Mat Pilates Fundamentals

Head and shoulders curled up, legs at tabletop or extended. Pump your arms, breathing in for 5 pumps and out for 5, ten times.

6 reps. Arms overhead, legs long. Peel up one vertebra at a time to reach for your toes, then roll back down slowly.

5 each direction, each leg. Keep your hips perfectly still.

8 reps. Balance in a tight ball, roll back to your shoulder blades and back up without touching your feet down.

Hug one knee in, the other leg long, and switch.

Reach arms and legs long, circle the arms round, and hug back in.

5 reps. Sitting tall with your legs wide, round forward as though over a beach ball, then stack back up.