The body is created by the mind
For almost 80 years of its existence, Pilates was the exclusive privilege of a few initiates. For a long time, it was the preserve of ballet dancers and film actresses, gymnasts and athletes. But it could not remain a secret forever. By its very nature, Pilates is probably the most suitable and effective program for most people. Specialists of both traditional and alternative medicine have found the beneficial effect of this gymnastics in relieving back pain, treating spinal injuries, combating osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, the consequences of knee and shoulder injuries, as well as manifestations of stress and headaches. The list goes on and on.
Joseph Hubert Pilates was born in 1880 near Düsseldorf. He was a weak, sickly boy who suffered from rickets, asthma and rheumatism. Determined to improve his health, he, instead of blindly adhering to conventional physical education programs, constantly experimented, using different approaches. In his heritage we can observe elements of yoga, gymnastics, skiing, circus and martial arts, dance and weightlifting. By choosing the most effective of them, Pilates was able to develop a system that provided the perfect combination of strength and flexibility of the body.
Before the outbreak of World War I, Pilates trained detectives for Scotland Yard, but immediately after the outbreak of the war he was interned. The conclusion served as a catalyst for him, and it was during this period of time that he developed his gymnastic exercise technique to help his comrades-in-arms, many of whom were elderly and disabled, maintain health and physical fitness in the conditions of confinement.
After the war, he returned to Germany, where he taught self-defense to Hamburg police officers and soldiers of the German army, and then moved to New York, where in 1923 he opened his first studio with his wife Clara. Thanks to the appeal of what later came to be called the “Pilates method” or simply “Pilates,” combined with Joseph’s broad-mindedness, his studio soon became extremely popular with dancers and other artists, each of whom trained in their own regimen that suited their specific problems and interests. Over the years, Pilates has been used by many legendary figures from the world of film and ballet, including Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Gregory Peck, Katharine Hepburn, Terence Stamp, Joan Collins, Kristen Scott-Thomas, and others.
“The body is made by the mind” is a favorite quote from Joseph Pilates by Schiller.
Imagine for a moment that you are standing and looking at children playing, ordinary healthy children. How do they move? Easily, freely, nothing holds them back, nothing hinders them, their movements are free from nature. Their bodies have all the necessary qualities: grace, strength, endurance, flexibility, speed.
What happens to the natural will of their movements as they grow older? Up to the age of 5, this will of movement is still there, and then we send them to school, where they sit for hours at uncomfortable desks; we burden them with homework and exams, increasing their stress level; they carry heavy backpacks and bags, bending their spine and disrupting the harmonious development of muscles. When they reach puberty, they are most often ashamed of their bodies - stooped and uncomplicated.
Then these former schoolchildren go to work, and many of them have to work while sitting at a desk or behind a wheel. And at the end of the day they come home and sit on the couch in front of the TV all evening. Where are the movements, where are the stimuli, where is the input of information? There is only a very narrow set of constantly repeated movements. And the muscles react to this accordingly. Disuse or improper use of muscles affects the functioning of the entire musculature. By improperly using muscles, we have a particularly negative impact on the muscles that, working against the force of gravity, are responsible for posture (stabilizing the spine) and are located deep in the body. If they are weakened, their function is taken over by other muscles, thereby causing muscle imbalance.
Pilates starts from scratch, gradually retraining the body to move properly again. The nervous system is incredibly flexible and very good at adapting to changing conditions, rebuilding itself during training. This process consists of three successive stages:
1. Think about the correct movements.
2. Practice the correct movements.
3. The movements become automatic, habitual. The muscles remember them. This is called the muscle memory engram.
In this sense, Pilates is an ideal system of exercises.
The Eight Principles of the Pilates Method
Joseph Pilates constantly improved his method, adapting the exercises to the individual needs of clients. This is the uniqueness of his approach. After Pilates' death (at the age of 87!) his method continued to develop, absorbing innovations introduced by talented teachers, incorporating the latest discoveries in the field of medicine and recommendations from doctors.
For many years, Pilates was the lot of professionals - dancers, artists, gymnasts and other athletes, for whom the body is life itself. The basics of Pilates are now studied by representatives of all segments of the population, step by step moving towards classical exercises.
If Pilates has lost its exclusivity, it has not lost its qualities. The spirit of the method has also been preserved. The essence of the Pilates approach, expressed in its eight principles, continues to be the basis of each exercise.
1. Relaxation is the starting point for every beginner. For those who are used to starting with active warm-up exercises such as running in place or stretching, this may seem strange at the beginning of the complex, but for us it is very important that before starting classes you get rid of the tension that has accumulated during the day. Learn to identify areas of unwanted tension and get rid of them - this is a necessary condition, otherwise the muscles will again and again do the wrong thing, and you will never be able to break out of this vicious circle.
2. Concentration
Pilates is a system of exercises for the body and mind, which trains both components of your "I". Pilates requires constant awareness of what is happening in your body, constant concentration on each movement. This develops in you a kinesthetic sense, a sense of the body, an awareness of what place in space each part of your body occupies and what it does. Although some movements eventually become automatic, you still have to concentrate on them, because there is always a higher level of self-awareness to which you should strive.
3. Alignment
So, you are relaxed and focused. The next step is to develop proper posture. By constantly reminding your body how it should stand, sit or lie, and move correctly, you can gradually align it. This is very important if you want to restore muscle balance. If you exercise without paying due attention to the correct location of the joints, you risk damaging the joint itself and increasing the imbalance in the surrounding muscles. Exercise programs for various posture disorders will help you gradually restore proper posture.
Correct mutual position and alignment of different parts of the body during exercise is a critically important safety factor and is absolutely necessary for restoring muscle balance. Bones should occupy the places assigned to them by nature, muscles should strictly perform their functions and support the joint, not put pressure on it.
4. Breathing
How do you breathe? By filling and expanding your back and sides. This really makes sense - because the lungs are located inside the chest, so expanding its lower section allows you to increase the volume of internal space for air to enter. In addition, this way you use the lower part of the lungs to the maximum. This type of breathing helps to develop the muscles located between the ribs, which contribute to greater mobility of the upper body. We call this breathing thoracic or lateral. Your lungs are likened to blacksmith's furs - when you inhale, the lower part of the chest expands, and when you exhale, it contracts. For Pilates, not only the type of breathing is important, but also its pace. By inhaling and exhaling at the right time, you can speed up or, conversely, slow down the movement when necessary. All Pilates exercises are designed to ensure that proper breathing stimulates the mobilization of the necessary muscles.
5. Centering
It’s hard to believe that Joseph Pilates discovered over 80 years ago that pulling your navel toward your spine provides more protection for your lower back. At the time, he couldn’t have known about the stabilizing properties of the transverse abdominis muscle, but he had a great sense of body awareness and incorporated the “navel to spine” instruction into all his exercises. We’ve come a long way since then. Recent medical research shows that the best core stabilization is achieved by mobilizing your pelvic floor muscles, followed by your lower abdominal muscles. That’s why we now use the “zip and pull” formula: as you exhale, you pull your pelvic floor muscles up, then pull your lower abdomen toward your back, as if you were zipping up an internal zipper.
6. Coordination
Now that you have learned to breathe properly, build body parts, create a powerful center and highlight stabilizing muscles, you need to learn to coordinate all these skills with the execution of movements. At first it will be a difficult test, but very soon your actions, reflected in muscle memory, will become automatic - it's the same as learning to drive a car. And while you master this coordination, the learning process itself will become an excellent training for the mind and body, as it stimulates two-way "communication" between the brain and muscles. By meaningfully and accurately repeating the correct movements, we can gradually make them perfectly natural for our body.
7. Smoothness of movements
The essence of Pilates is the correct, graceful and controlled execution of completely natural movements. You will not be required to take unthinkable positions or strain excessively. Movements, as a rule, are performed slowly, in the direction from the strong center. This gives you the opportunity to check the correct alignment of the body parts and concentrate on ensuring that the necessary muscles are doing the necessary work. If you experience any discomfort, you can stop at any time - this makes Pilates one of the safest exercise systems. However, slow does not mean easy. Moreover, doing an exercise slowly is usually much more difficult than fast, and there is less chance of cheating yourself!
8. Endurance
Finally, we want to increase the endurance of your main muscles. This is achieved by gradually increasing the intensity of your training. When you gain some experience and your muscles begin to work as they were designed by nature, you will find that your endurance has increased dramatically. After all, you will stop wasting energy on unnecessary tension and useless movements. Many people complain about the fatigue they experience after spending all day on their feet. This is because they do not know how to stand correctly. They compress the chest, and therefore the lungs. When you learn to "open" and straighten your body, breathing will become more efficient. All Pilates exercises are aimed at increasing the efficiency of the respiratory, lymphatic and cardiovascular systems. After all, a car with a good engine and balanced wheels drives much better. The same applies to your body.
Pilates helps you find excellent physical shape for your chosen sport or other activity and ensures that the necessary muscles work while running, swimming or playing tennis. Pilates helps prepare your body for these activities and restore balance after them.
What the Pilates method gives: increased flexibility; increased muscle strength and tone, improved respiratory system; improved lymphatic system, and therefore, reduced toxins in the body; strengthening the cardiovascular system; stress relief; flat stomach and slim waist by creating a natural power belt; improved posture; strengthening the muscles of the buttocks and thighs, arms and shoulders; relief from headaches caused by poor posture; elimination of back pain; strengthening the immune system; increasing bone density; improving joint mobility; reducing the number of injuries and improving performance for athletes.