Pilates Seal: How to Do It and Muscles Worked

How to do the Seal

Sit near the front of your mat with your knees bent, feet lifted, and hands reaching through your legs to hold the outside of your ankles.

1. Balance on your sitting bones with your spine rounded in a C-curve and the soles of your feet together.
2. Clap your feet together two or three times by using your inner and outer thigh muscles.
3. Keep your chin gently tucked and roll backward onto your upper back.
4. Pause for a moment while balancing on your shoulder blades.
5. Clap your feet together two or three times while suspended in the air.
6. Use your abdominal muscles to roll forward and return to your starting balance point.
7. Maintain the rounded shape of your spine throughout the entire movement.

• Breath. Inhale as you roll backward and exhale as you roll forward. Alternatively, use the opposite breathing pattern to help you find your balance.
• Where you feel it. You should feel your abdominal muscles working hard to control the roll, along with your inner and outer thighs moving your legs. You should not feel any sharp pain or impact on your neck or lower back.
• How many. 5 to 8 rolling repetitions

Common mistakes

• Rolling onto the neck. Stop your backward roll at your shoulder blades to protect your cervical spine.
• Losing the spinal flexion. Keep your abdominals pulled in and your spine rounded in a C-curve so you roll smoothly rather than falling flat.
• Using momentum instead of control. Initiate the forward and backward movement from your abdominal muscles rather than throwing your upper body or legs.
• Clapping from the feet only. Move your entire leg from the hip joint to engage your hip adductors and abductors.
• Dropping the head back. Keep your chin slightly tucked toward your chest to maintain the curve of your upper spine.

Make it easier or harder

Easier

• Practice just the balancing and clapping portion without rolling backward.
• Hold the backs of your thighs instead of reaching through to your ankles.
• Perform a simpler rolling exercise like rolling like a ball to practice spinal flexion.

Harder

• Increase the number of claps at the front and back of the movement to challenge your balance.
• Transition directly from the final repetition into a standing position by crossing your ankles and using your momentum.

Who should be careful

• If you have osteoporosis or low bone density, or a recent disc injury, ask your clinician whether repeated loaded forward bending of the spine suits you. Many bone health organizations recommend limiting it.
• Rolling on the spine is not a good idea with osteoporosis, a bony or sensitive spine, or a recent back injury. Use a thick mat, or hold the balance without rolling.

Related exercises

• Boomerang Advanced
• Crab Advanced
• Rolling Like a Ball Beginner to intermediate
• Single Leg Stretch Beginner to intermediate
• The Hundred Beginner to intermediate

When to see a doctor or physical therapist

• Sharp or shooting pain in your neck or upper back.
• Numbness or tingling traveling down your arms or legs.
• A grinding sensation or sharp pain in your hip joints.
• Dizziness or vertigo when rolling backward and forward.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or are recovering from an injury or surgery, check with your own clinician before trying new exercises.

How we put this page together. Exercise data (type, level, equipment and muscles) was compiled by our editors from the classical mat order in Joseph Pilates’ 1945 book and from commonly taught mat repertoire. Muscle lists are a general anatomy guide; cueing differs between teachers. Text drafted with AI assistance and checked by the Editorial Team. See our editorial policy. Last checked October 2026.