Imprinting vs. Neutral Spine: What We’re Actually Doing in Class (And Why)

Every week, someone in class asks me some version of this question: “Should my lower back be flat on the mat or not?”

It’s a great question — and the answer isn’t as simple as most Pilates instructors make it sound. Because the real answer is: it depends on what we’re trying to accomplish and where you are in your practice.

I’ve been teaching movement since 1986, and for years I watched the Pilates world treat this like an either/or debate. Imprint your spine! No, stay neutral! The truth, as it usually does, lives somewhere more nuanced — and understanding it will change how you experience every supine exercise we do together.

What We’re Really Doing When We Stabilize

When I cue you to engage your core in class, the goal is stability — keeping your spine still and stable while your limbs are moving. That’s it. Not crunching, not flattening, not sucking anything in. Stability.

The muscle doing the heavy lifting here is your transverse abdominis — that deep, corset-like muscle that wraps around your midsection. When I cue you to draw your lower belly toward your spine — not toward the floor, toward your spine — and then lift that engagement up toward the middle of your ribcage, we’re activating the transverse from bottom to top. I also cue “long body, front and back” — because the goal isn’t to shorten or crunch. It’s to create length and support.

And just to be clear: you’re not sucking it in like you’re putting on Jordache jeans in the 1980s. Or, for those of you who can kindly fill me in on the latest pop-culture reference, you’re not sucking it in like you’re taking a picture from the side in a snug outfit. Both of those get a laugh in class, but they also make an important point. That kind of bracing recruits the diaphragm; sheath like muscle across the bottom of the ribcage that moves up and down with your breathing. You might feel like you’re working hard, but you’re actually bypassing the stability work entirely.

This is where the word “imprint” comes in. In beginner (level 1) classes I primarily use imprinting as a teaching tool; a way to help you feel the difference between true transverse engagement and the rectus abdominals trying to run the show. It’s not the exercise itself. That comes later. At first, it’s the awareness exercise that helps you find the right deep muscles before we load them.

Now, working the rectus abdominis is important — it absolutely has its place. That’s why it comes later, once you’ve built that deep transverse mind-body connection and foundation. Without it, the rectus tends to dominate everything, and that’s where people often get stuck: working hard, feeling sore, but never building the stability that actually protects the spine and sometimes even wondering why their belly pushes outward even though they’re “doing all the abs” and super strong.

Neutral Spine Isn’t What You Think It Is

Something that I always have to explain carefully: neutral spine isn’t one fixed position.

Most of us hear “neutral spine” and picture one specific alignment; that small space between your lower back and the mat, held perfectly still. But your spine doesn’t work that way in real life. Neutral changes depending on what your body is doing. For example: when your legs are in tabletop, your neutral is different than when your legs are extended on the mat. That’s because hip flexion and extension change the relationship between your pelvis and your lumbar spine; so neutral shifts with it.

This is actually beautiful news. It means neutral spine is the natural, flowing movement your body moves through for functionality. It’s not a position to achieve and freeze. It’s a range to live in and move through.

What stays constant? The stability. Regardless of what position your legs are in, the job of your deep core is to keep your spine supported through the movement — stable while everything else is in motion. That’s the skill we’re building in class, and it’s why I spend so much time on cueing. The difference between understanding this and missing it is the difference between a six-pack workout and a deep core practice.

Why I Teach This Progression

I start with transverse engagement and stabilization because it’s the foundation everything else is built on. Once your deep core is strong enough and your body awareness has sharpened, we add complexity; more challenging leg positions, more load, eventually spinal rolling where we’re deliberately articulating through the spine one vertebra at a time.

Rolling; exercises like roll-ups, rolling like a ball, spine stretch — is a different skill entirely. Now we’re not stabilizing; we’re mobilizing. We need both. A spine that can hold steady AND a spine that can move fluidly through its full range. But rolling demands a foundation. You need that deep core connection to roll with control rather than momentum.

When I had my back injury years ago: the one where my orthopedic surgeon basically penciled me in for surgery, I learned this progression the hard way. Traditional Pilates had me rolling and flexing before my spine was ready. I also had to step away from taking classes that were heavy on sun salutations and repeated forward folding — movements my back simply couldn’t handle at the time. I adapted the work, prioritized deep stability first, and then gradually reintroduced rolling and spinal articulation that my back healed.

That experience changed how I teach everyone. The progression isn’t about holding you back. It’s about building you up so that when you do the more advanced work, your body is genuinely ready for it.

What to Watch for in Your Own Practice

Next time you’re on your back in class, pay attention to a few things. First, can you engage your transverse without holding your breath? If you’re gripping, you’re likely recruiting the wrong muscles. The transverse should engage without your breathing shutting down.

Second, watch your belly. If it’s pushing upward toward the ceiling during core work, the rectus is running the show. You want to see and feel the belly drawing inward (towards the spine) and up (towards the middle of your ribcage) — gently, not forcefully. Long body, front and back.

Third, notice if your hip flexors are taking over. Tight hip flexors love to jump in when the core can’t keep up, and they’ll pull your lower back into an arch faster than you realize. This is another reason we build the transverse foundation first — it teaches your body to find stability without defaulting to the usual compensations.

The Bigger Picture

This is what I love about teaching — the small details that make the huge difference. Stabilization isn’t glamorous. You can’t “show off” transverse abdominis engagement on social media. But it’s the foundation that makes everything else work — from advanced Pilates to hiking a mountain trail to picking up your grandchild without wincing.

If this is making you curious about what else is happening in the exercises we do together, stay tuned — this is the first in a series I’m calling “The Why Behind the Work,” where I break down the science and reasoning behind what we do in class. Because understanding the why makes the work so much more effective.

And if you’ve been meaning to try a class, this is a great reason to come see what we’re about. I teach Pilates, mobility stretch, and meditation at the Yoga Center of Columbia.

Warmly,

Samira

P.S. If you want to see what proper transverse engagement looks like in action, I’ve got a two short video series that walks. you through it. Sign up here to receive them. Sometimes seeing the difference is worth a thousand words of explanation.