In this age of constant gazing down at hand held devices, I see rounded shoulders, sunken chests and strained neck muscles at every turn. Today while riding the subway, I saw a toddler deftly handing an iPhone, swiping with great urgency as if she was searching for something important. She had the phone in her tiny left hand, swiping with her right index finger while slumping (something rarely done by children) forward with her head held down and curious eyes attentively focused on the screen. As I watched her, I wondered what her posture would be like in later years having begun to compromise it so early in life. It’s easy to get locked into postural patterns that cause alignment issues that pull us away from our natural center line.

The Pedi Pole, one of many of Joseph Pilates’ ingenious apparatuses, is the perfect remedy for postural improvement and centering. Aligning your back body against the pole while raising and lowering the arms, and bending and straightening the legs, challenges you to engage your Powerhouse to stabilize your torso and maintain your balance.

The pole provides proprioceptive feedback that will increase your awareness of your verticality and remind you to stand tall.