What will Pilates do for you?
Pilates can have amazing and incredible positive effects on the whole of your life. It truly is Mind, Body Spirit work – without the snake oil!
Joe claimed he was 50 years ahead of his time. Science still has not fully caught up.
Summary
The whole body is wrung-out like a wet towel: it’s just like a deep massage that is automatically given and by your own efforts. And that is infinitely better than external hands, cupping, acupuncture, chemical stimulants or mechanical vibrators.
Directly from Joseph Pilates
Much of this comes directly from the writings of Joseph Pilates. The language can be a little dated!
“Pilates is the science and art of coordinated mind-body-spirit development through natural movements under the control of the will.”
It is scientific and comes from a deep understanding of human anatomy, physiology and psychology.
It is also a Return to Nature – quite literally a “Return to Life” returning our bodies and minds to the vitality that they should have – and should never have lost.
The muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia
Pilates is designed to exercise to their full extension every single of the 800 voluntary muscles each of us have.
It is designed to stretch to the very limit every single tendon, ligament and sheet and string of fascia so that we move and hold ourselves better.
Particular focus is given to the connective tissues of the spine – the very Back-Bone of Life – so that it becomes as resilient as a whip and as strong as a suspension bridge.
Blood & Lymphatic Circulatory Systems
The movements help the flow of blood and lymph around the body which provides oxygen, clears harmful chemicals and by-products as well as improving the efficiency of the immune system.
This brings us back to life and provides energy and vitality to every one of the 26 trillion cells in our body.
And this includes the red blood cells themselves! It is useful to remember that 2.4 million are created every second.
At the same time, the deep and powerful breathing that accompanies the movements keep the blood fully oxygenated and clean.
The Internal Organs
The exercises are planned and ordered in such a way to relieve the constrictions to the heart, lungs and abdominal contents (stomach, liver, intestines) that modern living creates.
The Skeleton
In part due to our upright standing posture, and our modern living in “advanced” countries all types of postural defect occur and everyone recognises this stooped posture: the upper spine is stooped, which compresses the heart and the lungs, the diaphragm loses tone and the the belly protrudes.
Stress is applied to bones which respond by growing stronger, joints are opened out whilst the connective tissues around the joints grow stronger providing stability to joints that are hyper mobile.
We o-p-e-n the rib cage and k-n-e-a-d the bowels, while ligaments, tendons and fascia are stretched, hydrated and realigned.
The Central Nervous System
All this is done under the control of the conscious brain and the unconscious Central Nervous System and neurons that fire together wire together – literally we are recreating lost neuronal connections! This is one of the very essences of Pilates: the Pilates system is a natural rejuvenation of the body & mind. You will feel “new life”, a “return of vigour” and a “rested” body from your exercise.
