If you are a newbie to Pilates – you may be wondering, what is Pilates anyways? I’m so excited to share my knowledge and passion with you!
Before you dive into practicing Pilates, I thought it would be beneficial to give you a little background into what Pilates is. It’s hard to appreciate something or do it effectively if you don’t understand what it is you are doing! Right?
Pilates was invented by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century and was originally named “Contrology”, the art and method of controlled movements. Pilates combines gentle stretching, alignment, muscle balance, body awareness and deep breathing. It is great for strengthening and toning your whole body- with a focus on your core, posture, and increasing flexibility. Pilates is a mind/body exercise- aiming to connect and strengthen both the mind and the body.
The mind comes into play when trying to concentrate on certain muscle groups, while relaxing others, breathing properly and maintaining core engagement. Doesn’t sound easy does it? Ha nope, but don’t let that scare you. It is a practice, a discipline, and something that you work towards – I am still working on it every day! It is oh so beneficial and worth the work. Deeping that connection of your mind to your body allows you to relieve stress, clear your mind and be more in tuned with what is going on in your body.
The benefits to your body are numerous- in fact I wrote an entire blog post – How Can Pilates Help Me? – on the benefits of Pilates and how it has impacted my life. But to summarize, Pilates improves flexibility, alignment (think better posture) and builds strength (particularly the core).
There are two main Pilates practices – mat Pilates (which is what I do) and “apparatus” Pilates. The reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair and Ladder Barrel are some of the most commonly used Pilates apparatuses. These pieces of equipment can be expensive and typically found only in Pilates studios (not gyms). They are designed to further build upon or accelerate the stretching and strengthening started on the mat.
Mat Pilates can also be done with the use of props – balls, bands, the magic circle and light hand weights.
And all those things are great, but you can get a great work out with real results on literally just a mat! No fancy equipment needed! In as little as 10-15 minutes a day, several times a week, you can make big changes in your body.
Pilates is for everyBODY!
It is low impact, so it leaves you feeling energized, not depleted. And it can be modified to meet the needs of YOUR body that day.
This was just a brief overview, but I hope this gives you a better understanding of what Pilates is and its background. Have you ever tried Pilates before? If not, hopefully this motivates you to give it a try 😊.
See you on the mat soon!
with Grace,
