Pilates workout –Arm Raises

Level of difficulty: Beginner

As we talked on a previous post about the importance of breathing in Pilates, here we bring you a basic Pilates exercise that will help you get into the breathing practice and fill your lungs completely: Arm Raises.

Keys for the arm raise

• Breathe: Inhale as you raise your arms above your head, and exhale as you get them down to the original position.

• Energize: Visualize yourself as a marionette that has a string attached to the crown of your head up to the ceiling, and stretch your back as the imaginary string pulls you up.

• Align: Your shoulders should be vertical over your hips, and your palms should remain facing up as you elevate your arms overhead.

Arm raises step by step

• Step 1: Sit on the mat with a straight back and arms stretched at each side. Put your palms facing up and fingers slightly off the mat. In this home position exhale through your mouth.
  

• Step 2: Start inhaling as you raise both arms.

• Step 3: Finish the inhalation as your arms get above your head with the palms facing each other. Keep your shoulders down!

• Step 4: Put your palms facing down and exhale while lowering your arms to home position. Then rotate your pals to repeat.

Repeat this exercise 6 times.

Source: Jillian Hessel