What is Pilates?

Pilates is a balanced exercise method developed by its founder, Joseph Pilates, to provide strength and flexibility through increased body and mind awareness.

It’s all about balancing the body, using exercises that work on strength and stability, as well as freedom of movement and flexibility - so the body works in the best possible way.

Pilates is a unique, low-impact, stretching and conditioning, complete body workout - that also helps you to develop an awareness of how your body works, helping your mind and body to work in harmony.

There are six Pilates principles:

Breathing: Controlled breathing and flow is important with every exercise. It links mind and body, increases circulation, raises energy levels, improves concentration and mental function. The diaphragm muscle is one of the body’s stabilising muscles. Breathing correctly allows you to achieve deeper relaxation and tension release in the body, allowing you to work the deeper stabilising muscles giving you a strong base to work from
Centring: Focuses on the strength and control of the body's deep stabilising muscles (including the deep pelvis, back, and abdominal muscles). An energised centre builds a strong foundation for the rest of the body to work from.
Control: Each movement serves a specific purpose and is performed smoothly and rhythmically to bring increased physical and mental control.
Precision and concentration: Helps build the connection between mind and body to provide the isolation and precision needed in order to benefit from the specifically designed exercises. This is especially necessary when correcting muscular skeletal imbalances and changing compensatory movement patterns after injury.
Fluidity: Replaces quick jerky movements and encourages length and flexibility in the strengthening of muscles to help build tone while decreasing tension and stress. Somatic work (a way of controlling and improving movement) allows precision training to be integrated into bigger movement patterns that can be applied to daily activity and other sport.
Balance: Physical and mental balance corrects one-sided and uncoordinated muscle action. Promoting equal importance to movement and exercise mobilises the whole body.