This is Pilates as you’ve never seen it before.

With detailed descriptions, step-by-step instruction, and stunning full-color anatomical illustrations, Pilates Anatomy takes you inside the exercises and programs that will tone the body, stabilize the core, improve balance, and increase flexibility. Using the original mat work of Joseph Pilates, you’ll see how key muscles are used, how variations and minor adjustments can influence effectiveness, and how breathing, alignment, posture, and movement are all fundamentally linked.

Choosing from over 45 exercises, you can target a particular body region and delve deeper to stretch, strengthen, and finely coordinate specific muscles. You’ll also find techniques for breathing, concentration, and self-awareness for a unique exercise experience that enhances your mind and your body.

Whether you are just beginning to explore the beauty and benefits of Pilates or have been practicing for years, Pilates Anatomy is a one-of-a-kind resource that you’ll refer to again and again.

Table of Contents
Preface ix

Chapter 1 Six Key Principles of Pilates 1

Chapter 2 Spine, Core, and Body Alignment 9

Chapter 3 Muscles, Movement Analysis, and Mat Work 29

Chapter 4 Foundation for a Mat Session 51

Chapter 5 Abdominal Work for Movement and Stabilization 69

Chapter 6 Fine Articulation for a Flexible Spine 97

Chapter 7 Bridging for a Functional Spine 127

Chapter 8 Side Exercises for an Effective Core 149

Chapter 9 Extensions for a Strong Back 175

Chapter 10 Customizing your Pilates Program 193

Bibliography 199

Exercise Finder 201

About the Authors 203

Authors:

Rael Isacowitz is a world-renowned practitioner and teacher of Pilates. He has over 30 years of Pilates achievement and is a prominent lecturer and teacher at symposiums, universities, and studios around the globe.
Rael earned his bachelor of education degree from the Wingate Institute, Israel, and holds a master of arts degree in dance from the University of Surrey, England. During his career he has worked with numerous Olympians and many professional athletes and dancers.
Rael’s early Pilates teachers included Alan Herdman and thereafter several of the first-generation Pilates teachers (known as the Elders). To Kathy Grant, Ron Fletcher, Romana Kryzanowska, Eve Gentry, and Lolita San Miguel, Rael owes the inspiration and friendship that have guided his career.
Rael has mastered all levels of the Pilates repertoire and is noted for his unique athleticism and passion for teaching as well as his synthesis of body, mind, and spirit. In 1989, he founded Body Arts and Science International (BASI Pilates), which has developed into one of the foremost Pilates education organizations in the world. At present, BASI Pilates is represented in 20 countries.
Rael has authored the definitive book on Pilates (Pilates, Human Kinetics), published a series of training manuals on all the Pilates apparatus, produced DVDs, designed the revolutionary Avalon equipment, and created Pilates Interactive, the groundbreaking Pilates software. He is a regular contributor to several industry publications. Creativity and energy suffuse his work. For Rael, teaching Pilates is the ultimate gift. Isacowitz resides in Hood River, Oregon.
Karen Clippinger is a professor at California State University at Long Beach, where she teaches functional anatomy for dance, body placement, Pilates, and other dance science courses. She is also on the faculty for Body Arts and Science International (BASI Pilates), where she teaches Pilates certification programs. Furthermore, she teaches continuing education courses for BASI Pilates and other prominent organizations.
Ms. Clippinger holds a master’s degree in exercise science. Her lifelong passion is to make anatomical and biomechanical principles accessible so that people can better understand their bodies, improve technique, and prevent injuries. Her textbook, Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology, exemplifies this mission; reviewers have lauded the book for its combination of scientific comprehensiveness and practical wisdom.
Before joining academia, Clippinger worked as a clinical kinesiologist for 22 years at Loma Linda University Medical Center and several sports medicine clinics in Seattle. She has worked with hundreds of professional dancers and elite athletes and consulted for the U.S. Weightlifting Federation, U.S. race walking team, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and California Governor`s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. During that time she was drawn to Pilates because of its tremendous versatility and profound benefits for people of varying abilities and aspirations.
Clippinger is a renowned presenter in Pilates, dance, anatomy, and biomechanics. She has given more than 375 presentations throughout the United States and in Australia, Canada, England, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. Clippinger was also an exercise columnist for Shape magazine for four years. She resides in Long Beach, California.