Pilates is an exercise technique which was pioneered by Joseph Pilates in the first part of the 20th century. Joseph Pilates believed that by doing simple yet effective stretching exercises and strengthening core muscles, anyone could improve their flexibility, posture and overall fitness, no matter what their age.
In 1926, Joseph Pilates opened a body-conditioning studio with his wife Clara in New York. It became a huge success, especially with dancers as it helped them recover from injury whilst keeping their fitness up. Joseph Pilates went on to write books about his methods and concepts and when he died in 1967, enough people had been influenced by him to carry on his work.
Today, Pilates is a very popular exercise technique, practiced by over 12 million people worldwide. It encourages good posture, strengthens and tones all the muscles in the body, and improves overall fitness.
It is based on 8 key principles:
1. Relaxation : Pilates is a calm set of exercises, meant to relax both your body and mind.
2. Alignment: It is important to align the body properly during all the exercises to avoid injury, improve your posture and to realign both the body and mind.
3. Control: Being able to control different muscle groups is essential in developing them. It isn’t about how many times you do the exercises, but how well.
4. Precision: Each movement is to be done with precision to get the most out of the exercise. Things like flexing feet and tucking your chin in have a direct impact on the rest of your body.
5. Routine: Pilates doesn’t give results straight away. But, if you do it routinely, say once a week, you will find that after a few months your body will be more flexible.
6. Breathing: When exercising, it is easy to forget to breathe. But breathing helps push your body further. By knowing when to breathe in and out, you will be able to stretch that little bit further. It also helps you relax!
7. Centering: Pilates mainly focuses on the core muscles, which are the abdominal, lower back and pelvic muscles. It is important to always have your tummy tucked in and your pelvis tilted forward to achieve a neutral centre. This will improve your posture and help align your body better.
8. Flowing movement: Each exercise is a series of movements and it’s important to keep these movements flowing to stretch properly and increase relaxation.