KEEPING YOUR PILATES PRACTICE SAFE

Pilates is the safest, most effective form of exercise you could choose to keep fit (advanced flows have cardiovascular benefits), healthy (many health benefits, including prevention of back problems) and in great shape (toned body and you can burn 7 to 8 calories a minute with advanced Pilates), but are there any safety issues we [...]

YOUR FEET COULD BE CAUSING YOUR BACK PAIN

I never noticed people’s feet until I started teaching Pilates.  It’s not often we get the opportunity to go barefoot in this country so they are rarely on show, but in Pilates and yoga we don’t wear anything on our feet.  It wasn’t so much the state some were in, but more the effect they [...]

PILATES & YOGA: ENHANCE SPORTS PERFORMANCE

People have discovered the core stability concept and are slowly realising that the core is linked to everything in the body.  Both disciplines will help any sportsman because you improve posture, you start to integrate your core stabilisers and the breathing aspect of Pilates and yoga causes the ribcage to expand, thereby increasing your VO2 [...]

BACK PROBLEMS: REFERRED PAIN

Many people come to class complaining of discomfort or pain in their legs, thinking that they have pulled or strained a muscle and are surprised to learn that it may well be a back problem which is causing referred pain.  Most of us have either had sciatica or understand the idea that it is something to do [...]

CREATE A GIRDLE OF STRENGTH WITH PILATES

Ask the unenlightened what Pilates is all about and they will most probably say “stengthening the core” – and indeed it is … partly.  When I went on my first Pilates training course, the instructor asked us all for our definition of Pilates and although most of us were new to it, we came up [...]

SACROILIAC JOINT (SIJ) PROBLEMS & PREVENTION

Whenever  you lie flat on your back, you are resting on the sacrum and the two flat bones either side, the ilia.  The sacroiliac joint is where they meet and can be identified by the two dimples below the waist, either side of the spine. 
The joint, supported by very strong ligaments, has a limited range of [...]

MEDITATION: BODY SCANNING

At the end of a class, we often start the relaxation by observing how the body feels – sometimes starting a class like this can focus the mind for the class ahead.  This meditation requires the sharp focus of the mind and the total relaxation of the body whilst we move rapidly from one area [...]

SHAPELY LEGS AND HEALTHY HIPS

One of the most difficult challenges I face with my advanced Pilates classes is getting them to understand that health and fitness is not all about increasing strength alone.  The whole point of Pilates is to create balance in the body by not only increasing strength, but also flexibility and mobility.  Imbalances lead to faulty [...]

TOP 5 EXERCISES TO KEEP YOUR BACK HEALTHY

Every Pilates exercise will help your back, but if I had to choose 5 exercises for a 10 minute workout each day, these would be the ones.  They will mobilise the spine and strengthen all the torso muscles which will act as a girdle of strength to protect your spine and help maintain stability. 
 
Mobility for [...]

THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL & MENTAL BENEFITS OF MEDITATION

Historical evidence puts meditation at 5,000 years old, but almost certainly it is older.  It seems that it was originally used to reach a
 higher spiritual level and has had religious overtones throughout history.  This is unfortunate as many people have thus been alienated: I was refused the use of a church hall for my yoga [...]

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