One excellent stretch to open your hips and spine is the mermaid side stretch stance. One also performs this crucial workout to avoid back discomfort. Those with a stiff back and those who spend a lot of time seated might find this workout ideal. It is also perfect for enhancing form in sports like tennis and golf that call for seated performance.
The Mermaid exercise challenges enough to strengthen and develop control in your abdominal oblique muscles even if it does not call for hip mobility or shoulder stability. These muscles both flex the torso bilaterally and laterally rotate it unilaterally.
This movement's seated position also tones the intercostal muscles, therefore promoting deep, aware breathing. It's a great supplement to the yoga breath-oriented program.
Throughout the action, maintain the shoulders relaxed away from the ears and remember to inhale deeply. This will avoid you from straining or tugging too hard on the neck, a common error novices in Pilates do. Particularly crucial for people with stiff backs or who engage in sports requiring a lot of sitting, keeping the shoulders down also helps maintain the spine in its natural posture. If you have a sore back or wish to improve your golf or tennis performance by boosting your mobility and core strength, the mermaid is the perfect stretch to incorporate in your exercise program.
Support and stabilisation of the spine during any movement depend on a core engagement independent of the equipment utilised. A strong core is also essential to guard the lower back and improve balance during activities like Mermaid, which calls on the body to move through multiple motions concurrently.
If your client is not ready for the Z sit posture or has restricted hip mobility, Sarah Lockhart-Martin shows this exercise using the big Pilates ball but may be done on a mat. You should avoid crunching in the side stretch or reaching the arm up and over the head, though, and keep the obliques engaged all through the stretch.
Anyone with stiff mid- or lower back muscles, athletes who spend too much time seated, or wishes to improve their golf or tennis swing may find significant benefit from the mermaid stretch. This entertaining approach works the stomach, massages the back muscles, and increases spine flexibility at the same time.
Anyone wishing to increase general flexibility, strengthen their oblues and shoulders, as well as their deep back muscles and lats should find Mermaid to be an excellent workout. It also opens the side body, lengthens the muscles between the ribs and pelvis, therefore enhancing hip mobility and breathing capacity.
Particularly if you have been working out at the gym or playing sports where there is a lot of rotation and twisting, the mermaid is a great level-up position to perform in your Pilates reformer session. It also helps to extend the spine and build on that elegant long spine line.
This pose requires avoiding letting the shoulder bend as you stretch your arm overhead. Over the whole exercise, keep the shoulder down and away from your ear. This will stop lower back over arching or any crunch in the upper back.
