Absolutely loved this Tutorial, thank you =)

Thanks for your feedback Rebecca!

Thank you again Ruth, I have really enjoyed listening to your tutorials this week-end. With this abdominal one, you didnt mention anything about lifting the pelvic floor...is this a given, that one does this along with the scoop or is your school of thought slightly different?? I look forward to more tutorials and as one comment mentioned, would also be interested in hearing you speak about neck placement and problems with incorrect positioning. Love the clarity and ease with which you put across your information.

Just a thought....as a suggestion with a 'possible neck tutorial'...helpful tips for after whiplash would be great!!??
Again...thank you Ruth for your sharings.

Hi Mia - I want to answer you thoughtfully - because I do have thoughts about this issue! But I won't have time till later this week.... stay tuned...

Hi Mia - finally I have time to answer you! Thanks for waiting.

I don't cue the pelvic floor. I know it's popular to do so these days, but I feel that people overwork the pelvic floor muscles when they are cued. People end up squeezing and jamming their coccyx, or overworking the gluts.

This tutorial was specifically about the abs - we didn't really get into movement. I move from/cue from bones, to avoid micromanaging muscles. For instance, if one starts a spine curl and I cue to initiate from the tail bone (coccyx but it's easier to say tail when I'm teaching!) then the pelvic floor muscles will engage appropriately. Most people start from higher up the spine in the lumbar, or the pelvis, to initiate a curl, and that's when a cue to contract the pelvic floor gets added. But your spine goes all the way to the tip of the tail

bone and if you include that in your movement, you automatically activate the pelvic floor muscles which connect to the tail. I think I show this in the most recent cadillac workout, where I am doing the movement; it might also be in the one about Graceful Movement. Another good place to feel initiating from the tail is in Tower, and I like the Reverse Tower (see cadillac workout) which has less force on my hamstrings and lumbar.

Not sure if this answers you adequately - it's a bit hard to do it all in words and not be there to walk you through it!

I love the idea of the abdominals as a "soft spine". There's lots of good food for thought on the correct use of the abdominals for Pilates in this video.

- Oliver from Tone Pilates in Vancouver, Canada

Thank you Oliver! Yes, that's my goal, to get people thinking!

Great tutorial! Thank you Ruth