This relaxation position is most useful after strenuous exercises for the back.
Effort and relaxation are two sides of the same coin; you cannot have one without the other. If you do not use your muscles, you cannot appreciate the benefits of relaxation; if you never relax, then your muscles will not work to their optimum capacity. Because of this, every effective exercise program builds in a phase of relaxation and the Pilates method is no exception. You must set a few minutes aside for relaxation at the end of each practice, in order to allow any tension that was built up during your exercise session to drain away. This will enable your body to assimilate the benefits of the activities before you resume your everyday routine.
Specific relaxation
For many Pilates exercises there is a complementary relaxation position that you can adopt following a workout that specifically rests the muscles that you have just been using. For example, after doing curls, which work the abdominal muscles, it is important to rest these muscles by clasping your knees to your chest for a few moments. The kneeling rest position gently stretches out the entire spine after doing back extension exercises.
Not only do these complementary positions provide the opportunity for a welcome rest after strenuous exercise, they also lengthen the muscles that have been working, thereby preventing loss of flexibility that can sometimes accompany repeated contraction of a group of muscles. For these reasons, it is important not to skimp on the relaxation elements of your Pilates routine; they are integral to your program and just as important as the main exercises themselves.
General relaxation
When you have completed your exercise program, adopt the neutral pelvis position. Rest in this way for a few minutes and consciously allow any sign of tension to ebb away into the floor. You could also take up the relaxation position. Alternatively, adopt the kneeling rest position, focusing all your attention on your breathing as you do so.
Pilates and Sleep
Pilates saw his exercise method as a route to all-round health and well-being. While modern Pilates teachers tend to limit their advice to the exercise aspect of Pilates teaching, there is no doubt that performing exercise regularly has a beneficial impact on sleep quality and, conversely, that your sleep patterns can affect your Pilates performance. A body that is tired through physical exertion will achieve sound sleep more easily than one that has been physically sedentary but mentally tense. Regular sleep of sufficient duration (most of us need about seven hours a night) provides a firm foundation for physical performance, particularly of the controlled type of exercise practiced in Pilates.
Lengthening the Spine
Comfort and relaxation
If your knees are stiff, support yourself in the rest position with cushions.
In a well-designed Pilates program the exercises are selected to balance both effort and relaxation in each group of muscles. This important principle ensures that muscles that have worked hard do not over shorten as a result of the effort. A counterbalancing stretch during your Pilates session will ensure that the muscles are lengthened as well as toned to provide maximum mobility alongside increased strength.
Many of the prone exercises described in this website involve the extension of the spine. These movements can be strenuous and demanding so the final element of the prone exercises provides a welcome and relaxing counterbalance, incorporating an effective spinal stretch that flexes the spine and releases any muscle tension that may be evident in the muscles that link each of the individual vertebrae.
Relaxation
It is often difficult to relax if you are uncomfortable. If you are feeling pain in any part of your body, this will set up tension throughout the rest of the body, preventing the muscles from relaxing and lengthening. It is therefore important that you do not experience any discomfort when performing muscle-releasing exercises.
For the exercise on Rest Position there are several ways you can ease any discomfort you may feel. For example, your knees may be stiff, so try placing cushions under your knees and ankles and/or between your calves and buttocks. Using such support does not in any way diminish the value of the exercise. Experiment to find out which arrangement works best for you, then use it during the exercise.
While you are in the relaxation position you can practice your rib breathing, which will increase the stretch to the back. As you breathe in, expanding your lower ribs out to the side, imagine that you are trying to burst out of your T-shirt. Then, on the out-breath, let the ribs release and gently engage the centering muscles.
Completing your relaxation
The way in which you get up from a relaxation position is sometimes as important as how you perform it. After all, there would be little purpose in spending time releasing tense muscles if you misuse them as soon as the exercise session has come to an end.
It is possible to prolong and reinforce the positive effects of the rest position by paying particular attention to how you return to the upright position afterward.
Rest position
Use this position to stretch out the spine after you have worked your back in the prone position. Although it is intended to be relaxing, the position nevertheless requires the engagement of the centering muscles. This action gently flexes the spine, releasing tension in the muscles and ligaments that link the vertebrae. You should feel a satisfying stretch that lengthens the spine from the lumbar area when doing this exercise. Two versions of it are shown here: the classic unsupported position and an alternative stretch lying on the side. The latter position is best for those who have knee problems.
1 Kneel on all fours, knees directly under your hips and hands under your shoulders.
2 Move your buttocks back toward your heels and sink down so that your forehead is on the floor. Keep your hands in their starting position Breathe in and feel your spine lengthening. Rest in this position for a few breaths.
3 Get up from the rest position slowly. Breathe in and bring your navel to spine. Uncurl gradually starting from the base of the spine Visualize your tailbone moving downward. Keep your shoulders down and uncurl your head last.
4 Flex your feet and adopt a squatting position, keeping your centering muscles engaged. Keep your feet parallel, and on an out-breath roll up to a standing position.
