What is Pilates?

"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. In order to achieve happiness, it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. If at the age of 30 you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60 you are supple and strong then you are young."

Joseph Hubertus Pilates

Many people have heard of Pilates – they have heard that dancers, celebrities such as Madonna and Julia Roberts, and athletes such as Jason Kidd, Curt Schilling, and various NBA and NFL teams do it. But exactly what is Pilates?

Pilates is an exercise technique developed by Joseph Pilates to stretch, strengthen and balance the body. In conventional modes of exercise, strong muscles tend to get stronger and weak muscles tend to get weaker, eventually leading to muscle imbalances and often leading to injuries and pain (low back pain is a common symptom of this). Joe Pilates designed his exercises to condition the entire body and promote balanced musculature. Practiced faithfully, Pilates can help you achieve:

· Increased lung capacity and circulation from the focus on the breath during Pilates work

· Increased strength, especially in the “core” muscles surrounding the spine (this often is where clients exclaim, “I can’t believe my back pain has decreased so much!”)

· Improvement in flexibility resulting in easier and more efficient movement

· Enhancement of coordination as you learn to use your mind to control your body

· Improved posture as you learn to use your core to support your spine so you “stand up straighter” (“Pilates made me taller!”)

· Better balance, again, from the work with the “core” muscles and the breath

Pilates teaches balance and control of the body which, as you develop familiarity with the exercises, spills over into all areas of your life – this is when you experience the true benefits that Pilates can give you! Your hours at the studio will pay you back many times as you go through the rest of the hours of your day feeling better, breathing deeper, and moving well.

Pilates consists of mat work (exercises performed on a mat using the body’s weight as resistance), equipment work (exercises performed on a Reformer or other pieces of equipment using springs as resistive/assistive complements), and small apparatus work (exercises performed with the additional of small apparatus).

Come try a session and see what Pilates can do for you!