Did you know Pilates has been a popular form of exercise since the 1920s, and for good reason! The form of fitness is safe, low impact, and appropriate for everyone from ages 10 to 100! The Pilates method teaches students to move better through its focus on nine specific principles which incorporate mind, body, and spirit.
What are the Key Principles of Pilates?
There are nine key Pilates principles, all related to mind, body, and spirit, that are practiced in each exercise. Everyone has an opportunity to improve their ability to move with strength, ease, and grace!
1. Breathing
The breath is the essential link between the mind and the body. It’s important because it draws our wandering mind back into our bodies and back to the task at hand. Explore more about The Importance of Breathing and practice Three Dimensional Breathing.
2. Concentration
To concentrate is to pay attention to what you are presently doing. Subsequently, without concentration, the exercises lose their form and their purpose.
3. Control
To be in control is to understand and maintain the proper form, alignment, and effort during an entire movement.
4. Centering
In Pilates, all movement radiates outward from the center. Therefore, developing a strong, stable, and flexible center is one of the defining features of this method of physical fitness. You can learn more about your core and after that exercise your abs.
5. Precision
Understanding proper form, placement, and movement efficiency. So in the end precision is the result of all the concentration, control, and centering you’ve practiced.
6. Balanced Muscle Development
Understanding, developing, and maintaining correct alignment and form is essential to Pilates. The overall result leading to healthy joints!
7. Rhythm/Flow
Rhythm and flow create smooth, graceful, and functional movements without placing stress on the joints.
8. Whole Body Movement
Pilates is fundamentally about integrating isolated muscle engagement into a fluid whole-body expression. As a result, connecting the mind with the body to create clarity and purpose.
9. Relaxation
To be healthy in body and mind it is important to release unnecessary tension to understand the balance between effort and relaxation. And especially right now, we can all use a little better balance of mind, body, and spirit.
How do Pilates Principles integrate the Mind, Body, and Spirit?
The Pilates Mind
Joseph wrote his ground-breaking book Return to Life through Contrology in 1945. In it, he stated “Physical fitness is the first requisite to 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 daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.” In summary, feeling good mentally means we ultimately look and move better too.
The Pilates Body
The Pilates repertoire coupled with its key principles allows for instructional sessions. For example, the instructor can design privates or group classes to address specific imbalances or needs in the body. As Joseph stated in his writings, “Contrology (Pilates) is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, the way you play and the way you work.”
The Pilates Spirit
Our spirits are elevated when our mind is engaged and focused and when the body is strong, flexible, and coordinated. The studio offers a quiet and tranquil atmosphere to support this mind, body, spirit experience through Pilates.
Take Away
The Pilates method of movement, through its principles, is the fulfillment and preservation of the whole mind, body, and spirit. It teaches you to move through our many and varied daily tasks with natural ease and zest. We all want to keep doing what we love in life, and with a strong, healthy body and sound mind we can achieve our highest goals.
Disclaimer
THE INFORMATION EXPRESSED ON THIS SITE IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. WE DRAW ON OUR EXPERTISE AS PILATES AND MOVEMENT SPECIALISTS BY EXPANDING OUR PROFESSIONALISM THROUGH CONTINUING EDUCATION AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCES. WE AIM TO PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION CONCERNING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PILATES, FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT, AND FITNESS. YOU TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL DECISIONS NOW OR IN THE FUTURE CONCERNING YOUR HEALTH, LIFE, AND WELL-BEING. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT TO BE USED AS MEDICAL ADVICE EITHER TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE OR AILMENTS. YOU SHOULD CONSULT A PHYSICIAN BEFORE BEGINNING ANY EXERCISE PROGRAM.
