Pilates Principles
Centring
Before any outer movement, we aim to initiate our movement from the Centre. This takes a little time and practice initially to engage the core muscles of the pelvis, abdominals and back, just enough to support the movement but without creating undue tension. This internal effort is unique to the Pilates method and is the secret behind the flat stomach, defined waistline and beautiful posture, which can be the by-product of regular Pilates practice.
Breathing
Pilates breathing or “thoracic breathing.” means breathing into the back and sides of the ribcage in an effort to improve our lung capacity and breathing efficiency. This enables the abdominals to remain engaged to support the spine and pelvis throughout movement. The rhythm of breath flows naturally, as you prepare for movement on the inhalation and make the movement on the exhalation. Although feeling challenging to start with, with a little practice many clients find this is one of the key elements contributing to their sense of wellbeing and rejuvenation after class.
Flowing
Pilates movement should be fluid and controlled without jerkiness or unwanted tension. Joseph Pilates original matwork sequence was a continuous flowing series of exercises aimed at conditioning the body in a holistic way. Contemporary Pilates teaching often enables this original series of exercises to be modified and adapted to suit different client needs and levels of ability. However the essence of flowing movement is still one of the fundamental Pilates principles, as relaxed effort is a state which enables the mind and body to work in harmony.
Concentration
By taking time to focus on our body during Pilates classes, rather than taking it for granted, we use a variety of cues to help us move in a way that is more beneficial to our body’s natural needs. Eventually this internal focus becomes second nature and our body just knows a better way to move.
Control
Each movement of each Pilates exercise requires complete control of your body by your mind. There should be no sudden, meaningless, or haphazard movements during your Pilates workout, it is a mind body connection. This is why the Pilates method is such a safe exercise regimen. Exercise without awareness and control can lead to injury.
Precision
Each exercise in the Pilates method has a purpose and a goal. Therefore, as you approach each exercise precision is required to execute the exercise as perfectly as possible and retrain damaging movement patterns. As Joseph Pilates used to say “honour every movement”. Most of the exercises in Pilates are very low repetition, thus you must focus on doing a few precise perfect repetitions.
The reformer is a bed-like frame with a flat platform/carriage, which rolls back and forth on wheels within the frame. The carriage is attached to one end of the reformer by a set of springs which provide differing levels of resistance as the carriage is pushed or pulled along the frame. The carriage has shoulder blocks that keep a practitioner from sliding off the end of the reformer as they push or pull the carriage.
This is the ultimate in adding a gravity challenge to your workout. As a piece of equipment it looks pretty intimidating – it is about 6 feet tall. When folks first see it they often laugh uncomfortably and joke that it looks like a medieval torture device. You can isolate almost every muscle group on the machine, it is an excellent tool for breaking down motion into small pieces to restore correct motion patterns.
The Pilates chair is basically a box with one side that can be pressed down against the resistance of springs, like a large pedal. Sometimes the pedal portion is divided into two parts that can be worked independently. Though the basic design is simple, there are a myriad of exercises that can be performed on the Pilates chair. It is excellent for strengthening the core muscles, of course, and also the arms and legs. Exercises are done lying, sitting, and standing on the chair, as well as from positions to the sides of the chair. One can expect a lot of stability and flexibility work on the chair.
Each has a rounded barrel-like surface that helps isolate deep postural muscles and challenges the body on all planes of movement. As the name suggests the Pilates Ladder Barrel consists of ladder-like rungs and rounded barrel-like surface on which a multitude of stretching, strengthening and flexibility exercises can be performed. The ladder rungs – four to six in total – are also adjustable to facilitate varying levels of fitness. As we advance in age, the muscles keep on weakening. This causes our spine to lose its natural curve. The Pilates Barrel strengthens the abdominal, back and shoulder muscles to keep the spine strong and supple. The chest opens up, shoulders straighten, and the hump back (if any) can disappear.
