As Pilates teachers, we often encounter tight muscles, and for me, the psoas has always been a particularly persistent issue. My journey with tight psoas muscles began during my dancing days, and despite consistent stretching, it's been an ongoing battle. Recently, my experience with barre classes has made this tightness even more pronounced.
In our studio in Greece, I developed a routine that involved daily walks on a treadmill for an hour. This time was invaluable, not just for physical exercise, but also for personal development as I watched lessons and absorbed information. However, since leaving Greece and storing the treadmill, combined with the extreme summer heat and now transitioning into winter here in South America, my routine was disrupted.
This August, I've committed to resuming my walking routine. Today marks the fifth day, and it's been a revelation to reconnect with this practice. Interestingly, I recently read an article highlighting the relationship between short strides and a shortened psoas. This made me reflect on my treadmill days where I maintained a good speed and took large strides, versus my more casual street walking now.
With this insight, I've been consciously focusing on taking longer strides during my walks. It's incredible how much more you can feel the psoas stretching with this simple adjustment. For this month, my goal is to consistently incorporate these longer strides and observe the impact on my psoas tightness.
As I prepare for my travels next month, maintaining this routine will be challenging. However, I’m committed to using this time to experiment and share my findings with you. It's not about making ridiculously large strides but finding that balance where each step contributes to lengthening the psoas.
On this Thoughtful Tuesday, I wanted to share my experience and encourage you to explore how subtle changes in our routines can lead to significant improvements in our practice and teaching. Let's continue to learn and grow together, embracing each step—both literally and metaphorically—in our Pilates journey.
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