Welcome to the final issue of our 3-part Stretch-eze® series in The Core! After exploring how this versatile tool provides support and builds strength, we’re excited to show you how to integrate the Stretch-eze, a closed loop movement system, into your equipment work—specifically on the Pilates Reformer and Wunda Chair.
The beauty of the Stretch-eze on apparatus lies in how it enhances proprioceptive feedback while maintaining the integrity of Pilates exercises. The fabric creates just enough resistance to guide movement patterns without overriding them, making it an ideal tool for both teaching refinement and deepening your own practice. If you missed them, visit Stretch-eze® for Support and Stretch-eze® for Strength, and then come back here to continue your sensory feedback journey with us!
Reformer Work: Deepening Connection and Length
Swan on the Reformer
Using a Rib-X Wrap with the fabric wrapped around the foot bar, the Stretch-eze mirrors the body’s diagonal slings—those deep fascial connections that support movement. As your client moves into extension after pressing back, the fabric should stay taught, giving you a clear visual cue to monitor their work. Encouraging clients to maintain that length throughout the extension enhances both the elongation and lift of the swan. This creates a heightened sense of connection between the upper and lower body.
Eve Gentry Lunge
For this classic exercise, have your client press one foot into the Stretch-eze while the other loop drapes over their opposite shoulder. With the Stretch-eze foot secured against the shoulder block, guide them to stretch back. The fabric provides exceptional feedback, encouraging lengthening through the psoas in a way that’s deeply felt. This shoulder-to-foot connection helps clients perform a two-way stretch properly, creating true length rather than compression.
Wunda Chair: Precision and Control
Pumping the Pedal
Using a Rib-X wrap and looping the other end of the Stretch-eze around the pedal, the tension in the fabric invites the lift before your client even begins to move. As they draw forward and press the pedal down, the Stretch-eze creates opposition, lifting them up through the waist. This connection from pedal to waist deepens the work and prevents the common tendency to collapse forward. In this way, the Stretch-eze essentially acts as a safety strap, while also supporting proper alignment throughout the exercise.
Sit and Twist
Sitting on the back of the chair with a Sari Wrap, the connection from shoulder to foot becomes amplified by the fabric as your client presses down and twists. The Stretch-eze slows down the movement, guiding the work and creating a deep sense of rotation in the body. There’s a wonderful sense of being coiled or wound up—a feeling that’s difficult to achieve without this kind of tactile feedback.
Continue Your Learning
The applications we’ve shared here are just the beginning. Once you understand how the Stretch-eze interacts with your equipment, you’ll start seeing opportunities to integrate it across your entire repertoire. The key is maintaining quality of movement while using the fabric to amplify awareness and connection. Get creative!
Ready to deepen your Wunda Chair expertise? Our Stretch-eze® on the Wunda Chair Program contains seven exercises and is currently on sale—enjoy 25% off through March 15th! This is the perfect opportunity to master these techniques and discover even more interesting applications.
Wondering where to go from here? The possibilities with Stretch-eze are endless. Join our mailing list at https://stretch-eze.com to be notified when new content becomes available, and consider getting certified to bring these innovative techniques into your teaching practice. Visit Certification – Stretch-eze® to learn more! Your clients will thank you for the added depth, play and precision that the Stretch-eze invites you to enjoy.
Nigel Sampson, born in Adelaide, Australia, grew up immersed in movement and vitality before moving to Los Angeles at 22. His career evolved at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, where training diverse clients led him to Pilates in the early ’90s. Nigel studied with renowned teachers and expanding his expertise through physical therapy, somatics, and other modalities. Over 25 years as co-founder of Whole Body Method, Nigel taught more than 45,000 sessions, certified instructors worldwide, and earned recognition as a leader in Pilates education. Inspired by nature and wisdom from Pilates elders, he envisioned a new path—Pilates EnergetiX. This innovative method honors Pilates’ roots while blending sensory feedback tools, cutting-edge anatomy, and natural rhythms to unlock the potential in every body.
Social handles:
IG: @pilatesenergetix
FB: facebook.com/pilatesenergetix
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@pilatesenergetiX
Zila is the President of Stretch-eze®, focused on inspiring joyful movement by supporting individuals of all ages in discovering freedom and ease in their bodies. She is a certified yoga teacher and breathwork facilitator, bringing a holistic approach to well-being that supports mind-body connection. Zila is also a Canadian legal professional and entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in data governance and compliance. She combines her business experience with her passion for embodied movement to bring the Stretch-eze to homes, studios, and therapeutic environments around the world.
Social handles:
IG: @stretcheze
FB: acebook.com/stretcheze/
YT: https://www.youtube.com/@stretcheze
