What Is Pilates?

Pilates "develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit" 

– Joseph Pilates

Pilates is an extremely powerful and therapeutic method of exercise, designed by Joseph Pilates. Pilates borrows from yoga, dance and gymnastics and yet is it’s own unique form of core strengthening. Pilates was designed to increase strength, flexibility, stamina and concentration.
 

Pilates is a method of movement that will uniformly develop and balance the whole body while strengthening the deep core and postural muscles that support your spinal column; muscles that most people neglect. Pilates consists of over 500 exercises done on a mat or on one of the many spring bound machines that Joseph invented. Classical Pilates, as designed by Joseph, is traditionally taught through private or small group classes tailoring the material to an individuals needs and goals. Pilates exercises develop long, lean, flexible muscles. Joseph believed that true strength is found by meeting flexibility with strength. Your body will respond with feelings of wellness and rejuvenation.

With a focus on breathing we move, with a focus on conditioning the core we strengthen and with a focus on balancing the body we learn to use our bodies in the most efficient way possible. Pilates is not only excellent for you physically, but also good for the mind. Joseph believed that through the co-ordination of mind and body that spiritual health would also develop. 

Pilates benefits all of us, no matter our age or physical capability. It regenerates, rebuilds and reshapes whether we are recovering from injury or pregnancy.

Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880, he was a sickly child plagued with asthma and rickets. From this he was determined to strengthen his frail body and began developing the Pilates system in the early 1900’s.
 

He called it “Contrology” - the art of using the mind to master the muscles and their movements. It was not until after his passing that it became known as Pilates.
 

During World War One, Joseph was an orderly in the army, he began to mount springs and pulleys above the hospital beds to rehabilitate the patients. He and the doctors noticed that those patients were improving faster. These spring based exercises became the basis for all of his apparatus.
 

Joseph did overcome his frailty and became an accomplished skier, diver, gymnast, boxer, anatomy model and yogi. He was healthy and strong throughout his long life. 

Thank you, Joseph. 

The spring-loaded equipment specific to Pilates is what sets it apart from other forms of exercise. Because the equipment supports you, you are able to target the core muscles that support your posture.

The support also allows you to experience movements and positions that you could not do without it. This aspect makes it very interesting, challenging, and fun. The springs also add resistance and help to train your muscles to maintain length.  

A long, lean, flexible muscle not only looks good but it is also efficient and strong.

You can do dozens of exercises at many levels of difficulty on this fantastic piece of equipment. It is an excellent workout and extremely fun. Used correctly, it can target your core while giving you a full-body workout.  

This wall unit is especially great for your arms and legs because they are in direct contact with the springs. This really gets those extremities working while your core is being challenged to stabilize against the rebound of the springs.

This is a great and exciting workout! On the chair, you’ll sit or stand as opposed to working horizontally. One develops great strength while being forced to find a sense of center. One of its benefits is that many of the exercises are similar to body positions used in your daily life.  

The mat work done correctly is  extremely challenging and super fun!  With no support from the equipment it is all core. It is not recommended that those with neck or back injuries partake in . Developed by Joseph H. Pilates, the classical Mat series is extremely intelligent and makes sense to the body.

At Albion Pilates I do not have any ongoing mat classes. If you are interested in a mat class, you can get a group of three friends together and form your own class. I need 3 people to call it a class.