By Kathy Corey

Mat Class has evolved over the last several years with the inclusion of fitness rings, balls, therapy bands and yoga ropes. While these tools are aimed to enhance the Pilates exercises, a new piece of equipment has been developed specifically for the matwork. It is called the CORE™ Band and it is designed to increase the effectiveness of the exercises and create a deeper understanding of the Pilates Matwork. It allows you to use your own body as a resistance tool in a similar way to working on the reformer. If you are just starting a Pilates program, the band will help you perform the exercises from your core muscles so you get greater results right from the start. For the more experienced Pilates person, it helps to achieve the more advanced movements with fluidity and precision. It is an excellent guide for body alignment, especially for extension, and makes many of the exercises more challenging. By using both stabilization and mobilization techniques to work the muscles in an in-depth manner, it creates greater articulation of the body’s core movements.

The CORE™ Band has several pockets or sleeves for the placement of your hands and feet. Placing your hands inside the pockets eliminates tension into your wrists and stabilizes your shoulder girdle for the Hundred, Roll Up, Single and Double Leg Stretch and the Spine Stretch. Placing the feet in the pockets enhances exercises like Rolling Like A Ball, Open Leg Rocker, The Roll Over and the Teaser. The entire repertoire of Pilates Matwork is performed with the band in various positions. Your flexibility and range of motion will determine which sleeves you will use. The closer the hand placement, the more challenging the exercise will be. Start with the band in a comfortable position and try different sleeves as you become more familiar with the movements.

The CORE™ Band puts the three “C’s”—Control, Centering and Concentration back into the Mat Class. These principles are essential to the work for without complete attention to the movement process, results are not achieved as deeply or as quickly. The CORE™ Band program is designed to energize and balance your body as you improve your posture, alignment, circulation, strength, and flexibility. For a fun and challenging work-out try to do your entire mat class with the CORE™ Band.


THE HUNDRED
Step 1
Lie on your mat on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet on your mat. Bring your toes, ankles and knees together. Place your hands in the sleeves of the CORE™ Band, keeping your wrists straight. Pull the band in opposition and keep it pulled taut through the exercise.
Lift your upper body off the mat and reach your arms toward your knees, pulling your shoulder blades down and together.

Step 2
Using a strong and deep contraction, pulse your upper body and band toward your legs. 
Match your breath to your movements, breathing in for 5 inhalations and breathing out for 5 exhalations. Stay in this position for 20 counts

Step 3
Slowly lift your legs off the floor to a 90º angle. Continue the pulsing movements reaching your upper body and band toward your knees while you continue the breathing pattern for 20 more counts. 

Step 4
Slowly extend your legs to the ceiling and keep pulsing toward your toes for the next 20 counts. 

Step 5
Reach your arms over your head using the pulsing movement and breath pattern for an additional 20 counts.

Step 6
Begin to lower your legs on a diagonal away from your torso as you continue to pulse your arms over your head. Lower your legs as close to the ground as possible without allowing your spine to lift from the mat and complete The Hundred with your last set of 20. Lower your head to the mat. Release your arms down, bend your knees and place your feet on the mat.


THE ROLL UP
Step 1
Place your hands in the sleeves of the CORE™ Band. Lie on your mat with your legs straight and your arms on the floor above your head. Lift your arms a few inches off the floor, pulling the band taut. Inhale and lift your arms to the ceiling. Exhale as you curl your head, neck and shoulders off the mat and continue to roll up sequentially and slowly.

Step 2
Inhale and bring your torso over your legs and stretch your fingertips toward your toes with your arms around your ears. Stretch forward from your hips and exhale, keeping your abdominal muscles pulled to your spine and your shoulders down away from your ears.

Step 3
Inhale as you begin to roll down on your mat pulling your torso away from your legs. Exhale and imprint your spine on to the mat, one vertebra at a time. Take another full breath as you stretch your spine, shoulders, neck, and head to the floor.


THE ROLL OVER
Step 1
Lie on your mat and place your feet in the center pocket of the CORE™ Band. Slide your hands into the end sleeves with your palms facing inward.

Step 2
Inhale and extend your legs to the ceiling, straightening your arms. Exhale as you contract your abdominal muscles and roll your tailbone off the mat. Keep pulling your low abdominal muscles inward and bring your navel to your spine.

Step 3
Keeping your arms straight, continue to roll over peeling your spine from the floor one vertebra at a time, rolling with control until your legs are overhead and parallel to the floor. Take several deep breaths as you roll.

Step 4
Begin to roll down, placing each vertebra on the mat. Use the band for resistance keeping your arms straight. Breathe deeply and press the full length of your spine to the mat. Bring your tailbone down and straighten your legs toward the ceiling. 


OPEN LEG ROCKER
Step 1
Sit on your mat. Bend your knees and place your feet in the pockets next to the center pocket of your band. Stretch your feet apart to pull the pocket taut. Place your hands in the end sleeves. Extend your legs toward the ceiling to form a small “V” position. 

Step 2
Inhale, round your back and roll onto your shoulder blades keeping your arms straight. Roll over with your legs straight until they are parallel to the floor over your head. Keep your head up and in line with your spine so it does not initiate the movement or touch the mat. 

Step 3
Exhale and roll up to your starting position. Keep your arms straight throughout the exercise and never roll back farther than your shoulder blades.


THE SAW
Step 1
Sit on your mat with your legs extended out in front of you. Place your hands in the sleeves of the CORE™ Band. Open your legs to the “V” position, slightly wider than your hips. Inhale and lift your band over your head. 

Step 2
Flex your feet and exhale as you stretch across your body reaching your arm past the opposite foot. Keep both hips anchored to your mat. 

Step 3
Reach past your toes on the outside of foot and stretch forward sliding your hand in a “sawing” motion. Pull your band back by reaching your opposing shoulder and arm to the back of the room. Keep your abdominal contraction and work in opposition. 

Step 4
Round your back to sit up as you inhale and exhale to lift your arms over head. Repeat the exercise on the other side.


THE TEASER
Step 1
Lie on your mat and place your feet in the center pocket of the CORE™ Band. Slide your hands into the end sleeves with your palms facing inward. 

Step 2
Inhale and extend your legs to the ceiling, straightening your arms. Exhale as you curl your upper body off the mat, lowering your legs. Keep your arms straight, your shoulders down and your abdominals contracted. 

Step 3
Inhale and open your arms out at the sides of your body. Exhale and curl your torso toward your legs while lifting your legs higher stretching upward to a “V” position. 

Step 4
Take a deep breath and begin to roll your torso down away from your legs, keeping your legs lifted. Press your low back to the floor on a strong exhalation with a strong abdominal contraction. 

Step 5
Curl up to the “V” position once again opening your arms out at the sides of your body. Repeat the low back imprint a few times. Roll your torso down and low your legs to complete the exercise. 

For a great variation follow the Roll Over with the Teaser and perform them consecutively for a dynamic combination of movements.


SWIMMING
Step 1
Lie face down on your mat. Place your hands in the CORE™ Band using sleeves slightly wider than your shoulders. Bring your legs hip distance apart in a slight turn-out position.

Step 2
Lift your arms up to eye level lifting your legs up as well. Perform a small flutter motion with your opposite arm and leg. Emphasize the upward motion especially with your back and arm muscles.


KNEELING SIDE KICKS-PULSE TO SWEEP
Step 1
Kneel on your mat with your legs hip distance apart. Place your hands into the sleeves of the CORE™ Band. Stretch to the side placing one hand on the floor. Stretch your other hand over your head pulling the band upward in a vertical line from floor to ceiling. Extend your opposite leg out placing the side of your foot on the floor.

Step 2 
Align your shoulders and your hips and keep them stable throughout the exercise. 
Inhale and lift your leg so it is level with your hip and parallel to the floor. 

Step 3
Exhale as you sweep your leg in front of your torso without moving your hips or your shoulders. Sweep only as far as you can without swaying or allowing the band to move. 

Step 4
Sweep your leg backward keeping it hip distance above your mat at all times. 
Perform a long exhale as you sweep your leg back.

This exercise is an advanced movement and the CORE™ Band makes it even more challenging.