What is Pilates?
Pilates is a form of corrective movement therapy. It can help improve posture and movement ability by re-balancing muscle groups and reprogramming neurological movement patterning. Through injury or poor posture, we can find our bodies are put under a great deal of stress. Often poor movement patterns start to occur which leads to muscle imbalances and pain.
There are five key focuses in Pilates:
- Breathing - Not using the correct muscles when breathing can lead to fatigue and pain.
- Centering - Strengthening the muscles around the core can help improve posture & reduce pain.
- Rib cage placement - Often we stand in a flared rib cage position which leads to stiffness & pain in the middle of the back.
- Shoulder blade placement - shoulder stability is important for good movement in the arms & shoulders.
- Head & neck placement - Poor head & neck posture is quite common these days from sitting at computers for long periods of time. This can lead to headaches or stiffness in the upper or mid back.
Benefits of Pilates
- Improves posture
- Releasing muscle tension
- Encourages effective breathing into the rib cage
- Strengthens bones through weight bearing exercises, which can aid sufferers of, and help prevent osteoporosis
- Improves concentration, co ordination and balance
- Relieves stress
- Can be practised alongside Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Chiropractic and many other therapies.
Specialist Classes
I've attended Pilates Foundation workshops on the lymphatic system, working with people with lymphoedema, and working with people being treated for, or recovering from breast cancer.
I've supplemented these workshops with my own research, and can now offer one-to-one sessions in these areas.
Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss any of these in further detail, as sessions are tailored specifically for your individual needs.
