in front of your right hip. Keep the toes in contact with the mat.
6. Repeat up to ten times in this direction and then reverse the direction of your leg circles on both sides.

#4 Clam Level 3

1. Start in a natural standing position.
2. Bend your right hip 45 and the knee to 90 degrees, keeping your legs a hip distance apart.
3. Put your hands on your waist. Inhale to prepare.
4. Exhale, rotate your right hip outwards, keeping your pelvis stable.
5. Inhale, rotate your right hip back to the middle, keeping the pelvis stable.
6. Repeat up to ten times on the right leg and then repeat on the opposite side.

#5 Roll Down

1. Stand in a natural standing position. Engage your core.
2. Inhale to prepare.
3. Exhale, lengthen the back of the neck and curl the head and neck forwards. Continue to curl the body forwards, one bone at a time. Wheel the pelvis forwards and continue to roll the body downwards as far as comfortable. Allow the head and arms to relax forwards with gravity and keep the knees soft.
4. Inhale and hold the roll down position.
5. Exhale, draw the tailbone downwards and wheel the pelvis upwards. Continue to roll the spine upwards one bone at a time. Lengthen the upper body upwards and widen the collarbones to return to the starting position.
6. Repeat 3 5 times.

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We have lot’s of informative and educational Pilates articles over on our blog, which you can find here.

If you’re interested in finding out more about joining our specialist Clinical Pilates classes at goPhysio in Chandlers Ford, take a look at the details of what we offer.

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Top 3 Pilates exercises in standing