The Hundred opens the mat order Joseph Pilates set out in Return to Life Through Contrology (1945). It is named for its count: a hundred small beats of the arms, matched to the breath. It is usually the first thing you do on the mat, and in a classical reformer session it follows straight after Footwork.
Setting up
- Lie on your back with your arms long by your sides, palms down.
- Bring your legs up. Your teacher will help you choose the height — knees bent above the hips is a perfectly good place to start; legs long and lower is harder.
- Lift your head and shoulders, looking towards your middle, and reach your arms a few inches off the mat.
The movement
Beat the arms up and down in a small, quick, steady rhythm. Breathe in for five beats and out for five beats. Ten full breaths makes a hundred. Then lower the head, hug the knees in and rest.
What your teacher may say
- "Keep the beat small." The movement comes from the shoulders, not a flapping from the wrists.
- "Stay lifted." Keep the head and shoulders up and the gaze steady, rather than dropping back halfway through.
- "Lower the legs only as far as you can hold them." If your back lifts away from the mat, bring the legs higher or bend the knees.
- "Let the neck rest if it needs to." Putting the head down for a few breaths is fine, and better than straining.
Before and after
On the mat, the Hundred comes first and the Roll Up follows. On the reformer, the order runs Footwork, then the Hundred, then Frogs and Circles. If you are new, or have a neck, back or pelvic-floor concern, tell your teacher before you start so they can adapt it.
