Every Apparatus is a Teacher: What the Pilates Spine Corrector Teaches Us

Photo credit: Tal Hershko, Cottage Lake Pilates

Written by: Tal Hershko, Cottage Lake Pilates

In Classical Pilates, every piece of apparatus is a teacher. The Pilates Reformer teaches us to move with control against the springs. The Pilates Mat teaches us to support ourselves with nothing but our own center. The Pilates Spine Corrector teaches one of the most beautiful lessons: how to open the chest and find real extension in the spine. Each piece of apparatus is part of the system of Classical Pilates. The Classical Pilates repertoire itself can be performed across the apparatus with some exercises being more advanced on certain apparatus than others.

Why the Pilates Spine Corrector Belongs in Your Practice

The Pilates Spine Corrector is a curved barrel with a step. Its shape works our body in ways that are hard to find on a flat surface. The intersection of the curve and step provide an angle of support that makes doing exercises like Teaser a bit easier for those who are first learning Classical Pilates.

• Opens the Chest. Lying back over the curve gently opens the front of the body. That's a welcome counterbalance to the hours many of us spend hunched over desks, phones, steering wheels and little ones.
• Cradles the Spine in Extension. On the Mat, we must create all the support ourselves. Here, the curve of the barrel holds the whole back, with the head and neck well supported, so we can lengthen into extension.
• Prepare Us for What's Next. It builds toward holding the legs in the air with less support under the hips, like the scissors and bicycle in the advanced mat work.

How I Use the Apparatus in My Teaching

I teach Classical Pilates at Cottage Lake Pilates in Woodinville, WA, a Gratz-equipped studio. I see the Pilates Spine Corrector as a reward. First, clients learn to use their powerhouse and stabilize their hips. Once they can practice that movement with the correct form, we introduce extension.

In the Leg Series, the springs teach us to extend and reach. On the Pilates Spine Corrector, we find that same extension without the springs, with the hips raised on the curve. The body remembers what it feels like to reach through the springs. That's when the method really clicks.

Short Box on the Pilates Spine Corrector

I love offering the Short Box Series on the Pilates Spine Corrector. On the Reformer Box (Short Box), hip alignment can sometimes be harder to find. Here, the curve right behind us gives the hips immediate feedback, so we can feel if they're square or if one side is drifting. The curve also guides the spine as we articulate backwards. Allowing us to practice in a safer position while we learn to move with control.

In the exercise, Tree, pictured at the top of this post, we can feel the back of the curve right against our hips, keeping them alive and anchored while the leg reaches long.

Why Clients Love the Pilates Spine Corrector

Clients often tell me the Pilates Spine Corrector feels really good, and that it helps open their upper back and shoulders. For most clients, they often sit most of the day and enjoy performing chest opening exercises that stretch the back, neck, and shoulders.

Why I Practice with the Pilates Spine Corrector

I didn't always love backbends. For a long time, I worried about how my body would feel if I leaned back. When my head was lower than my body, I would feel nauseous, and coming back up hurt my neck. The Pilates Spine Corrector was one of the pieces of the puzzle that helped me. It taught me how to support my head and neck, and how to actually use my back extensors instead of just hanging into the bend. Now, backbends are one of the parts of Pilates I enjoy the most.

My Favorite Pilates Spine Corrector Exercises:

1. Arm series
2. Leg series: scissors, bicycle, circles
3. Short box series, including Tree

Every apparatus is a teacher, and the Pilates Spine Corrector teaches us to open up: through the chest, through the spine, and into extension.

About Tal Hershko

Tal Hershko, MA, is the owner and instructor of Cottage Lake Pilates, a Classical Pilates studio in Woodinville, WA, equipped with authentic Gratz apparatus. She completed the Metropolitan Authentic Training (MAT) Pilates Program, studying with master teacher Dorothee VanDewalle in the lineage of Joseph Pilates through Romana Kryzanowska. At Cottage Lake Pilates she teaches privates, duets and small group classes, and loves helping clients find strength and ease in their bodies.

Instagram: @cottagelakepilates

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