Pilates is a unique method of body conditioning developed almost a century ago by Joseph Pilates. It strengthens and tones muscles, improves posture, provides flexibility and balance, unites body and mind and creates a streamlined shape.
Joseph Pilates believed for you to achieve happiness you need to understand and master your body.
If at the age of thirty you are out of shape, stiff and tired you are “old”. If at sixty you are strong, supple and full of energy you are “young.”
HISTORY
In
Germany in the early 1900’s Joseph Pilates began to develop his unique
exercise system. Plagued by rickets and asthma as a child, Pilates’ was
determined to strengthen his frail body. He devised a system which he
called “The Art of Contrology” basically muscle control and the use of
the mind to master the muscles.
Interned during the First World
War he taught his methods to fellow internees, successfully helping
them to maintain their health through the influenza epidemic of 1918.
Later in the war he worked as an orderly in a hospital on the Isle of
Man, making odd looking contraptions out of the beds and bed springs to
create apparatus to support patients’ ailing limbs, strengthening and
aiding the patients back to health much quicker then conventional
exercise and rest. These contraptions became the basis of the Pilates Reformer beds you see today. Mat
based Pilates work can be just as effective and has been used by many
dancers and performers since the late 1920’s. It is only in recent
years it seems like it is a new found discovery by many, however it was
the best kept secret of many ballet dancers for many years!
MATWORK PRINCIPALS
Concentration To connect body and mind, concentration is the key. Use the power of your mind to focus on the area you are working and see how your muscles respond!
Control No exercise should be done just for the sake of it. Control is of up most importance, sloppy movements produce poor results and even worse injury.
Centre Your ‘core’ your ‘powerhouse’ whatever you want to call it, abdominals, lower back, hips and glutes are always the ‘centre’ of your movement. Your strength comes from within with no foundations you have no house with no centre you have no strength.
Fluidity Grace
of movement is emphasized over speed and momentum. Working naturally
with the body not with quick, jerky movements that are unnatural to the
body.
Precision No half-hearted
movements are performed in Pilates. Everything is done for a purpose in
a precise and perfect way, so eventually the movements will become
second nature to you.
Breath For
me your breath in Pilates is one of the most important factors.
Learning to breath correctly during your exercise will no doubt improve
your quality of movement and enable you to get the most out of each
exercise.
Imagination Imagery is
a wonderful way to express understanding of how to perform an exercise.
For example if I tell you whilst you are lying on your back with one
foot off the floor and the knee bent at a right angle, the other knee is bent with
the foot on the floor. You now have to keep your knees in line and not
move, you may keep your concentration to do this. But if I tell you to
do the same thing with a glass of wine balanced on each knee “would you
want to spill any?” You may have more inclination to keep your legs and
body inline!
ONE TO ONE
If
you are a beginner or advanced in your practice, one to one Pilates can
be extremely beneficial. For the beginner taking part in a Pilates
class can be very confusing at first, as you will find there are so
many new things to think about all at once, from your breathing to
neutral spine to your transverse abdominus! With one to one training
everything will become clearer much quicker allowing you to move
forward with Pilates rather than stumbling at the first hurdle. For
the advanced, P.T. Pilates can be the way forward for you to excel in
your practice, with individual attention a second pair of eyes will
always push you to level you did not feel was possible.
Cara
Today there are many adaptations of the original Pilates based exercise, the way I teach Pilates is simple but effective, you can always take a level up or a level down depending on your individual ability.
I believe all exercise can be linked to the thinking of Pilates. In my experience the nature of my breath during exercise learned through Pilates has given me the tool to regain my abdominal strength after having my two children. So thank you Joseph Pilates!
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