Workshop: Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates – Theory and Practice

To describe intra-abdominal pressures (IAP) generated during Pilates Mat and Reformer activities, and determine whether these activities generate IAP above a sit-to-stand threshold, research findings support recommending a series of introductory Pilates exercises including five Mat exercises and six Reformer exercises to women desiring a low IAP exercise routine (Coleman, et al., 2015).

Based on these research findings, IAP exercise routines can be adapted for pregnant women. In the workshop participants will learn about and practice the following:

• Integration of prenatal women into Pilates group lessons and private sessions
• Adjustments of the exercises according the trimesters of pregnancy
• Breaking myths - what is permitted and what is forbidden during pregnancy and whether there is such a thing
• Adapting exercises to the physical and mental state of the pregnant woman
• Using Pilates accessories and adaptations for the pregnant woman
• Post-natal, what are the correct exercises for rehabilitation after birth
• The important issue of diastasis recti abdominis (DRA)