We all want to feel better in ourselves. I’m sure you do as much as myself, and Pilates can help us achieve our better selves.
So what is Pilates?
Pilates is a philosophy of well being based upon a holistic system of exercise that enhances self awareness, strength, stamina, and resilience to promote whole body health. It’s a way for us to optimise our personal performance.
The benefits of Pilates over other forms of exercise are tenfold, with it being low impact but with very noticable improvements to our health, flexibility, body shape, and mind.
Pilates Exercise
Pilates exercise refers to the physical fitness system developed by Joseph Pilates in the early part of the 20th century. The sets of Pilates exercise are based on aerobics and yoga principles, and there are 37 basic sets of Pilates exercise that emphasise flexibility, stamina and muscle strength. The Pilates exercises are meant to tone the major muscles groups, which Pilates called the “powerhouse.” These muscle groups include the abdominal muscles, the hip muscles, the lower back muscles and the buttocks.
The Pilates exercise system is guided by seven principles, namely, breathing, centring, concentration, control, precision, flow and flexibility. The breathing principle of Pilates exercise emphasises the importance of the proper supply of oxygen and the circulation of the blood to remove toxins. The breathing principle of the Pilates exercise can be best described as posterior, lateral breathing, which emphasise the deep breathing into the back and sides of the rib cage.
The centring principle of Pilates exercise focus on exercising the powerhouse group of muscles. The concentration principle of the Pilates exercise requires intense focus. The control principle of the Pilates exercise, on the other hand, is all about minimising awkward muscle movements. Pilates exercise precision principle refers to the detailed execution of movement.
The different guiding principles of Pilates exercises are intended to optimise body performance and wellbeing.
Why is Pilates so good for us?
Pilates is such a wonderful whole body exercise system. It helps us focus on strengthening and lengthening, movement and mindfulness.
Pilates is so accessible for us, no matter our age or abilities. It’s a way for us to invest in our bodies, not only for now but for our future. Working on and following the principles of Joseph Pilates, we can dramatically transform the way our bodies look, feel and perform.
All we need is a mat to start us on our Pilates journey, but it’s easy to incorporate some small equipment or spring assisted Pilates studio apparatus. With these methods we can achieve our best results in the simplest and most effective way.
Some of the benefits of Pilates
Some of the key benefits of Pilates you can achieve with my classes:
- Improve your posture, health, and overall fitness.
- Become more flexible, and increase your strength and muscle tone.
- Strengthen and maintain a healthy spine.
- Reduce everyday pain and fatigue.
- Develop your core strength.
- Assist recovery after an injury/surgery.
- Improve your performance in sports and help prevent injury.
- Support pre/post natal care.
- Feel happier, look better and feel better!
Who is Joseph Pilates?
Did you know Pilates dates back to the 1920s?
Some of the first people to benefit from the Pilates method were soldiers returning from the war and professional dancers such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine. It was clear early on how beneficial Pilates was to both heal aches and pains as well as strengthen our bodies.
Pilates is named after it’s creator, Joseph Pilates, who was born plagued with ailments such as asthma and rickets.
When Joseph was born, in Germany 1883, little was known about these ailments. This drove him to develop methods of exercise to improve his health.
In his early years Joseph Pilates threw himself into fitness. He became a gymnast, wrestler, boxer, and learned self defence. He moved to England in 1912 to further his training as a boxer, becoming a teacher in both boxing and self defence.
Two years later, in 1914, an unfortunate turn of events led him to be imprisoned in an internment camp. Undeterred, he taught wrestling and self defence to other prisoners.
It was during his imprisonment where Joseph invented his own exercises, which became known as ‘Pilates’ or ‘Contrology’. These were the original matwork and equipment based exercises, using springs and pulleys to provide variable resistance in a number of different positions.
Two decades later, in 1926, Joseph made a bold move to New York to open the first ever Pilates studio. Pilates, since then, has become widely adopted worldwide, benefiting many.
Joseph Pilates remained committed to his method right up until his death in 1967. If you want to learn more about Pilates, try one of my classes!
Joseph Pilates Quotes!
If you want a great insight into Joseph Pilates, here are some of his most resounding quotes!
- “To achieve the highest accomplishment within the scope of our capabilities in all walks of life, we must constantly strive to acquire strong, healthy bodies and develop our minds to the limit of our ability”
- “Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase”
- “I must be right, never an aspirin, never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises, they’d be happier!”
- “The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning develops the body uniformly, corrects posture, restores vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit”