What is Pilates?
Pilates is a body conditioning method that works in a different way to traditional fitness techniques. Targeting the deep postural muscles, which help protect and stabilize the spine. Pilates works by building strength from the inside out, rebalancing the body and bringing it into correct alignment. The exercises are performed slowly with control and the movements are integrated with correct breathing. Pilates can also improve posture and is a great way to relieve unwanted tension.
Background
Joseph Pilates, born in 1880 in Germany, developed the method. A frail child, he turned to physical fitness to improve his body image, becoming a keen sportsman who developed talents in sports as varied as diving, gymnastics and boxing. He studied many different disciplines and drawing from each of them, formulated a system that worked for his own body. This became known as the Pilates method.
After moving to New York in the 1920’s his studio soon attracted the city’s elite actors, dancers and athletes finding that his exercises perfected and complemented their traditional programme and catered for their individual needs – building strength without adding bulk, balancing that strength with flexibility and achieving perfect harmony between mind and body.
What makes Pilates different?
Pilates offers both mental and physical training. By improving body awareness and focus, tension is released from the body and correct postural alignment is taught. By correcting imbalances, sound muscle recruitment patterns are encouraged and the body is realigned. Precise controlled, flowing movements mean that the muscle and ligament damage sometimes associated with other fitness regimes is avoided.
Pilates plays a key role in many injury rehabilitation programmes in dance, sport and general practice.
Based upon a well constructed philosophical foundation, every exercise is built around six key principles:
- Breathing
- Centre
- Control
- Concentration
- Alignment
- Flowing Movements
By bringing together body and mind, Pilates teaches you to be in control of your body and allows you to handle stress more effectively and achieve relaxation more easily.
Who is it for?
Pilates is suitable for all ages and fitness levels and is particularly recommended for those who suffer from chronic back pain, sports injuries, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, women’s health problems, repetitive strain injury, stress-related illness and ME.
Unlike other fitness classes it takes a minimum of 6 weeks to understand and learn the principles of the Pilates technique and requires commitment from the participant. This is why it is usually taught as a course.