What is Pilates?
Gabriella's Studio
Pilates is a program of about 50 exercises
that focus on developing deep abdominal
and spine muscles to provide core
strength. They are performed lying on your
back, side or front. Some also are
performed seated or on all fours. The
exercises can be done on mat, or on an
apparatus specifically designed and
invented by Joseph Pilates. Though
classes were originally done using the
body alone, our classes incorporate
equipment and accessories such as rings
and balls.
What results can I expect from the exercises?
Regular practice of Pilates can result in improved
posture and increased abdominal tone. You can expect
to stand taller and have a flatter abdomin. You may also
feel greater comfort in the movement of your spine.
Pilates exercises will help you develop strength,
flexibility, coordination and balance, unite your body and
mind, and create a more streamlined shape.
Gabriella is a
Certified Pilates
Instructor
She is available for
private coaching in
her equipped studio
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Reducing stress and fatigue
In today's fast-paced life, the physical and mental stresses we encounter erode our
health and our happiness. We spend countless hours sitting in front of computers,
bent over desks, or performing repetitive motions that create havoc in our bodies and
minds. Most if not all of our stress and fatigue comes from poor posture, imbalances
in the body and lack of correct breathing. We must learn to strengthen and control our
muscles properly before subjecting them to daily living. Pilates exercises may seem
unconnected to your daily routine at first. However, over time you will begin to
understand how these movements are tools to the body. Once learned, muscle
control can be applied to any function of movement, from walking and lifting to
dancing.
How can Pilates help your dancing?
As we all know dancing is a lot of fun. It is exiting, engages our mind and is great
exercise. It also inspires improvement. We all want to have better posture, frame,
technique and improve the level of our dancing. Most of us realize that this will not
happen without understanding our own body. This is the reason teachers explain
technique in footwork, arm and ribcage connection, hip movement and so on. When I
first started to understand dancing I realized that there were many muscles involved
that I didn’t know or use in everyday life. I also realized that without connecting the
mind to the muscle group I wanted to focus on I couldn’t initiate change. I could only
repeat old habits, such as incorrect posture or footwork. When I first started training
in Pilates I discovered its tremendous benefits for dancing. It helped me to connect
to muscles I had heard about but never really felt. My movement and understanding
about my dancing and body improved significantly. I could see the light instead of
spending countless hours on repetitive dancing. I rediscovered balance within
myself and a deep connection in my mind which flowed through to my dance
movement.
There is a natural rhythm in the animal world. When an animal raises itself off the
ground, it stretches from its head to its claws to its tail. It leaves nothing out. When
we humans move, we tend to focus on one area or another and ignore the rest. The
irony is that whatever we do, from walking to dancing, we can and should utilize all
our muscles. This subconscious rhythm is inherent in us all. Dancing is a flow of
movement from one element to another with music. There is no flow if the body was
not in balance. You cannot spin if your head is down and your spine is not holding a
strong vertical line. It is hard to keep balance after a fast movement if you don't know
how to control your muscles and what to control.
Pilates exercises were created to restore true balance of the body. The method was
applied in the 50's by George Balanchine, and later adopted by many of New York's
ballet companies. Its unique approach to movement helps dancers to understand,
and manage more challenging moves as they improve. Structured around the
stomach, hips lower back and buttocks- the center of the body- Pilates exercises are
instrumental in maintaining good posture and alignment and developing ”flow”. With
the help of this method the most difficult elements can be done without effort.
Most exercise techniques focus on superficial muscles in the body and pump them
up for effect.
Pilates works from the inside out and teaches how lean and light muscles can
increase efficiency by combining grace of movement with strength.
Pilates
