Daily movement

Lotte Berk Plié Pulses

Subtle pulses within a plié to cultivate sustained pelvic floor engagement and postural endurance.

Lotte Berk Plié Pulses

Subtle pulses within a plié to cultivate sustained pelvic floor engagement and postural endurance.

Lotte Berk Method (Barre) · Developed by Lotte Berk, a German dancer, who created her exercise method in London in the 1960s after a back injury. This method blends ballet barre work with rehabilitative therapeutic exercises. · Fatigue in core stability, desire for increased pelvic floor awareness and endurance during upright activities. Enhanced ability to maintain an upright, lengthened posture. · 3 sets of 20-30 pulses. Rest 30-60 seconds between sets. Perform 3-4 times per week.

Why it works

The sustained, shallow pulsing in a plié position creates continuous low-level muscular activation in the adductors, quadriceps, and gluteal muscles. This isometric work, maintained against gravity, stimulates slow-twitch muscle fibers crucial for endurance. The slight tuck of the pelvis inherent in the Lotte Berk plié, combined with the gentle pulsing, facilitates a co-contraction of the deep abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor. This repetitive, controlled movement under load improves proprioception and reinforces the mind-body connection to the pelvic floor without maximal straining, promoting nuanced control and sustained tone essential for postural support and continence.

How to practice

Starting Position

  1. Stand facing a barre or stable surface, hands lightly resting for balance. Feet are in first position (heels together, toes turned out to about 45 degrees).
  2. Draw your navel gently towards your spine, engaging the lower abdominal wall.
  3. Shoulders are relaxed down, chest open, spine long.

The Movement

  1. Plié Down: Slowly bend your knees, tracking them over your second and third toes. Lower to a depth where your spine remains neutral, and your heels are still on the floor. Avoid collapsing into your hips.
  2. Pelvic Floor Engagement: At the bottom of your plié, gently draw up your pelvic floor as if briefly holding back urine or gas. This is a subtle engagement, not a squeeze.
  3. Pulse: Maintaining your plié depth and pelvic floor engagement, execute small, controlled pulses downward, an inch or two, and then return to the starting plié depth. These are tiny, controlled movements, not bouncing.
  4. Sustain: Continue the pulses, focusing on sustaining the pelvic floor engagement throughout. The movement should feel controlled and precise, not loose or ballistic.
  5. Return: After the desired repetitions, slowly straighten your legs to return to the starting position, keeping the spine long and controlled.

Breathing

  • Inhale: On the initial plié down.
  • Exhale: Maintain a steady, smooth exhale as you execute the pulses, facilitating sustained core and pelvic floor activation.

Starting Position

  1. Stand facing a barre or stable surface, hands lightly resting for balance. Feet are in first position (heels together, toes turned out to about 45 degrees).
  2. Draw your navel gently towards your spine, engaging the lower abdominal wall.
  3. Shoulders are relaxed down, chest open, spine long.

The Movement

  1. Plié Down: Slowly bend your knees, tracking them over your second and third toes. Lower to a depth where your spine remains neutral, and your heels are still on the floor. Avoid collapsing into your hips.
  2. Pelvic Floor Engagement: At the bottom of your plié, gently draw up your pelvic floor as if briefly holding back urine or gas. This is a subtle engagement, not a squeeze.
  3. Pulse: Maintaining your plié depth and pelvic floor engagement, execute small, controlled pulses downward, an inch or two, and then return to the starting plié depth. These are tiny, controlled movements, not bouncing.
  4. Sustain: Continue the pulses, focusing on sustaining the pelvic floor engagement throughout. The movement should feel controlled and precise, not loose or ballistic.
  5. Return: After the desired repetitions, slowly straighten your legs to return to the starting position, keeping the spine long and controlled.

Breathing

  • Inhale: On the initial plié down.
  • Exhale: Maintain a steady, smooth exhale as you execute the pulses, facilitating sustained core and pelvic floor activation.