There are a number of steps you can take to improve a Pilates workout. Positioning, breathing, correct form . . . all of these play a huge role in preventing injury and maximizing results.

Unfortunately, trying to concentrate on perfect technique and breathing doesn’t always come easy when you’ve just barely mastered the Hundred and Roll-Up.

In the following interview, renowned Pilates instructor, Alycea Ungaro, owner of a highly traditional and classic New York studio, Real Pilates, gives Pilates exercise instructions that should help you get the most out of a Pilates workout.

What are the most important rules to keep in mind while doing Pilates matwork?

You should always think about the six principles of Pilates: Control, concentration, centering, precision, flowing movement and breathing. What I try to get across to beginners is the importance of control in a workout.

Joseph Pilates [the founder of the exercise system] called this “contrology,” which is the integration of mind and body. This means that if you tell your leg to stay at a 45-degree angle and focus all of your attention on that command, your leg will stay in the desired position.

Proper breathing is difficult to maintain when you’re new to matwork. Is there an easy-to-follow breathing technique you incorporate into your own workouts?

It isn’t a full-on mantra, but one rule of Pilates that is simple to remember while learning new movements is to exhale on the effort. In addition to concentrating on correct form and posture, you must also try to facilitate an abdominal contraction. In other words, you need to empty the air out of your lungs to obtain a tighter contraction.

You teach “spine articulation” to many of your clients. Can you elaborate on this theory?

Think of it this way: Very stiff tree trunks break during a storm, but the ones that have a little bit of give might survive. Our spines are similar: You want to have strength, but you also want to have subtleness. When we work, we work through each vertebra and each portion of the spine deliberately.

We use all planes of movement in Pilates, reflection, extension, lateral side bending, rotation — but the idea is to move with a strong core, also known as the “powerhouse.”

Your muscles shape your bones, so if they are strong you can heal more easily and repair muscular imbalances. Of course, you want your spine to be as mobile as it is strong. Both flexibility and mobility are extremely important in preventing injury.

How does a weak core affect your body?

Think of it as a chain: If there are vertebrae misaligned in your back, then that could be causing a problem in your ankle or hip. More often than not, the back is the main source of injuries in other parts of the body. That is why having a strong core is important: You can heal or even prevent those injuries by keeping your core muscles strong.

How do you keep your body in check while doing matwork?

Pilates teaches you to refer to visual cues to ensure correct form. I think of the image of a box that goes from my shoulders to my hips. You should check to see if your shoulders are in line, whether one side is higher than the other and if you’re symmetrically working your body. The box is simply a visual reference to keep your body in line.

Do you have any additional advice to help us perfect our Pilates mat workouts?

Have fun with it! Challenge yourself and don’t get frustrated if the moves don’t come to you right away. Mastering proper form might be difficult at first, but think of it this way: It wouldn’t be a workout if it were easy.

It is all about control and being precise in your motion. Training your mind to train your body offers benefits even during your first mat class because you’re using your brain and body in a new, healthy, more balanced way. [source: Best Body]