The Wonderfulness of the Wunda Chair

The Wunda Chair is a piece of equipment that Joseph Pilates designed and made, just like the Reformer, Trapeze Table (or Cadillac), the Magic Circle and more. When upright, the Wunda Chair looks like a box with a padded top, handles rising from either side and a pedal and springs below. However, take the padded top and handles off, turn it on its’ side and place the padding back down and you have a chair, of sorts. If you have a search you can find some old videos of Joseph Pilates in his living room demonstrating how you can sit on it in the evening and come morning stand it up, dive on it and do your exercises. The idea was to have a compact, easy to move and versatile form of Pilates equipment that his clients could take to their summer homes to do their exercises. The modern versions do not have the removable padded tops for sitting capabilities, but they do have all the original capabilities for creating a fun and core challenging workout.

Wunda Chair exercises are performed sitting or standing on the padded top; standing in front or behind the chair; with hands or feet controlling the pedal; or by using the handles on the sides. There are springs which attach to the pedal which can be adjusted to suit the level of difficulty required. What makes this piece of equipment so challenging is that all of the repertoire is performed with a smaller part of the body in contact with the chair at any one time. Less equipment to support the body means less stability, more balance and more control is needed. It is also great for challenging body awareness for example with exercises performed on top of the chair or in positions which give you reduced visibility of the equipment. In these instances, it is always good to work with an experienced instructor who can give you a thorough introduction and guide you through this piece of equipment.

But don’t let that scare you! The Wunda Chair is also very appropriate for people who are recovering from injuries. My own mum has used the chair in her rehab from two knee replacement operations. It is also great for clients who have reduced mobility and find it difficult to lay down on the reformer; for pregnant ladies who have the growing belly to consider with movement; athletes who need a little extra challenge with their training or rehab. Plus, with newer models having a split pedal system it is easy to safely challenge and target weaknesses or imbalances in the body.

The best part is many of the moves are similar across the various pieces of equipment meaning once you get started creating the same shapes with your body and using the same scooping or flattening techniques it won’t be so foreign on the chair.

So, the next time you are in the Pilates studio, have a seat…. Your body will thank you for it.