Pilates Plus Magazine July 2017 July 2017 Monthly Magazine | Page 9

PILATES WORD OF THE MONTH
The “C Curve”
It sounds pretty simple. All you need to do is create the same shape as the letter ”c” in your spine
and you are off and rolling. So why do so many people struggle with getting the perfect c-curve?
Posture is one big reason. The spine naturally has an “s” shape which is created by 4 curves that
go in opposing ways. When you try to create the c-curve, it requires some of those natural curves
to move in the opposite direction, especially in the lower back curve.
If you are stiff in the lower back, the c-curve will be challenging to get. You will tend to over curve
in the upper back, because this is it’s natural curve position, then under curve in the lower back,
creating a “gap” in that area when you roll.
The same is true with the neck. In a c-curve it requires the neck to move out of it’s natural curve
and in to the opposite direction. If you don’t have that range of movement in your neck, the head
will tend to hang, creating a lump or hump at the top part of the upper back.
Having a perfect c-curve is easier for some postural profiles and harder for others, but the same
principles need to be mastered for everyone. Flexibility, abdominal strength and the breath!