If you’ve been thinking about trying some Pilates exercises at home and have found yourself deep in a scroll spiral searching for inspiration, chances are you’ve seen Pilates taking over your feed. I'm Shannon, and over the past seven years of teaching Yoga and Pilates, I’ve watched Pilates grow from a niche studio practice into a vibrant micro-culture– complete with  “Pilates princesses” and “Pilates bros”. And honestly, it’s easy to see why.

Pilates is more than a workout. It’s a method that builds intelligent strength– the kind that improves how you move through life. Emerging research (Li et al., 2024a, 2024b) aligns with what many long-time practitioners have experienced firsthand: that Pilates enhances dynamic, lifestyle related balance, postural habits like bending and lifting, and overall spinal alignment. These benefits translate directly into daily life, which is why physiotherapists and rehab specialists often incorporate Pilates into treatment plans. They aren’t just aesthetic wins– they’re functional shifts that impact how you feel throughout the day. 

Whether you’re hoping to move better, reduce discomfort, or simply feel stronger and more aligned, this targeted flow can help. Below, you’ll find eight foundational Pilates exercises I’ve regularly recommended to clients looking to support their posture and spinal health. Each move includes a breakdown of how and why it works, followed by a full-length video at the end to guide your practice. 

Exercises

1. Dead Bug 

Focus: Deep core activation, spinal control without flexion

How to:

• Lie on your back, slowly bring your pelvis to neutral by drawing your lower back into the mat.
• Engaging your core deeply by imagining you’re zipping up a pair of tight jeans.
• Lift your knees above your hips, shins parallel to the floor.
• Reach both arms to the ceiling.
• Slowly extend your right leg and left arm away from the center, keeping your torso stable. 
• Return to center and alternate sides

Why it matters: This move trains your deep core stabilisers (like the transverse abdominis), teaching your body to maintain spinal alignment, essential for everyday tasks like sitting, lifting and standing tall without strain.

2. Ankle Taps

Focus: Oblique activation, trunk control and supported rotation

How to:

• Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor.
• Interlace your hands behind your head, elbows wide.
• Engage your core and lift your head, neck and shoulders into a small curl.
• Reach your right hand towards your right ankle.
• Return to centre and repeat on the left side.

Why it matters: This movement strengthens the obliques and trains your torso to stabilise during side-to-side motion– think reaching for something beside you, twisting to check blind spots, or adjusting direction while walking.

3. Swan Prep

Focus: Thoracic extension, counteracting rounded posture

How to:

• Lie face down, hands underneath your shoulders.
• Engage your glutes and gently draw your shoulder blades down and back.
• Press into your hands to lift your chest, keeping your ribs grounded and neck long. 
• Lower with control.

Why it matters: Swan prep strengthens the upper back and thoracic spine– areas that tend to weaken from prolonged sitting and hunching, creating space in the spine.

4. Swimming Prep

Focus: Spinal extensors, glutes, and scapular coordination

How to: 

• Stay Prone, arms reaching forward and legs long behind. 
• Gently lift your chest, opposite arm, and opposite leg a few inches off the mat.
• Alternate sides, focusing on length over height.

Why it matters: Swimming prep targets your spinal erectors and glutes– key muscles for maintaining upright posture, walking with ease and reducing spinal over-curve from desk time. 

5. Bird Dog

Focus: Cross-body coordination, shoulder stability, deep core endurance

How to: 

• Start on hands and knees, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips.
• Extend your right arm and left leg, keeping contact with the mat.
• If your hips and shoulders remain level, extend your arm and leg in line with your body. 
• Pause briefly then return and switch sides

Why it matters: Bird dog connects your deep core with limb movement, training your body to stay stable while moving– critical for things like walking, climbing stairs, or carrying uneven loads (like toddlers or groceries).

6. Side Plank

Focus: Scapular stability, oblique activation.

How to:

• Lie on your side, elbow under shoulder, knees bent (or legs extended for more challenge).
• Engage through the underside of the waist and shoulder.
• Lift your hips and lower with control.

Why it matters: Side Planks build strength in your lateral trunk and serratus anterior– key players in shoulder health and upright posture. Great for improving posture symmetry and shoulder resilience.

7. Arabesque

Focus: Hip extension, glute and hamstring activation, spinal lengthening.

How to:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees bent
• Hinge the torso forward and slide one leg back.
• With the core engaged, lift the back leg while keeping the pelvis neutral.
• Lower and repeat with control.

Why it matters: This strengthens your posterior chain and reinforces functional hip extension– essential for every day actions like picking things up or climbing stairs. 

8. Standing Side Leg Lift

Focus: Lateral hip strength, pelvic alignment, anti-tilt trunk control

How to:

• Stand tall, core engaged, soft knees. 
• Shift weight to one leg and lift the other leg out to the side.
• Avoid leaning, keep the pelvis neutral and move the leg, not the torso.
• Add dynamic motion (like small circles) to increase the challenge. 

Why it matters: This targets your glute medius and core stabilisers– essential for maintaining pelvic alignment and full-leg control during walking, stair climbing, or quickly adapting to uneven surfaces.

Now that you've seen the breakdown, follow along with the full video below as Emily– co-founder of Premium Pilates & Fitness– guides you through the complete flow. Move at your own pace, focus on form, and enjoy reconnecting with your posture and strength.

Why This Flow Works:

This flow is structured with purpose:

We start supine to activate your deep stabilising muscles in a supported, low-load environment. These early exercises lay the foundation for spinal alignment and help you move with more control when sitting, standing or lifting.

From there, we move to prone work to strengthen the spinal extensors and glutes– your postural powerhouses. These muscles directly counteract the habitual slouch of modern life, helping you sit and stand taller with less effort.

Next, we introduce quadruped and side-lying positions to challenge your balance, proprioception and cross-body coordination. These movements enhance your ability to stabilise while multitasking, shifting direction, or recovering from a misstep.

We finish standing, to integrate everything into upright, real-world patterns. These last two exercises train your body to maintain whole-leg stability from ankle to hip and respond to changes in surface or load– skills essential for balance, especially as we age. 

This progression reflects findings from Li et al. (2024b), which demonstrates Pilates’ effectiveness in enhancing functional movement and postural patterns that carry into everyday life.

Ready to Practice Pilates at Home? 

If you loved this sequence and want more, check out Premium Pilates and Fitness' Online Studio. You’ll find hundreds of on-demand Pilates classes you can do anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re just starting out or building on a strong practice, our expert-designed classes make it easy to strengthen your core, posture and full body— right from home.
If you're looking for ways to stay motivated and make the most out of your online Pilates sessions, check out this quick read: [Three Top Tips on how to get the most out of Online Pilates Classes].

References

Li, F., Omar Dev, R. D., Soh, K. G., Wang, C., & Yuan, Y. (2024a). Effects of pilates exercises on spine deformities and posture: A systematic review. BMC Sports Science, Medicine & Rehabilitation, 16(1), 55–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-00843-3

Li, F., Omar Dev, R. D., Soh, K. G., Wang, C., & Yuan, Y. (2024b). Effects of pilates on body posture: A systematic review. Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation, 6(3), 100345-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arrct.2024.100345