Pilates

What is Pilates?

Acquiring balance and equilibrium in ones body takes a little time and effort but with the understanding Less is more, it is achievable. Pilates offers you a gentle but powerful approach to achieving your natural potential for optimal strength, flexibility and stamina. Pilates is unique in its delivery as it can be personalized for specific medical conditions and posture types. The Pilates method is a body conditioning exercise therapy, targeting the deep postural muscles to achieve core stability and strength with improved muscle balance. It involves the re-alignment of the spine to its optimum position with gentle stretching and strengthening movements.

Joseph Pilates -

Developed his exercise philosophy of body and mind contrology in the 1920’s. This unique system, which focuses on improving posture, increasing strength, flexibility and generally toning the body through deep muscle control. For many years athletes, dancers, sports men and women have used Pilates as a method for rebalancing musculature.

Designed to give you suppleness, grace and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you move, the way you work and the way you play.

Pilates develops the body uniformly, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit.

What you will achieve from Pilates

CONCENTRATION - A vital connection between mind and body. Become more internal. Improved kinesthetic sense.  A thinking way of moving.  Blocking out other thoughts.

BREATHING - Life is breath and breath is life. A Lateral thoracic breath is used in Pilates, a 3 D breath, reaching the lower lobes of the lungs where there is a much more efficient exchange of gas.  Think about breathing in through the nose and our through pursed lips – a sideways action with the ribs.

CENTERING - We focus on good placement of all the main weight bearing joints: ankles, knees, pelvis, spine, ribs, shoulder girdle and head. Aiming to stack the body in a good alignment. A contraction of the transverses abdominals and pelvic floor muscles will ensure stability through the lumbar/pelvic region. These two groups of muscles co-contract to support the lower back.  Every Pilates exercise is initiated by this contraction (connect)The deep internal core muscles enables the rest of the body to function more efficiently. The lumbar vertebrae can slide if you don’t work this way.

CONTROL - Controlology Joseph Pilates called it.  Moving with grace and precision.  Seeking to find a real awareness in the way you move, the slower the move the more we gain – LESS IS MORE

PRECISION - Essential to optimal posture. Set up and alignment are crucial to getting the most out of the exercises.  There is great focus on exact execution of the movements.

FLUIDITY - Through the whole body unit enables natural, movements correctly, gracefully and with control, almost like a dance.

ISOLATION - Pilates reveals weaknesses and imbalances, we begin to learn and listen to our bodies structure and therefore the control of different muscle groups lets us isolate.

ROUTINE - As with any mind/body program repetition and frequency leads to the skill level rising.  The Pilates method is intelligent and the repertoire encompasses the whole body. It’s an all round effective and efficient workout for both the body and the mind.
When taking the time to visit our mat for the benefit of our minds and bodies one must ask a very important question.

Does this program offer me an holistic and thorough workout? Does it respect my anatomy? Is it revealing to me any imbalances or weaknesses?

Know your anatomy, understand muscles and muscle movement. Read about fascia and its very important role in the body.

Then all that’s left is to feel blessed with our movement and practice appropriately for the rest of our lives.