Pilates beyond rehabilitation
Pilates is a mind body practice, which will increase strength, flexibility, improve posture, and enhance your body awareness and coordination, bringing the body back into balance and optimising your body’s systems.
Widely recognised as a form of exercise that builds fitness and endurance, however Pilates is often taken up by people when injured or experiencing issues in their bodies, such as lower back pain or similar. Due to its focus on ‘core’ strength it is as ideally suited for rehabilitating injuries, as it is for injury prevention, professional dancers, athletes, and generally active people.
In this article I would like to give you a little insight and background into Pilates, with the intention of helping you to see it as the truly unique and challenging exercise form that it is.
Pilates and its origins
By definition, Pilates is a progressive system of exercises performed on a mat or piece of equipment to promote strength, stability, and flexibility. Developing the body uniformly and creating balance through muscular effort that stems from a strong centre.
The creation of German-born Joseph Pilates in the 1920’s, who was said to have suffered poor health as a child. Joseph recovered his health through exercise and devoted his life to developing his system of exercise, known as Contrology until after his death.
Joseph took his system to the USA, developing the method from his studio in New York, and soon becoming popular amongst dancers with its popularity reaching to Hollywood. An innovator and a genius, Joseph knew his system was unique and was quoted to have said, ‘I am 50 years ahead of my time’.
Are there different types of Pilates?
In theory the answer to this should be no, but over time and due to its rise in popularity, Pilates is now categorised into two ‘styles’ Classical and Contemporary.
By the mid-2000s Pilates exploded into the mainstream, making it widely available, from boutique studio’s, gyms to church halls. With its growth Pilates was translated to suit the needs of a much wider audience and so emerged variations of the method that evolved into what we know as ‘Contemporary Pilates’. This style of Pilates is often combined with other movement practices such as yoga or physical therapy.
Classical Pilates refers to the original exercise system as created by Joseph Pilates, carried out on equipment that is close to Joseph’s original designs and dimensions. Classical Pilates is also modified and adapted to suit the client’s needs and abilities, making it a safe and suitable option for all abilities and levels, but without losing sight of the original intention.
Progressing with Pilates
As mentioned earlier, Pilates is a progressive form of exercise that should challenge you, incorporate the body as a whole, and focus the mind. This includes when working with injury.
I have worked with hundreds of clients through their injuries and issues, equally I have worked through countless injuries and imbalances of my own. The most important part of working with clients, whether injured or not, is to look at the body as a whole and to assess it in movement. Prioritising working from an aligned and stable ‘centre’ i.e., the torso, my Pilates mantra is ‘stability over mobility’.
From a place of alignment, the body’s structure is more organised, and the supporting muscles can activate more effectively. This can be intensely challenging, leaving the client sweating and breathless even by carrying out the smallest of movements.
Over the course of a class, you repeat this, working from an aligned and organised centre but through different positions and movements, which is where it gets increasingly challenging. With consistent practice, the body changes, developing balance and strength. Every Pilates workout, regardless of what level or length of session, should feel like a complete workout involving every part of your body, including your mind.
To recap, Pilates builds strength and realigns your structure to help you reach a place where you can move safely and supported, progressing you far beyond the point of rehabilitation and leaving you feeling like you have just trained like an elite athlete.
If you do not feel challenged then you are not doing Pilates, it is a simple as that.
‘Contrology (Pilates) is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit’ Joseph Pilates
Karen Eccles, founder of Pilates From Within, has been teaching Pilates for over a decade; specialising in classical Pilates since 2012. From her classically equipped studio in Haslemere, Karen offers tailored Pilates training solutions. She has trained hundreds of clients on their journey to improved health and wellbeing through a combination of Pilates practice, Energy and Sound Healing; a unique blend of practices that alleviates physical symptoms, resets emotions and brings equilibrium and a sense of wellbeing.
