During a Pilates session you will be working in a variety of positions to challenge your core stability in different ways. Before you start moving you should check that you have a good starting position, with your core engaged and your joints in line and symmetrical.

Semi-supine position is the beginning for exercises such as the One Hundred, Scissors, Criss-cross and Bridge. Here is a check-list to find your perfect Semi-Supine:

• Start lying down on the mat, your focus on the sky (or ceiling!) above you
• Knees bent, feet hip-width distance apart (distance between your hip bones), fairly close to your buttocks
• Hip bones and pubic bone in the same horizontal plane, imagine placing a pint glass on your pelvic area and it won't spill
  
• Make sure your back is neither arched nor pressed hard into the mat, you should instead have a natural, small curve under your lower back enough to post a small envelope through
• Back of the neck long (imagine you're holding a peach under your chin - don't let it drop, don't squash it!)
• Shoulder blades melting into the mat, travelling towards your hips
• Arms lengthened by your side, palms facing up (or down if you feel you need more support)

Start breathing with your Pilates breath...

• Breathe in to prepare and imagine lengthening your spine even more (but don't let your shoulders come up to your ears!)
• As you breathe out, engage your corset muscle and lift your pelvic floor (more on this later on the blog)

That's it! I'll write more about each position and the different exercises as I go along. Please feel free to send me comments or questions and let me know how you get on with it.