The Small Barrel: Supporting Strength, Mobility, and Alignment
Written by Elisabeth David
What sets the Small (Mini) Barrel apart from other pieces of apparatus is its lack of springs and unique shape. The Small Barrel is a half-moon–shaped apparatus designed by Joseph Pilates to support the natural curves of your spine.
It is smaller and lighter than the Spine Corrector, which makes it easy to move around the studio and adaptable for many different bodies and exercises. It’s pure magic for helping your body move, open, and strengthen in all the right ways.
Why Pilates of Kansas City Uses the Pilates Mini Barrel
The Small (Mini) Barrel helps us lengthen, align, and strengthen the body — especially the spine and core. It supports you while improving:
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Connecting the upper body (shoulder girdle and arms) into our center
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Creating length in our low back
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Extending our hips and the front of the pelvis
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Finding symmetry with our side bodies
The Mini Barrel works for all bodies. It gives beginners the support they need while offering advanced clients the subtle challenges that refine technique.
A Few Favorite Exercises Using the Pilates Barrel
These exercises highlight the versatility of the Small Barrel and showcase how instructors can use its shape to open the body, challenge the powerhouse, and refine alignment in a wide range of clients.
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Arm Series – an effective way to open the chest and counteract daily slouching.
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Leg Series – core work with built-in support that teaches control and precision.
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Side Sit Ups – lengthen and strengthen the obliques while improving lateral flexibility.
Why Classical Pilates Instructors and Clients Will Love the Small Barrel
Clients often say they feel taller and more open after using the small barrel — and it’s true! The barrel helps you find length in your spine and space in your body that you can carry with you long after class ends.
At Pilates of Kansas City, we use every piece of Pilates apparatus with intention — and the Small Barrel is one of the most valuable tools for improving posture, mobility, and spinal health. Though it looks simple, this piece of equipment offers deeply effective ways to support the spine, strengthen the core, and enhance overall movement quality.
From studios around the world to home practitioners, teachers trust the Small Barrel for its consistency, balance, and timeless design. It’s not just a supportive tool — it’s a direct link to the lineage and intention of Contrology itself.
Whether you’re deepening your personal practice or refining your teaching, the Small Barrel helps restore alignment, encourage length, and bring your body closer to the natural precision Joseph Pilates envisioned.
Pilates Clients or Instructors recovering from travel, combating hours at a desk, or looking to strengthen your technique between studio sessions, the barrel provides clear guidance for alignment and support. It’s a tool that continues to meet you where you are and helps you progress with consistency.
About Elisabeth David
Elisabeth David founded Pilates of Kansas City in 2015 after moving from South Florida to Kansas City and noticing a gap in the Pilates community. She created the city’s first fully equipped Classical Pilates studio and school, bringing the depth, tradition, and precision of true Pilates to the Midwest. Her vision has become a home for both clients and aspiring instructors seeking authentic Pilates.
With over 15 years of teaching experience, Elisabeth is a Comprehensively Certified Pilates Instructor through Power Pilates and Classical Pilates Education—both rigorous 600-hour programs.
Through her leadership, Elisabeth has created two studios that preserve the integrity of Classical Pilates while empowering every client and instructor to discover strength, balance, and confidence in their practice.