Pilates Movement Monday. Semaphore on the Reformer.

Kneeling semaphore Pilates exercise on Reformer focusing on lateral flexion and shoulder stability.

Semaphore is one of those words that sounds more dramatic than the movement itself. It comes from old signalling systems, where people used arm positions to communicate over distance. Each position had a clear meaning. No waving about. No improvising. If you were sloppy, the message was wrong.

That idea fits Pilates rather well.

On the Reformer, semaphore becomes a quiet conversation between the arm and the rest of the body. One arm moves, and everything else has to stay honest.

You start kneeling sideways on the carriage. Knees under hips, hips stacked. This position alone already tells you how organised you are. If you sit back, drift forward, or lean, the Reformer lets you know immediately.

The hand nearest the shoulder pads rests on the pad. Not gripping, not sinking into it. The shoulder stays wide and down. This arm is there to give support, not permission to collapse.

The other hand holds a strap. Keep the spring light. Bend the elbow and bring the hand behind the head. At this point, most people are already tempted to twist or shift. This is where you pause. Get long through the spine. Stack the ribs over the pelvis. Let the body settle before anything moves.

The movement itself is simple, and that is why it works. As the arm moves, the spine side bends toward the supporting arm. Slowly. With control. The pelvis stays quiet. The ribs do not rotate. Nothing dramatic happens, which is exactly the challenge.

Coming back is part of the exercise. No dropping the arm. No rushing. The return shows whether the work was organised or borrowed.

What I like about this movement is how quickly it exposes habits. You see who leans into the shoulder pad, who shrugs the working shoulder, and who uses the strap to pull themselves into position. Clients feel this immediately, even if they cannot name it yet.

Semaphore does not need explaining into the ground. It does not need layers of choreography. It does one thing well. It asks the body to manage movement clearly, without help from momentum or clever tricks.

That is why it belongs in Movement Monday.One arm moves. Everything else has to behave.