What is Pilates?

Everything You Need to Know about Pilates

The movements may look simple, but they require precision and control, there is a strong emphasis on technique.

With pilates classes, you can get stronger, more shaped muscles and become more flexible. Maybe your posture will improve and may also have better sense of well-being.

The Pilates technique prioritizes quality over quantity. Pilates exercises do not involve many repetitions for each movement. The idea is that by performing each exercise with precision and focusing on breathing, you can achieve significant results in less time.

Pilates

Pilates is a kind of mind-body exercise developed at the beginning of the 20th century by the German trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method “Contrology". This already indicates that the movements are controlled. Personally, this is one of my favorite things about it because it makes the movements safe and gives the body a nice posture.

Pilates is a low-intensity muscle-strengthening workout that focuses on building strong core muscles, which can improve flexibility, mobility, and posture. The goal of Pilates was to create a method that would allow the body to move with grace, ease, and efficiency. Such a body must be strong and flexible and possess certain movement qualities such as being centered and balanced.

Each Pilates exercises have “six essentials”:

Breathe
Concentration
Centralization
Control
Precision
Flow

Breathing

Deep breathing is essential for Pilates. This means that you must exhale completely with each inhalation to empty your lungs of used air and let in fresh oxygen. Better breathing and circulation allow the body to function optimally from the inside out.

In Pilates, you can learn several breathing techniques, but lateral breathing is emphasized more than anything else.

Use this exercise to train lateral breathing.

Sit comfortably.

1. Place your hands on the sides of your body around your ribcage.

2. Take a deep breath through the nose to the sides and back of the body. Remember that your lungs sit inside your torso and your ribs can expand with each breath. Feel your ribs pushing your hands outward as you inhale.

3.Exhale through your mouth. Your ribs will contract and the hands will draw back towards each other.

4. Repeat this breathing pattern several times until you feel your ribs expand and contract.