‘To achieve the highest accomplishments 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’ - Joseph Pilates
What is Pilates?
Katie Tarling • May 23, 2023
Who created Pilates?
Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates after the first world war, during which time he experimented with helping bedridden patients to exercise, using pulleys and springs attached to hospital beds! After some time, the system became adopted by the dance world, and eventually by celebrities and finally by mainstream fitness.
Each individual Pilates instructor will have their own teaching style based on the training they have received and their own background not to mention their individual personality. My classes are influenced by my background in Physiotherapy and my calm and compassionate nature. My training in Pure Stretch also impacts my classes, and many of the exercises focus on general mobility, and flexibility.
The eight principles of Pilates are–
- Concentration
- Breathing
- Control
- Centring
- Precision
- Movement
- Routine
- Isolation
1-Concentration
This comes from the level of focus involved during the exercises, not only are we focussed on breathing wide and full, but also on the connection to our core muscles, our postural alignment before, during and after the moves, which muscles are working, whether we are aiming to move or stabilise our spine, and also tuning in to the feeling in our body and working within our comfortable range. As you can imagine there isn't much brain band-width left to be worrying about things, or making plans, therefore Pilates can be a very mindful form of exercise. But don't let all this talk of focus put you off - we do have a good laugh too!
2-Breathing
We are all breathing all day and all night, however, we use the breath in a particular way during a Pilates class, to encourage good air flow into the lower lungs, but with minimal expansion into the belly, so that we can also connect with the transverse abdominals as we engage our core muscles. We also use different breathing techniques during the relaxation section of the class, to promote more calm. I offer separate Breathwork workshops, which you can check out on my website here too.
3-Control
During a class, we are aiming to control the movements in the body, sometimes to isolate certain areas, and at others to move more globally as a whole. We aim to remain within our comfortable range of movement as we exercise, which requires control too.
4-Centring
This is a term used to describe the connection and engagement of the core muscles in our centre. We use these postural muscles on and off throughout the class, to enable more control and stability to our centre as we move.
5-Precision
This is important during Pilates because certain moves aim to stabilise an area of the body, but move another, and sometimes to focus specifically on which muscles are involved in creating a particular movement.
6-Movement
Movement is improvement!
I love this phrase! Our bodies are meant to move and many of the exercises I teach are primarily about getting the body to move. I have attended training in stretching and so I also include plenty of gentle stretches, indeed a recent survey of my participants revealed that better flexibility was the most common benefit my participants had noticed since starting my Pilates classes. Read to the end to see the full results!
7-Routine
Attending once a week to the same class at the same time provides weekly routine. We also follow my class plans that include strengthening, stretching, stability, movement, and breathing - all planned in a routine that I teach, demonstrate, and explain all the way through the class.
8-Isolation
Sometimes the movements aim to isolate and move or work just one area of the body at a time, for example trying to isolate and move one vertebra at a time to encourage good spinal mobility, or to stabilise the pelvis as we move one hip, to allow us to disassociate one part of the body from another. However, my classes offer a warm welcome to all adults, from beginners and beyond, and as such I hope no-one feels isolated when they are in my groups!
Survey results!
A recent survey of 68 of my Pilates participants asked them to tick which of the following were the main improvements they had noticed since starting Pilates.
These are the incredible results…as a percentage of the 68 replies
- Better flexibility – 78%
- Improved mobility – 56%
- Fewer aches and pains – 47%
- More relaxed – 50%
- More energised – 31%
- Less backpain – 40%
- Better posture – 40%
- Better sleep – 18%
- Improved breathing – 18%
- Social benefits – 37%
- Improved mood – 30%
- Reduced need for Physiotherapy/Osteopathy – 19%
- More confidence in physical activities – 31%
I'm delighted to see that my participants are noticing such a wide range of benefits!
Ready to join a Pilates Class?
If you’re thinking of starting a gentle exercise class and are keen to learn from an instructor with a Physiotherapy degree, email me to enquire and book in. Full details are on my Pilates page here. Drop me a line and try a class soon!