Imagination/Intuition. Listening
to our bodies is something we rarely do. We tend to take the
power of natural
intuition for granted. Most of us push our
bodies through pain, sickness and exhaustion, often resulting in
discomfort
and injury. The Pilates method is based on the ideal of well
being and is not another mind-numbing quick fix solution to fitting
into
a bikini by summer!! If something hurts, stop. Constantly search
inward for signs of over training, pushing too hard and moving
in the wrong
direction. A good Pilates instructor will help you use your imagination
to facilitate your movements and give you a visualization that
is analogous to the move. Here are two examples: “With your
chin nodded toward your chest, peel your body off the mat sequentially,
as if it were
a fruit roll-up peeling off its wrapper.” “Imprint
your spine down on the mat with your low back leading and put
each vertebrae
down sequentially, just like a strand of pearls.” Pilates,
intelligent exercise, profound results!
Integration. This is the ability to see the
body as a whole and use it as an integrated unit. In Pilates every
muscle
in your body is involved, from your fingers
to your toes, in each and every exercise you do. Pilates never
isolates muscles, the thought being that isolation breeds imbalance
and impedes
flexibility and coordination. Integrated movements in Pilates lead
to balance and uniformly developed muscles. Working the body as
a whole and integrated unit leads to good posture, suppleness and
natural grace
of movement.
Inside Out/Outside In. In
Pilates we work the small often neglected inside muscles. Although
the large outside
muscles will be working
hard at all times very often
it is the weaker inside smaller muscles that need attention and
focus. As strength increases in the smaller muscles, the balance
between the
larger outside muscles and smaller inside muscles becomes evident
as “teamwork” of
the muscles leads to the fluid coordination of Pilates.
Stretch and Strengthen. Pilates is a wonderful
form of conditioning exercise because of its ability to strengthen
and lengthen the
muscles at the same time. Each
movement is designed to oxygenate, stretch and strengthen all your
muscle groups. The idea of stretch and strengthen helps to achieve
a long, lean looking, toned body without injury, so common to other
forms of exercise.
