The Pilates Method (or simply Pilates),
pronounced /pɪˈlɑ:ti:z/ is a physical fitness system developed in the early
20th century by Joseph Pilates. As of 2005 there are 11 million people who
practice the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United
States.
Pilates called his method Contrology, because he believed his method uses
the mind to control the muscles. The program focuses on the core postural
muscles which help keep the body balanced and which are essential to
providing support for the spine. In particular, Pilates exercises teach
awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, and aim to strengthen the
deep torso muscles.
Pilates was formed by Joseph Pilates during
the First World War with the proposal to improve the rehabilitation program
for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed mental and physical
health are essential to one another. He recommended a few, precise movements
emphasizing control and form to aid injured soldiers in regaining their
health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilizing key muscles. Pilates
created "The Pilates Principles" to condition the entire body: proper
alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and
flowing movement.
Joseph Pilates wrote two books concerning the Pilates method, Return to Life
through Contrology (1928) and Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising
That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education (1934).
Pilates claimed his method has a
philosophical and theoretical foundation. It claims not merely to be a
collection of exercises but a method developed and refined over more than
eighty years of use and observation.
Mind over matter
According to practitioners, the central aim of Pilates is to create a fusion
of mind and body, so that without thinking about it the body will move with
economy, grace, and balance. The end goal is to produce an attention-free
union of mind and body. Practitioners believe in using one's body to the
greatest advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting its
weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The method requires that one
constantly pay attention to one's body while doing the movements. Paying
attention to movement is so vital that it is more important than any other
single aspect of the movements.
Breathing
Joseph Pilates believed in circulating the blood so that it could awaken all
the cells in the body and carry away the wastes related to fatigue. For the
blood to do its work properly, he maintained, it has to be charged with
oxygen and purged of waste gases through proper breathing. Full and thorough
inhalation and exhalation are part of every Pilates exercise. Pilates saw
forced exhalation as the key to full inhalation. �Squeeze out the lungs as
you would wring a wet towel dry,� he is reputed to have said. Breathing,
too, should be done with concentration, control, and precision. Breathing,
not only oxygenates the muscles, but proper breathing reduces tension in the
upper neck and shoulders. Pilates breathing is a posterior lateral
breathing, meaning when inhaling you breathe deep into the back and sides of
your rib cage. At the same time as you exhale you feel the engagement of
your deep abdominal and pelvic floor muscles and maintain this engagement as
you inhale. It should be properly coordinated with movement. Each exercise
is accompanied by breathing instructions. Joseph Pilates stated, �Even if
you follow no other instructions, learn to breathe correctly.�
Centering
Pilates called the very large group of muscles in the center of the body �
encompassing the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks � the �powerhouse.�
All energy for Pilates exercises begins from the powerhouse and flows
outward to the extremities. Physical energy exerted from the center
coordinates one�s movements. Pilates felt that it was important to build a
strong powerhouse in order to rely on it in daily living. Modern instructors
call the powerhouse the �core�.
Concentration
Pilates demands intense focus. For instance, the inner thighs and pelvic
floor may be assessed when doing a standing exercise that tones the triceps.
Beginners learn to pay careful attention to their bodies, building on very
small, delicate fundamental movements and controlled breathing. In 2006, at
the Parkinson Center of the Oregon Health and Science University in
Portland, Oregon, the concentration factor of the Pilates method was being
studied in providing relief from the degenerative symptoms of Parkinson's
disease.
Control
Joseph Pilates built his method on the idea of muscle control. That meant no
sloppy, uncontrolled movements. Every Pilates exercise must be performed
with the utmost control, including all body parts, to avoid injury and
produce positive results. Pilates emphasizes not intensity or multiple
repetitions of a movement, but proper form for safe, effective results.
Precision
Every movement in the Pilates method has a purpose. Every instruction is
vitally important to the success of the whole. To leave out any detail is to
forsake the intrinsic value of the exercise. The focus is on doing one
precise and perfect movement, rather than many halfhearted ones. Eventually
this precision becomes second nature, and carries over into everyday life as
grace and economy of movement.
Flow or efficiency of movement
Movement should be kept continuous between exercises through the use of
appropriate transitions. Once precision has been achieved, exercises should
flow within and into each other in order to build strength and stamina.
Pilates Books
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