Issue #491
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Spine Flexibility and Spatial Awareness: A Multi-Faceted Backbend on the Cadillac
by Brett Miller
All longtime Pilates Intel subscribers know my core belief—one I share deeply with Joseph Pilates himself: a flexible spine is the single most important asset you can have.
To help my long-term student Eva deepen her spinal extension, I recently developed a new exercise on the Cadillac with light weights (we use 2 lb/1 kg). It has quickly become a favorite tool in our sessions because it delivers on three distinct levels. It doesn’t just open up the back………
This exercise focuses on three key benefits:
- Targeted Spinal Flexibility: It encourages a deep, supported release into extension.
- Moving from the Center: It requires knowledge of moving from the center – or powerhouse control to enter and exit.
- Heightened Kinaesthetic Awareness: It encourages the brain to map out spatial orientation while hanging upside down.
The Setup and Rollback
Have your client sit on the Cadillac with their legs over the edge, weights in hand. Position them so that when they roll back, the cushioned edge of the table meets the center of their back.
Instruct your client to please stretch their arms forward, lift in the center, and start to roll back. The client is rolling back with control as the arms are stretched, engaging the powerhouse, lowering down with an elegant complete control.
Once the client is fully extended and relaxed, have them bring their weights to their shoulders – a give a little support to the legs with me hands for an added sense of safety.
Ready to start.
Brett Miller is the founder of Pilates Intel, he started his professional life in the world of ballet, working with various companies in the US. Later on he moved to New York and branched out into modern along with the ballet. Since then, he has lived in Finland and now in Stockholm Sweden.
Brett became a Pilates instructor in 2005 and has been teaching ever since. The intelligent technique that Pilates is, and the chance to continue to be physical, attracted him to this field after being so long in the dance world.