09/09/2026
Pilates Core Exercise with a Small Ball: Earthquake
Earthquake is a seated Pilates ball exercise for developing abdominal strength, core control, breath awareness and the body-mind connection.
Place a small Pilates ball at your sacrum—right where you would grow a bunny-rabbit tail.
Inhale as you lengthen your spine into neutral. Gently nod your head, lengthening through C1 and C2 to create space at the top and back of your neck.
Maintaining a neutral spine, hinge backward until you feel a slight tremor in your abdominals—the earthquake. Make sure you haven’t extended your spine or backbended over the ball.
Draw your lower abdominals in and up. Corset your abdominals as though you were pulling on the laces of a corset.
Inhale, breathing three-dimensionally into your rib cage—north, south, east and west.
Exhale as you pull on the laces of your corset.
Inhale, stay.
Exhale, return to seated—and repeat.
This mindful Pilates core exercise combines neutral-spine alignment, deep abdominal engagement and three-dimensional breathing to create greater awareness, control and support.
Pilates and mindful movement instruction with Jamey Garner Powers of Postmodern Pilates.