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Pilates

Pilates is a fitness system that was developed during the early 20th century. Since then, millions of people all over the world practice it regularly and have benefited from it. This system uses the mind to control the body and it’s muscles.

The focus is mainly on the postural muscles that are in charge of keeping the body in balance and providing support to the spine. You learn to control your breathing, thereby, aligning your spine in it’s proper position, and strengthen the torso muscles.

Pilates is not Yoga

A lot of people think that yoga and pilates are the same. Yoga is a much older practice, while pilates is relatively new. Yoga was inspired by animal movements while pilates was inspired by therapy and dance. While both practices involve controlling your breathing, yoga asanas usually hold poses while pilates exercises use flowing repetitions.

Choosing a Pilates Instructor

Choosing a good instructor is very important for any exercise routine. Because you do not want to end up over strained, with muscle catches at the end of the day. A good pilates instructor must be certified by a complete certification program.

Pilates is a very deep system, and you will need many months of study to master it. He/she will be interested about you body, your ailments(if any), etc., before starting your exercises. A good teacher will give you motivation to continue the practice, and make you and your body feel good at the end of each session.

Benefits of Pilates

People all over the world have benefited from pilates. With pilates, you can learn to prevent injury, especially dancers and athletes whose life depend on their body and strain their muscles more often. A lot of therapies now include some of the pilates exercises to calm down both the body and the mind. By being more aware of your body, you will pay attention to your posture more keenly, and be able to find the root cause of any body pain or injuries you’ve had.

Pilates and 6 Pack Abs

For those of you that wanted a flat stomach, pilates will get you there sooner than you imagined. Although you might have wanted those flat abs, just to look good, a flat abdomen signifies that you have a very strong core support to your body. Pilates teaches you how to move properly and with grace and have a thorough control of your body through your mind.

The Future of Pilates

So is pilates here to stay? Definitely yes. For those that find extreme workouts unsuitable, and yet, cannot get accustomed to the yoga asanas, pilates is the solution. In fact by practicing either one, you’ll soon realize that they both complement each other. The six principles of pilates- concentration, control, centering, breathing, flow and precision have minimal impact on the body, helping you attain a stress-free and injury-free life.