Why Is Pilates So Amazing: Part 1 Intro
Have you ever wondered sipping your Sunday morning coffee what exactly is Pilates and why is it so amazing?
Think of Pilates as functional fitness training. Pilates unique method re-trains the functioning of the entire body as exercises are designed to work multiple muscles at once - like real life.
The Pilates method brings a new level of strength that begins on the inside and works from the core out to the periphery. The traditional method is a proven system to change the way your body moves and functions, helping every aspect of your life.
A little history: Pilates was developed by a man named Joseph Pilates (1883 - 1967). He spent his life studying the body's healthy movement patterns, first in Germany and later in New York, USA, developing a system he called Contrology. His method became popular in the 1920s in New York and many clients came to him to help heal their imbalances and injuries. Contrology is the term that Joseph Pilates called his method, however, after his death the term “Pilates” was used over the name Contrology.
He designed all the pieces of equipment (apparatus) we use here in the studio. The equipment is so amazing as it allows for individualized workouts for you and your abilities (if you’d like a more detailed description of each piece of apparatus, please visit the Studio Equipment webpage):
Reformer
Chair
Cadillac (where the Vertical Tower comes from)
Step Barrel/ Spine Corrector/ Ladder Barrel
Pilates handheld tools such as Pilates ring, weighted bar, light hand weights, toe gizmo, foot corrector
His Contrology method had a philosophy that he believed would bring whole body health, which gave context to the exercises he designed. Joseph intended his method to be a mental and physical discipline, a work ethic, and an attitude toward one’s self that would eventually become a habit and a lifestyle.
I named my studio Pilates Life because adopting the method can be so much more than just performing the exercises several times a week. Joseph Pilates wanted his clients to embrace an all-encompassing whole body health system focusing on:
correct breathing for more energy and vitality,
moving the body with control,
concentration,
precision,
maintaining a healthy weight,
nutritious eating in proper portions
Joseph wrote in his book Return to Life Through Contrology: "Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure."
Cool, eh? Love that summary! And so true!
Now today the Pilates method is practiced all over the world. Because of this different styles of the Pilates method have formed, most are divided into two camps: Classical and Contemporary. Classical Pilates adheres to the repertoire Joseph Pilates developed whereas Contemporary Pilates incorporates adaptations.
I have trainings in both Classical and Contemporary methods and along with my understanding of the human body through obtaining my kinesiology degree here at Pilates Life Studio you are presented a melding of both amazing methods. The traditional Pilates classes here are Intro, Align, Refresh, Glow and I keep the exercises fairly Classical with some minor adaptations depending on the needs of the client. The all levels classes Jumpboard, Powerhouse, Barre+Jumpboard, Barre+Pilates include classical Pilates exercises, as well as, contemporary Pilates exercises. We only use exercises proven by science to be effective (I hate to say it but there are a lot of ineffective newer so-called “Pilates” exercises that don’t help build strong, resilient, and flexible bodies. This frustrates many professionals in the field as there is a lot of misinformation, especially on social media).
All schools of Pilates teach a set of principles that we can apply to our Pilates practice, but also to our daily life. Some schools omit or add certain principles depending on their focus, but this is the set I like best:
Awareness (proprioception)
Balanced Muscle Development (also called Uniformed Development)
Breath
Concentration
Control
Centring (strengthening the “powerhouse” core muscles)
Flowing Motion
Precision
Over the next few weeks in this weekly newsletter, let’s have some fun exploring the principles so we can integrate and refine each principle into our Pilates practice :)
