Principles

 

Joseph Pilates based his movement regime on three fundamental principles. The first is Whole Body Health. The mind and the body must actively engage to achieve physical fitness. The second fundamental is Whole Body Commitment. It takes whole body commitment to achieve optimal health. And the last fundamental principle is Breath. Full inhalation and exhalation help drive the circulatory system to nourish all the tissues with oxygen-rich blood while carrying away impurities and metabolic waste. Breath also establishes natural rhythm in your movement.

 

The technique and elements needed to develop these principles are:

 

  • Concentration In Joseph Pilates’ words, “The brain trains the body, and the body trains the brain.” Concentration is the key to connecting your mind and body. The brain sends signals to our muscles and receives input from the body to apply or change the next signals. You must be present with your brain to work your body. The body can learn parts of a movement, but must experience the whole of the movement. Using the power of your mind, concentrating will determine how effective your movement regime will be.

 

  • Control Pilates is based on muscle control. Each exercise should only be done as many times as it can be done meticulously well. This will allow the muscles to remember only the perfect and proper movement, and help protect the the body from injury.

 

  • Centering Your center is the foundation for movement. All energy for the Pilates movements starts from your center core and flows outward to your limbs. Your center is a wide band around your midsection, front and back, and extending from your lower ribs to just below your buttocks. Through each exercise, Pilates concentrates on strengthening your center.

 

  • Precision The Pilates exercises are developed to put your bones in the best position to work efficiently. If your precision is poor, your muscles will work in the wrong position and alignment which my cause injuries. Be precise in your workout. Your body learns by repetition and thus practice makes perfect.

 

  • Flowing Movement Pilates is unique as a form of exercise in that it teaches the body to move fluidly – as we do in real life. Movements are connected and should not be isolated. Breathe, concentrate, use control, engage your center, and be precise: if you are able to integrate all these principals, your  movement will be flowing.

 

  • Breathing As Joseph Pilates said, above all learn to breathe correctly! Breath is the first act of life and the last. Correct breathing oxygenates the blood and increases circulation. You use 21 muscles to breathe, and 20 of these are used in posture and alignment. The act of breathing facilitates movement: when movement rides the breath, it helps the movement to flow.

 

These are the tools which assist our evolution toward whole body health, whole body commitment and whole body breath!