Moving Spirit

03/21/2026

Your core anatomy explained. How we train it?
1. Access 2. Control 3. Stamina 4. Strength.

Core integration is key. Integration involves creating felt-sense relationships between your inner unit core and other structures in motion. It is about individual structures relating to each other within individual people moving in meaningful ways.

🧠 Deep Core Anatomy: The Hidden Stabilizing System

Beneath the superficial abdominal muscles lies a complex and powerful system often referred to as the deep core. This region integrates the diaphragm, psoas major, quadratus lumborum, transversus abdominis, and pelvic floor muscles, forming a cylindrical support system around the lumbar spine and abdominal cavity.

At the top of this system sits the diaphragm, the primary muscle of respiration. Its dome-shaped structure separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities while also playing a crucial role in pressure regulation and spinal stability. During inhalation, the diaphragm descends, increasing intra-abdominal pressure and contributing to core stiffness.

Running along the lumbar spine is the psoas major, a deep hip flexor that connects the spine to the femur. It plays a dual role in hip movement and spinal stabilization, linking lower limb mechanics directly to the lumbar region. Closely associated with it is the quadratus lumborum, which stabilizes the pelvis and assists in lateral flexion of the spine.

The transversus abdominis wraps around the abdomen like a corset, providing circumferential support. When it contracts, it increases intra-abdominal pressure and works synergistically with the diaphragm and pelvic floor to stabilize the spine during movement and load-bearing activities.

At the base of this system lies the pelvic floor, including muscles like the levator ani. These muscles support pelvic organs and act as the foundation of the core cylinder. Together with the diaphragm above, they create a pressure-regulating system that enhances both stability and movement efficiency.

Biomechanically, this entire system functions as a pressure canister. When properly coordinated, the diaphragm, abdominal wall, and pelvic floor generate and control intra-abdominal pressure, which reduces load on the spine and improves force transmission throughout the body.

This deep core system is essential not only for posture but also for functional activities such as lifting, walking, breathing, and maintaining balance. Any disruption in this coordination—whether due to weakness, poor breathing patterns, or muscle imbalance—can lead to reduced stability, compensatory movement, and increased risk of lower back pain.

Understanding this anatomy highlights a key principle of movement:
👉 True core strength comes from coordination of deep stabilizing muscles, not just surface-level strength.

03/20/2026

Spring invites us to begin again, from the ground up.

As we welcome Spring at Moving Spirit, we’re honouring the quiet foundations that let everything new take root - steady feet, a responsive spine, a breath that can expand into possibility. This season is a beautiful moment to notice what supports you, gently strengthen what feels wobbly, and plant intentions for how you want to move through the months ahead.

What foundations are you tending to this spring - in your body, your practice, or your life? 🌱

03/19/2026

The Living Spine: Freedom, Strength & Flexibility with the Franklin Method
April 26, 2026 at 2:00pm
Moving Spirit Pilates
$85

Your spine is at the centre of every move you make - from getting out of a chair to hiking your favourite trail. Whether you’re experiencing back pain or stiffness, or simply want to move with greater ease and confidence, this small-group spine workshop is for you.

Using a Franklin Method approach, we’ll blend gentle movement, accessible anatomy, and guided imagery to help your spine stay mobile, strong, and resilient. You’ll explore practical strategies for effortless posture, sustainable strength, and increased mobility - without bracing or fighting your body’s design.

Leave feeling more at home in your body, with a smarter, more responsive spine that lets you do what you love with less effort and greater ease.

The Franklin Method also pairs beautifully with Pilates and other movement methods. If you're a teacher looking for new tools with which to support your clients - come join us!

Visit link below to register!
https://f.mtr.cool/epkpjasdur

03/18/2026

A strong foundation isn’t about bracing your core or holding a “perfect” posture ... it’s about a responsive relationship between your center and your spine. When your core is awake and your spine can move well, everyday tasks like lifting groceries, walking, or sitting through long meetings ask less of you and leave more energy for what you love. This week in class, we’re slowing down our movement in order to refine how we sequence from center, so stability and ease can co-exist.

Notice what shifts when you trade “holding it together” for feeling supported from within.

03/16/2026

ELDOA: it looks simple, but it’s pure magic for your spine. ✨

Designed by French osteopath Guy Voyer, these postural exercises create space between the vertebrae, improve alignment, and free up the fascia — helping you move with greater ease, strength, and awareness. Think of it as giving your joints room to breathe. 🌀

Feeling curious? Our next ELDOA series begins in May, with registration opening in April. Stay tuned to reserve your spot and experience the difference space can make. 💫

03/14/2026

Up on the blog! A new post. ✍️

Presence and can create new possibilities for connection and support in the body - opening the doors for improved movement and performance at ANY level.

We all have different ways to connect to our movement. What do you pay attention to when you work out? Reps and sets? Weight? The feel of your breath and the sensation of relationships between various moving parts? The “pain” of working at your edge?

On the path to improving structural support and movement - Attention and connection matter. How you move matters.

Check out the latest addition to the blog at the link below. 🤗

https://f.mtr.cool/sxyyeqcfcn

03/11/2026

For many of us, strong foundations start from the ground up: the way the feet sense, adapt, and transmit support through the whole body. When your feet can truly feel the floor, your balance improves, your joints load more evenly, and outdoor adventures - from dog walks to steep North Shore hikes - feel smoother and less effortful.

With our theme of 'foundations' this month, we're using Pilates movement to reawaken foot awareness, so the rest of the body doesn’t have to grip, brace, or overwork just to stay upright.

As you move through your day, notice: how do your feet meet the ground, and what changes when you soften, spread, and really land?

03/05/2026

A new month - a new theme for our studio! This March, we’re reconnecting with our foundations - the elements that quietly support everything we do.

In Pilates, that might mean grounding through your feet, feeling the steadiness of your pelvis, awakening core vitality, or aligning your spine with balance and ease. These aren’t just techniques ... they’re relationships that shape how we move, feel, and show up in daily life.

When we take the time to refine the basics, we build deeper coordination, confidence, and flow on the mat AND beyond. 🌀

We invite YOU to check in with your own foundations. Where do you feel supported? Where might a little mindful attention bring more strength or balance?

Let’s explore, reconnect, and rediscover the power of strong foundations!💫

PS - Did you know this month is March Matness!? March Matness is a month-long, global social media campaign that celebrates and explores Joseph Pilates’ original mat exercise sequence. What a perfect way to celebrate the foundations of the Pilates body of work!

02/27/2026

You matter. How you move matters.

Exercise is great - as long as we do it in a way that supports our best function. Sometimes our old movement habits and patterns get in the way!

We take movement coaching seriously. From personalized programs to individual cueing and support - we work with you to uncover more effective patterning and to create access to new support, all while improving stability, mobility and strength. Mindful and consistent practice is the special sauce.

Pilates is an amazing technique. How you do it makes the difference between everyday exercise and “Wow! I didn’t know my body could do this!!”

02/25/2026

Make room in your spine with ELDOA. An ELDOA practice will open space between your vertebrae so your spine can breathe again. It uses precise, held postures to create decompression in specific joints of your spine, helping improve posture, reduce disc pressure, and ease chronic aches in your back, neck and hips.

If you struggle with back pain, spend a lot of time sitting, wake up stiff, or feel ‘compressed’ from life, these sessions give you practical tools to feel taller, freer and more at home in your body. ELDOA is a beautiful complement to Pilates and all the ways you LOVE to move.

We have ONE LAST SPOT in our upcoming 8-Week ELDOA series with Sarah Moore - register online at movingspirit.ca or find the link in our bio.

🌸
SPRING ELDOA Series at Moving Spirit
Saturdays 8:30 - 9:30 AM
March 7th through April 28th

02/23/2026

Happy faces and contented bodies!

Wendy MacPherson facilitated her “Inner Motion: The Embodiment of Ease” workshop at the studio this afternoon.

We explored our relationship with ease and with tension, and brought into awareness how those things live in our bodies (or not) and how to be navigate them, or just be with them.

We played, we noticed, we laughed and we shared, all with Wendy’s gentle guidance, curiosity and care.

We definitely want MORE of this! Drop us a comment if you’d like to join us for more experiences like this! 💕

Thank you for a sublime afternoon Wendy!