often make what is a simple exercise into something that is torturous, thus creating distortion and tension. Proper control makes each exercise efficient by concentrating on each muscle group, while keeping the rest of the body relaxed and aligned.
3 CENTRING
Pilates encourages the development of one strong, core area that controls the rest of the body and supplies it with energy. This core is the centre of your body: the continuous band between the bottom of your ribcage and across the line of your hipbones. The area’s stomach and back muscles support your spine and internal organs, and keep you upright.
This central stability supports its various extensions – the arms, legs and head. Having a strong core means you can walk and run without discomfort or pain. Similarly, a strong centre results in a strong back, and backache can be alleviated by strengthening the core muscles.
Human beings were not originally designed to stand up straight. As gravity is constantly pulling us forward, it explains why so many people have problems associated with the neck and shoulders. We are basically defying nature, gravity and our initial body type by walking and standing upright.
4 FLOW
If any action feels quick, jerky or sharp, you can be sure that you are performing the exercise incorrectly. Every movement in Pilates originates from a strong centre and flows out in a slow, gentle, controlled manner. This warms the muscles, causing them to lengthen and open up the spaces between each vertebra in the spine, extending the body. The result is a longer, leaner look.
5 PRECISION
Performing Pilates with precision ensures that each movement is working the body in the correct manner. It is therefore important to read the instructions carefully before starting an exercise sequence. Make sure you are properly aligned, and pay attention to the ‘Watchpoint’ notes. This will ensure that you do not expend excess energy doing an exercise incorrectly.
6 CO-ORDINATION
Children run and bend naturally, but for most adults basic co-ordination is a major problem. When starting Body Maintenance, I have heard people say, ‘I can’t co-ordinate my breath with the movement. It’s too much. I’ve got to concentrate too hard. I can’t do it.’ Many people have lost the ability to co-ordinate their bodies and minds as parts of the same working machine. The aim of Pilates is to retrain the neuromuscular connection between the brain and the body.
We all have the capability to be in touch with every part of our body, but we often don’t use it. Those who have lost the use of their hands, for instance, have been known to train their feet to carry out many of the same functions. Yet for most of us, employing our feet in this way would seem impossible. If you don’t utilize a part of your body, it atrophies. You have to think of co-ordination in much the same way.
By co-ordinating your breath and using a strong centre, getting your right arm and opposite (left) leg to work together without any difficulty is possible. The ability to react spontaneously is a result of the neuromuscular connection between brain and body. This is where the proprioceptive concept – the linking of mind and body – comes into play. Pilates enhances this sense of co-ordination in every exercise sequence through breath and precision.
In Pilates and Body Maintenance there are certain key terms that are referred to over and over again. It will help if you understand these before you begin.
RELAXING
Many people associate relaxation with a feeling of ‘letting go’, of allowing muscles to slump. In the case of Pilates, to relax means to release tension in an area while still managing to maintain tone and control. When do you this, it should feel comfortable and natural.
NEUTRAL SPINE
Some positions will require you to keep your spine in ‘neutral’. This means that you maintain the natural curve in your back. Thus, when you are lying down, do not press your back so hard into the floor that you lose the back’s natural curve. Neither should you arch your back so that your lower back comes off the floor. Just lie there, breathe in and out naturally and allow your back to relax into the floor without pressing it in. This will allow your back to relax into its own natural, neutral position, which is slightly different for each person. Think of your body floating on a cloud.
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