Andrea Coleman - STOTT Pilates Instructor

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Andrea Coleman - STOTT Pilates Instructor

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Helping you move better & feel stronger! STOTT Pilates Instructor, NASM CPT, TRX

10/03/2026

Runner, dirt biker, or little Pilates lover? 🏃‍♀️🏍️🤍

We can’t wait to find out.

Baby Coleman • March 2027

10/02/2026

If your 360-degree or lateral rib breathing is limited, your rib cage becomes rigid and stuck. When that happens, your upper back cannot rotate, and your overall alignment suffers.
Instead of forcing the twist, we need to release the restriction. Here is how to isolate and expand your thoracic mobility using the Rib Cage Smash:
1️⃣ THE TEST (Spinal Rotation): Lie on your side in a chair-like position with your arms extended out in front of you. Press down into your bottom arm and your knees. Lift your top arm and rotate your rib cage toward the wall behind you, keeping your pelvis completely still. Avoid arching your lower back. Note your range of motion.
2️⃣ THE RIB CAGE SMASH: Lie on your side, placing a yoga block just below the bra line along your bottom ribs, with a foam roller anchoring your knees. Melt your body over the block. Reach your top arm long, and direct your inhalation deeply into your top ribs to expand the intercostal muscles. Exhale completely, letting your ribs knit together and soften over the block.
3️⃣ THE RETEST: Return to your side-lying start position. Anchor your lower half, and repeat your spinal rotation.
Notice the vast difference? 🤯 By freeing the ribs, your thoracic spine can find its true, elegant rotation without compromising your pelvic stability.
Drop a 💬 below and let me know how much more fluid your rotation felt after the release!

09/28/2026

The one thing that can completely transform not only your Pilates practice, but how you move through life? Your breath.

Breathing is so much more than simply inhaling and exhaling. It’s a fundamental part of how we move, stabilize, release tension, and connect with our bodies.

In Pilates, learning how to breathe intentionally can change the way you experience an exercise. It can help you develop better body awareness, improve movement control, and recognize where you’re holding tension.

This Child’s Pose breathing exercise is a great way to slow down, connect with your breath, and practice expanding into your back and rib cage rather than just breathing into your belly.

What you’ll need:

* A rolled-up yoga mat to support your ribs
* Blankets or additional rolled towels under your bottom, if needed, to make the position more comfortable

A few things to focus on:

* Inhale slowly, directing your breath into your back, sides, and rib cage.
* Exhale fully, allowing your ribs to soften and gently compress toward the mat.
* Keep your sit bones grounded on your heels. Use additional support if needed.
* Let gravity help you relax into the position without forcing the stretch.

Take your time. Don’t underestimate the power of your breath.

09/16/2026

Where do you feel your prone single-leg hip extension? 👀

Try this the next time you’re working prone hip extension:

First, bring one hand to your glute and lift your leg.
Where do you feel the movement initiate?

Now move your hand down onto your hamstring and try it again.

Hint: Your glute should initiate the movement—not your hamstring taking over.

The first thing to fix? Your pelvis.

• Press your p***c bone gently into the mat
• Press the top of your foot into the mat
• Imagine you’re drawing your kneecap up toward your hip
• Find that glute engagement and hold it isometrically

Once you can maintain that glute contraction, try hovering the leg just a small amount off the mat.

You don’t need a big lift. You’re looking for connection and control, not height.

🚩 One sign your hamstring may be taking over? Your knee starts to bend.

Try less range and focus on keeping the leg long while maintaining that glute connection.

Sometimes the smallest movement is where the biggest work happens.

09/14/2026

Teachers need teachers too!

Kim Valentine | STOTT Pilates Instructor in Boston reminded me the other day just how important footwork is—even for us as teachers.

I’m a staunch advocate for starting my clients’ sessions with footwork, but somewhere along the way, I realized I had neglected that same practice in my own body.

It was such a good reminder that we need our practice, too.

So to all my Pilates instructor friends—make time for your own practice, and don’t forget that we need teachers, too. Take a private lesson. Get on the Reformer (or other apparatus) with another instructor. Let someone else watch you move, challenge you, and give you feedback.

We spend so much time teaching our clients, but there’s so much value in being the student again.

We’re better teachers when we continue to be students, too.

09/11/2026

I’ve been loving working in extension over the ball lately.

The ball gives me great feedback about how I’m moving — where I’m finding support, where I’m moving from, and how evenly I’m articulating through my spine.

I paired that with some ab prep and hip rolls to work on core connection, spinal articulation, and glute activation.

Sometimes changing the surface or position is all it takes to experience a familiar movement in a completely different way.

And honestly, the feedback from the ball makes these movements feel so good.

09/09/2026

Join me for Pilates!

Pilates is about more than just the workout. It’s a chance to build strength, improve mobility, work on posture and alignment, and create a deeper connection with your body.

📍 Keene Fusion Studios
🗓️ Mondays at 5:30 PM
🗓️ Tuesdays & Thursdays at 10:00 AM

I love teaching in person because I can see how you’re moving, offer real-time feedback, and provide hands-on guidance when appropriate and always with your permission. Plus, there’s something motivating about moving together in a room full of people!

But if you can’t make it to the studio, don’t let that stop you. Remote Pilates is available, too, so you can still have guidance and consistency in your practice from wherever you are.

Ready to get started?
👉 Book your spot through the link in my bio or DM me to learn more about Pilates.

I’d love to move with you! 🤍

09/04/2026

Pelvic mobility doesn’t have to happen supine. Take it up!

A chair, a ball, or even standing can give you a whole new way to explore movement.

In this video, I’m working through:
• Imprint → neutral, mobilizing the lower portion of the spine
• Side-to-side shifts
• Pelvic circles

Supine isn’t always the right position for everyone — whether due to pregnancy, reflux, dizziness, breathing discomfort, an injury, or simply personal preference.

Changing the position doesn’t mean we lose the movement. It means we make the movement more accessible.

And honestly… this felt heavenly.

09/03/2026

A little support can change everything.

The mini ball makes this side-bending movement more accessible while challenging the entire lateral chain.

Sometimes the best modification isn’t making an exercise easier—it’s giving the body the support it needs to find the movement.

08/31/2026

Happy Monday! A little spinal articulation is the perfect way to start the week and brighten your mood.

Move your spine, wake up your body, and feel good doing it. 🤍

Address

149 Emerald Street
Keene, NH
03431

Website

https://www.keenefusionstudios.com/, https://www.keenefusionstudios.com/pricing-options.html

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