Never doubt the importance of small basic safe fundamental exercises, especially when it comes to dealing with back pain & injury. Here are the three most basic Pilates fundamental exercises which will help you find your neutral spine curve, increase the mobility of your ribcage, and strengthen your abs, spine, and pelvic floor.

Conscious Breathing-- Lie on your back with your knees bent , your feet hip bone width apart, and your arms by your sides. Pay attention to your breathing and to the muscles in your torso. The abdominal muscles are not just in front, they actually wrap around your torso from your spine to the front, around your ribs, waist, & pelvis, forming the round sides of a cylinder.

Feel your ribs move to the front, side, and back as you breathe--the abdominals are helping to move your ribs! Now pay attention to your pelvis. Make sure that you are not pushing your lower back into the floor; your pubic bones should be in the same horizontal line as your hip bones--you may have an arch in your lower back and that's OK, you are supposed to!

Now as you inhale let your ribcage, abs, and pelvis relax. As you exhale contract your pelvic floor as though you had to stop peeing, feel your abs wrap tighter around your ribs and waist like a corset, and feel your diaphragm under your ribcage pull up and under the ribs. Make sure again that you are not flattening your lower back into the mat. Do this conscious breathing a few times.

Put your hands on your belly and notice that now it pulls in (it may feel soft, but that's OK; you are going for width and depth, not for tightness!). Repeat 10-15 times.

Do this for one week 2-3 times per day.

Pelvic Rocking-- Now add a small rocking of your pelvis--tipping it back on the exhale (hipbones back and tailbone up) and forward on the inhale (arching the lower back). Repeat the tilt/arch 10-15 times.

Do both the breathing and the pelvic rock for one week 2-3 times per day.

Ab Curl-- Then add a curl up of your upper body on the exhale. Nod your head and then pretend you are holding a large egg or small orange under your chin (in other words keep space between chin & chest); then let your ribs drop in and down (don't shove them down!) as you curl up towards your pelvis (do not pull forward from your head at this point--use the ribs).

Stay there for a moment and consciously breathe as above, making sure that you have not tucked your hip bones back to the floor--get your pubic bones back down towards the mat and see if you can get as deep and wide in your belly as when your head was down. Repeat 4-8 times.

Do all three exercises 2-3 times per day for one week and you should be ready to move on to bigger things!

Remember, always work with pulling the belly in and not pushing out!

Lynda Lippin, "The Pilates & Reiki Lady" of the Turks & Caicos islands.