What Is Pilates? »
Pilates develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures,
restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit….
"Joseph Pilates"
Joseph Pilates, born in Germany in the 1880s, was prone to
childhood illness. He refused to let poor physical health cloud his
future. Determined to fulfil his potential, he studied bodybuilding,
gymnastics, boxing and diving until he mastered them all.
After years of study, he developed an approach to fitness that would
change the way people viewed physical exercise Pilates offers a different
way of thinking about your body. Through practising the movements you will
become more self-aware and better able to take control of your body and
your life.
Although the technique may sometimes take you outside yourcomfort zone,
the benefits of this are that you begin to understand and appreciate not
only your strengths but also your weaknesses.
Pilates is unique in that it will systematically exercise
all the muscle groups on your body, the weak as well as the strong .It
combines the suppleness you find in yoga with the emphasis on strength
building found in the gym. In this way it aims to create balance and
natural poise, taking into consideration all the factors involved in a
healthy body.
People often wonder how Pilates can change body shape. The
secret is simple. Pilates movements gently stretch the muscles, pulling
them into longer and leaner shapes. As opposed to bodybuilders who pump
weights to create muscle bulk, this occurs as the muscle fibres tear and
then rebuild this results in short thick muscle.
Pilates works in the opposite way. It continuously stretches your limbs
and torso; ensuring muscles become longer, leaner and more permanent
rather than short and thick.
Pilates acknowledges relationship between the mind, the
nervous system and the musculoskeletal system in human function. In
essence it can cause lasting change within the body by accessing the
central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). The brain reprogrammes
movement and function to free the body of pain and associated systems.
“If you don’t change today your tomorrow will be like
yesterday!”
“No more spasms and agony, I advise anybody with back pain to attend
your One-to-One Pilates sessions! I tell all my friends how my Pilates
training with you helped me to get rid of the pain in my back.”