Loosening Up

I had a bit of good luck yesterday. I went to my regular group pilates class, and everyone else, except for the instructor was missing. As a result, I got a private session for the price of a group class. It’s nice when that happens.

The instructor is a jovial fellow named Paul, who I really respect. He has been my regular instructor most Wednesdays, and he’s also made a mark dancing with Danny Grossman’s company. He’s no slouch when it comes to a knowledge of movement.

He took it upon himself to work on a  hip opening technique that really hit the mark. It’s one of those things that is basic to pilates. In an ideal situation, you should be able to isolate an individual muscle or group of muscles without straining or activating others. What I’ve found in recent times, despite all of my teachers best efforts, is that I’ve been straining my quadriceps and gluteous muscles when they should be relaxed. These larger muscles are overworked, and the muscle that should receive the benefit is neglected as a result.

My hips feel quite different after this brief session, and I’m certainly glad I had the personal attention to figure out what I was doing wrong. It’s nice to revisit the basics once in a while. The more elaborate stuff gets done properly when the fundamentals are in place.

I think I should pick up my horn and practice some scales or somethin’.