This is a written mat Pilates course. Every lesson gives you set-up, cues, reps and tempo, regressions and progressions, what you should feel, and the faults to watch for, so you can follow it from the page without a screen. Work through the modules in order; each one assumes the positions and breath pattern taught in module 1.
Educational disclaimer
This course is general educational material about movement and exercise technique. It is not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat or manage any condition, injury or symptom. Consult a qualified health professional before starting this or any exercise programme, particularly if you are pregnant or recently postnatal, have a current or past injury, have any bone, joint, heart or blood pressure condition, have had recent surgery, or are returning to movement after a long break. If any movement causes pain, dizziness, numbness or breathlessness, stop and seek professional advice.
Safety rules for every session
- Stop at pain. Muscular effort and mild shaking are normal. Sharp, pinching or radiating pain is not. Stop that movement.
- Neck and jaw stay soft. If your neck is working in a head-lifted position, put your head down or support it with one hand. This is a regression, not a failure.
- Never force a range. Work to the point where you can still control the movement and breathe normally.
- Keep breathing. Holding your breath is the most common error in Pilates and makes everything harder.
- Quality beats quantity. Five controlled repetitions are worth more than fifteen rushed ones. When form degrades, the set is over.
- Warm up and finish. Three to five minutes of easy mobility first, and the finishing sequence in module 6 at the end.
What you need
A mat or a carpeted floor, enough space to lie down with your arms overhead, a small folded towel for head support, and a firm cushion or block. Bare feet or grip socks. Water nearby. Nothing else is required at any point in this course.
How to progress
Each exercise has a regression and a progression. Start at the regression if you are new or returning. Move up only when you can do the stated reps with the stated tempo, maintaining the position described, while breathing normally. If any of those three things fails, stay where you are.
Worked example
A beginner reading the Hundred in module 2 finds the full version calls for a head-lifted position for 100 beats. She tries it, her neck aches after 20 beats, and her lower back lifts away from the mat. Applying the rules: head down on the folded towel, legs in tabletop rather than extended, 40 beats instead of 100. She repeats that version for two weeks until 60 beats feel controlled, then lifts her head for the final 20 only. That is correct progression, and it takes weeks rather than days.
Action Step
Set up your space and read the safety rules again. Then write down, on one page, any professional guidance you already have about your own movement, plus which of the five safety rules you are most likely to break. Most people know theirs already: holding the breath, or pushing a range. Keep that page with your mat.