- By Joseph Hubertus Pilates
What is Pilates?
Pilates is an extremely safe and effective exercise program conceived and designed to restore optimal
alignment and movement patterns. It focuses on the correct functioning of the core postural muscles which
help keep the spine correctly aligned as well as working on the strength, mobility, and flexibility of the
whole body. Pilates is a functional form of exercise in that it was created with health benefits in mind to
enable you to live your life in the best physical condition and with a deep sense of wellbeing. With regular
practice, muscle imbalances responsible for poor posture will be corrected, the main cause of many health
issues such as back problems, joint degeneration, headaches, digestive disorders, and injuries in general to
name but a few. The level of focus and concentration required to breathe and perform the exercises
correctly makes Pilates a mind/body form of exercise, improving body awareness, reducing stress, and
improving mood. The mind/body connection was something Joseph Pilates strongly believed in.
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History of Pilates
Pilates was developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates at the beginning of the 1900’s, originally known as
Contrology. Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in the early 1880’s and throughout his childhood, he was
plagued by ill-health. To make himself physically stronger, he took up body-building and various other
sports, including gymnastics and diving. In 1912 Joe came to England to work as a self-defense instructor
for detectives at Scotland Yard. When the First World War broke out Joe was interned as an “enemy
alien” with other German nationals on the Isle of Man. During his internment, Joe worked as a hospital
orderly and it was during this time that he refined his ideas and trained many war casualties in his system
of exercise. He rigged springs to hospital beds enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance,
an invention that influenced the development of his apparatus later. He believed that imbalances in the
body and habitual patterns of movement cause injuries. He saw the links between weak areas of the body
and overcompensation by other parts of the body, so he set about creating a program based on reeducation and realignment.
Pilates moved back to Germany briefly after the war and in 1926 he emigrated to the United States.
Why Pilates is so popular?
In recent years it has become one of the most popular forms of exercise, not only improving the shape of
the body and posture but for a whole host of other health benefits too, both mental and physical. It is
recommended by doctors and back care specialists as a form of rehab following back problems as well as a
way of preventing them. Sportsmen are using this system of exercise more and more as a way of
improving their core strength and balance, prevention of injuries, and rehabilitation. The Pilates philosophy
is all about training the mind and body to work together towards the goal of overall fitness. It is all about
quality, not quantity
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Benefits of Pilates:
Pilates is a mind/body discipline. It is widely accepted that the quality of our attention can have
transforming effects on all systems of the body. Moving away from the frantic and slowing down so that
we can pay more attention, awakening kinesthetic awareness, is at the core of the rehabilitative process.
Modern research and practitioners from many diverse therapies have added new dimensions to Joseph
Pilates’ work, but to truly understand the relevance and benefits of this century-old method you need to go
back to the beginning and progress from this firm foundation. These are some of the benefits you will start
to notice:-
1. Your body will become better aligned to prevent imbalances leading to injuries and improve
posture.
2. You will become more body-aware and better coordinated, improving your skills of
proprioception - the sequencing of movement.
3. Your body will change shape for the better, giving you a leaner, toned physique rather than
bulky and muscular.
4. The space between your vertebrae will be increased which will minimize pressure on discs
and nerves. There is no question that Pilates will prevent back problems or at least teach you
to manage them.
5. You will build core and back strength to help support the spine and maintain good
posture. Pilates works on the entire body system by strengthening your core muscles because it's the center of your body. Many of us have a posture that is far from ideal, often the cause of many health issues,
particularly back problems. It's help in a great extent to relieve from back problems, slow & control movements of Pilates works like magic.
6. All muscles are worked so that the whole body can work together in harmony rather than one
area becoming overloaded.
7. The condition and strength of your pelvic floor will be greatly improved as the pelvic floor is
part of the core, reducing incontinence problems. A huge problem and not just for women!
8. Flexibility and mobility will be substantially improved over time so that the body can move
freely, without putting undue strain on the back.
9. Exercise increases the levels of serotonin and endorphins which promote feelings of wellbeing
and meditation is now widely used as a way of dealing with depression. Yoga and Pilates are excellent ways to help you lead a happy, positive life.
10. It will make you learn how to breathe correctly and efficiently during the workout so that plenty of oxygen reaches every
part of the body, especially the spine. Breathing relieves stress and can reduce high blood
pressure as well as increasing energy.
Principles Of Pilates:
Relaxation:
With the
increasing awareness of the need to release stress from the muscles and avoid “gripping” during
contraction, together with the need for all of us to learn to relax a little more, Once the body is relaxed, the mind will follow the suites
Concentration:
Pilates is a mind/body form
of exercise and you must be present. Never just go through the motions. Think about how your body feels,
be aware of areas of stiffness and tension, focus on every movement you make, and how that affects the
rest of the body. This will lead to quality and precision of movement, increase your body awareness, and
keep the practice safe and effective.
But modern research suggests that it’s actually a two way street with the body also shaping the mind.
Alignment:
Alignment, neutral position, posture, core, centering: all part of the same thing. You’ve relaxed your body
and released any tension, you’ve cleared your mind and your focus is on your body. Your body is sending
messages back to your brain and now you need to check your alignment, depending on what position you
are in: if you are supine with legs extended, you will be more or less in neutral. If you are standing, you
need to pay a little more attention to your posture. If you are sitting or in box position, think about the
alignment of the pelvis and the spine.
Known as the lower dantian in martial arts, the center of gravity lies in front of the
Breathing:
Pilates uses thoracic/lateral breathing, enabling you to breathe fully, but still
maintain that all-important core contraction to stabilize the pelvis, support the lower back and keep the neutral position. Efficient breathing actually contributes to core contraction and stability, so it’s a vital
part of Pilate training.
Efficient breathing serves several purposes:
• It is an integral part of core engagement and stability
• it will remove any toxins from the lungs
• The exhalations will relax you, the inhalations energize you
• it will help focus the mind
• it will dictate the speed and control of each exercise, leading to flowing movements
• it will release tension from the body and lead to a peaceful mind.
Coordination:
Trying to coordinate movement with breath and remember all the principles will seem like an
impossibility at first, but it does come with practice. Beginner courses can sometimes appear slow and
boring, but it enables you to gradually build, layer on layer until you can do everything all at once. You
will master the exercises and control the movements. Hence the original name: Contrology. Imagery, new
possibilities with our bodies, how we can’t, and then ever so gradually we can, neuronal changes.
Precision:
Each and every movement in Pilates has a purpose, every instruction vital to the success of the exercise. Perfect, precise
movement is what you are trying to achieve rather than many poor, inadequate repetitions. This is
important for you to achieve the results you are hoping for safely, efficiently, and relatively quickly. This precision that makes exercises like Roll Back seem easy to the beginner but challenging to your
advanced students. Weaknesses in the body are highlighted through precise muscle activation strategies so
that other muscles aren’t used to compensate. In this way, we can address those weaknesses and rebalance
the body.
Fluidity:
The human body is perfectly formed for movement, therefore every exercise in Pilates is dynamic (some
modifications may hold a position, but the final form involves movement). They flow with the breath like
a perfectly executed, focusing on your strong center, controlled, free from tension and
stress, and rhythmic. You can tell when you are working at an inappropriate level in that the
practice loses its flow and movements become jerky or tension starts to build.
Stamina:
Your deep postural muscles need to be working gently, but constantly in order to keep your body correctly
aligned. For this to be possible, they require stamina. All your supporting muscles need stamina so that
your body can work as a whole: think of a car – a great gearbox or new brakes are no good without the
rest of the engine is in good condition. Some muscles will tire very quickly without the support of the
others and with practice, an exercise that seemed difficult to perform one week will soon become
manageable. For example, everyone complains about their arm, shoulder, and neck when they perform a
side plank the first few times. As they progress, they learn to use the torso muscles which become stronger
with practice, they learn to engage the muscles of the legs which also have a role to play.
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| Image Source - Google|Image by-pikist |
Conclusion :
All in all, Pilates is a low impact exercise safe for almost all age groups. Pilates combines mental conditioning with physical training which allows an individual to stretch and strengthen in non- impact manner. It's an inside out workout that emphasizes breath control, precision, and fluid moments. Then gradually you start understanding this discipline you will fall in love with that.
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