The shape of things

If you do pilates or yoga, you're probably familiar with this pose:

(Source)

In yoga it's called the boat pose. In Pilates it's called the "V Position." If you've ever taken a Pilates class, there's a good chance that you've had to do a teaser. That's where you're lying on your back, legs straight out and then have to pull up your top and bottom half into this V position.

It's a tough move and takes a lot of core muscles to do. It's even harder to keep your legs straight and your back flat and have your legs this close to your chest. This is a stick drawing of what I look like when I do this move:

My legs are rarely straight enough, there's always a slight bent. My back isn't as flat, and my knees come nowhere close to my chest. This bugs me because I'm pretty good (not bragging) at most of the other things we do in the mat class.

So I asked my teacher what the problem could be. First off, in great motivating-instructor ways, she told me that my teaser and V looked great and that I was being more critical of myself. Then she said that I might need to strengthen my back muscles - specifically the low back. We do some back moves in class, but she suggested weights.

And that's just what I did yesterday. As I read up on strength training for the back, I realized that our back and our core is like the trunk of a tree. If we just focus on strengthening the limbs, we're missing out on the whole picture.

Here's a run down of the moves I did yesterday: If you have your own, please post them in the comments section!

1. With dumbbells in both hands (around 5-10 pounds) get in a plank (push up) position with legs wider then normal. Keeping body straight, lift one hand with weight to your hip. Lower and repeat on other side for one rep. Do 8-10 reps.

2. Get a stability ball and a step. Put the ball on top of the step. Standing on the side of the step, lean over the ball so that your chest and stomach are on top of ball and feet still on ground. Hold on firmly to the sides of the step (the narrow sides). Lift your legs keeping your torso still so your legs are parallel with body (not higher). Squeeze glutes and hold for one count. Lower. Do 10 reps.

3. Load 15-20 pounds on a low cable pulley machine with a handle attached. Grab the handle with right hand, palm facing down and step back until there's no slack in the cable. Lunge back with your right foot so that your left thigh is parallel to floor and your knee is aligned right in line with your ankle. This is the starting position. Pull your right arm back and then bend your elbow to bring your hand toward your ribs. Do 10 reps then switch to other side.

4. Back extension- using the hyperextension bench and holding a 5- to 10-pound weight plate, cross arms at chest, hook feet under pad, rest hips on the edge, and lower torso to hang at a 45- to 90-degree angle. Lift torso to form a line from head to heels. Click here for a pick of the bench I'm talking about.

Do 2-3 sets of this. You can do it as a circuit or just go one move at a time.

And obviously - practice the teaser/boat/v position as much as possible. It doesn't just have to be in class!

Quite honestly, about a year ago if you had asked me what I thought about yoga, chances are my response would have been pretty negative.

When I joined a gym that had free exercise classes, I decided to try out a "Beginners Yoga" class one night. I had taken one other yoga class about 5 years ago and i was so self-conscious about not being able to do the poses correctly that I hated it. About 4 months of yoga classes later here are my personal thoughts on yoga:

• Incredibly relaxing and relieving. After every class I find myself breathing slowly and my mind calm (which is very unusual).
• I've never been flexible, and touching my toes was something I could never do... now I can touch my toes (after I stretch out my back and hamstrings, but still)
• Yoga is definitely not a substitute for cardio or strength training (for me, at least) but it's a welcome addition, giving me something that none of my other workouts have (agility and flexibility).
• In my class I'm very aware of my own body, how my muscles react to certain poses and how to breathe in order to make them relax. I've never been that in tune with my muscles.
• I've learned that something as simple as breathing (something I've always done) has the power to completely relax my muscles and my mind when I'm in tune with it.

My advice: If you work out at a gym that offers yoga classes, first call and find out if the instructor is certified, (if not, you could get hurt) and then try it out if you never have. I'm not saying it's for everyone, but like I said before, it's a welcome addition to my exercise routines.

Scientifically, yoga has been studied and here are some of the benefits these studies have found:

1. Yoga is more effective in helping people with moderate, chronic lower-back pain than traditional exercises.
2. Yoga might help with body image issues. Yoga practitioners scored higher than aerobic practitioners and nonyoga/nonaerobic practitioners on measures of greater awareness of and responsiveness to bodily sensations, lower self-objectification, greater body satisfaction, and fewer disordered eating attitudes
3. Yoga-based interventions may prove to be an attractive option for the treatment of depression