The Hundred Series is a classical Pilates exercise that is designed to warm up the body on many levels. It is named the Hundred Series because it is designed to include 100 breaths and/or arms pulses. Breathing and Coordination are key Pilates Principles. (click here for more info)


When done in the traditional manner it increases our body temperature, activates the whole body, and increases our breathing capacity. It is often regarded as a bit detoxifying because the breathing pattern pushes all the old air out and draws new, fresh air in. You are warming up and releasing tension in your intercostal muscles, which can get very gluey and tight due to our everyday movements. 

​Want to learn more about breathing? click here 


In my group classes and private lessons, I often modify the form of this traditional exercise in order to focus on the breathing pattern. We also usually start with some building blocks of breath work and arm activation to ensure our most successful attempt at the full exercise. 


Want to get better at the breathing pattern?
Just like anything else, the best way to improve or get more comfortable is to practice it more often than you might see me. 


Here are some tips:
-Start with a gentle warm up, get moving and breathing. Try to focus on your full body awareness and coordination. 


Pick a position to try the Hundred breathing pattern. If you have been sitting all day, I suggest trying it standing up! You can play around with hand placement, it may give you some extra awareness and therefore success if you have a hand or two on your sternum or at the base of your ribcage. 

• Practice some accumulating breaths. (inhale for 1 beat, exhale for 1 beat, inhale for 2 beats, exhale for 2 beats, inhale for 3 beats, exhale for 3 beats, inhale for 4 beats, exhale for 4 beats, then inhale for 5 beats, exhale for 5 beats)
• Practice the full 5 counts in, 5 counts out with a smooth breath
• Practice the full 5 counts in, 5 counts out with a staccato breath (sniff or puff for each beat)

How did it go?
Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.


If you are interested in trying some private lessons or need some guidance on cultivate a way to have Pilates in your life, click here to contact me directly.

In addition to the set or choreographed exercises and equipment, Joe had a whole set of principles that sum up the underlying philosophy or motivation behind his technique. Check them out below....


JOE'S 3 MAJOR PRINCIPLES
Whole Body Health
Whole Body Commitment
BREATH

THE PILATES PRINCIPLES
Concentration
Control
Centering
Coordination
Precision
Balanced Muscle Development
Rhythm
Flowing Movement
Limited Repetitions


Does it help make some sense out of what Pilates is about? 
Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.


If you are interested in trying some private lessons or need some guidance on cultivating a way to have Pilates in your life, click here to contact me directly.

Who was Joseph H. Pilates?

Joe was born in 1880 in Germany to a Greek father, a world-class athlete, and a German mother, a naturopath. Joe was a sickly child. He had asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. This is why his exercise system does not stress the heart or lungs. He was “put outdoors” to heal and became an exercise enthusiast practicing many forms including Yoga, boxing and gymnastics. His mother was his first client. She developed a limp when he was about 10 years old and he rehabilitated her.

When World War I began Joe became interned as an enemy alien in England. He worked with the patients to rehabilitate injuries and promote overall health. Joe modified the hospital beds and developed a system using bedsprings as resistance to help bedridden patients. This later became the trapeze table and reformer. The men in Joe’s dorm did the mat work exercises every evening. During the outbreak of Spanish Influenza in 1918, 20 million people died. No one under Joe’s care died!

Joe immigrated to the United States in 1926, which was a time of peace in between World War 1 and World War 2. Joe met Clara, a nurse and his future wife, on the boat to the US. They settled in New York City and opened their exercise studio on 8th Avenue. George Balanchine’s studio was in the same building. This exposed Joe’s work to the dance community, especially it’s success in rehabilitating injured dancers and allowing them to perform fully again. Besides working with dancers, the general public also began to benefit from the Pilates method to strengthen, stretch and balance the body.

Joe taught up until his death in 1968. He continued to create and build more apparatus that expanded his system and it’s effectiveness. Joe and Clara also trained many of his students to teach the Pilates system. His book, Return to Life, is still relevant and is a core text in any Pilates teacher training program. The Pilates method continues to inform and influence the fitness and wellness industry.


Did you find this interesting? 
Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.


If you are interested in trying some private lessons or need some guidance on getting some Pilates in your life, click here to contact me directly.