Exercise of the Month- Swan!

Another one of my favorite exercises, The Swan, can be done on any piece of equipment and offer so many benefits to your body.






Purpose and Benefits of the Swan
-Spinal extension
-Abdominal stretch
-opposition
-chest opening

Can Be Done on the Following Pieces of Equipment:
-Tower
-Reformer
-Barrels
-Chair
-Mat
-Ball
-Magic Circle

Prepares the Body for the Following Exercises:
-Trapeze work
-Downstretch
-Waterskiier
-Semi-Circle
-Snake

History of The Swan
The Swan, as an exercise of its own, was not included in Joseph Pilates' original 34 mat exercises. Instead, he included Swandive- an exercise that we now consider to be an advanced form of Swan. Joseph Pilates included quite a few very challenging exercises like this in his basic routine. Did he just assume everyone could, or should, be able to do any exercise? Not sure... but he did insist that each exercise be mastered before moving on to the next, so we have to assume there was a method to his madness.

There are also a few differences in Joe's Swandive than the way we teach it now. His arm movement to start the exercise really reminds us of the wing movement of a bird flying up out of the water. Its so nice. This month, we'll practice Joe's version of Swandive and see how it feels compared to the Classical version that we do today.


These days, before teaching Swandive, we teach modified Swan, then the full version of Swan, as well as many variations. Once we are sure the spine is flexible enough, and is capable of that much extension, and there are no back problems present to begin with, we can enjoy the great fun of the Swandive!

One of my favorite places for Swandive is on the Wunda Chair. Very satisfying, a little scarey, an abdominal stretch and core work at the same time- PERFECT!

Swan is most commonly taught on the mat, and least commonly taught on the reformer. If you think Horseback on the Long Box is bad.... remind me to teach you Swan on the Long Box, on the reformer, next time you come in.

Common Issues with Swan

Do you feel your low back working, tensing, or shortening while doing Swan?Well, you shouldn't! This month, we will focus on lifting and lengthening the spine, rather than shortening the low back, while coming up into Swan.
Are you trying to come up into Swan as high as possible? Should you be?What are your shoulders doing? Do you have heels together, or legs wide apart? When you do pilates at home on your own, do you include Swan in your routine, or do you leave it out because you want to focus working your abs?

This month, we'll find the answers to these questions, and find the beauty and multiple benefits the Swan offers to your pilates routine.