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If you are bored with the monotony of your regular workout regime, trying a different kind of class will help you feel new and fresh again. Pilates is one of the classes that you can consider. These extraordinarily dynamic and versatile exercises can be a game-changer for your workout. Pilates can be viewed as a low-impact exercise that helps tone the body, strengthen the muscles, and improve alignment.
Pilates tend to target the full body with numerous benefits, including stabilizing the core, enhancing your posture, and improving your body alignment, mobility, and functional movement. Here, we will discuss six of the essential principles of Pilates.
6 Essential Principles of Pilates
Bear in mind these principles while doing Pilates, as their integration will help gain all the benefits and provide for better balance and grace.
1. Breathing
One of the essential principles of Pilates tends to be breathing. Breathing is a vital part of Pilates because these exercises require coordination with the breath. It is stressed that one should know how to breathe effectively. When doing these exercises, focus on breathing to the capacity of the lower lungs and rib cage while maintaining core stability. This will also promote flexibility in your torso.
While doing these exercises, make sure to relax in the stretches and breathe while doing the movements to avoid storing tension and stress in the muscles.
2. Concentration
Concentration is also one of the essential principles of Pilates. It is about being mindful and conscious of your body along with the movements that you perform. These exercises will constantly teach you to be more aware of yourself. Failure to focus can lead to loss of alignment, which will affect the flow of movement.
Only concentrating on every part of the movement will help maximum value. It is comparable to practicing mindfulness in yoga.
3. Precision
Another essential characteristic of Pilates is precision. Precision relates to doing every step and movement in a focused and thoughtful manner. It is important to perfect the technique and sustain awareness during this exercise.
Doing these exercises with exact precision is more important than repeating the movements with a sloppier form. The emphasis on flawless techniques also helps break the bad habits learned earlier, along with learning better methods for the future.
4. Alignment
Amongst other essential characteristics, alignment is also one of the essential characteristics of Pilates. Doing these exercises regularly will promote good posture that will enable realigning the whole body and back.
Pilates pay proper attention to the correct posture and aim to restore neutral alignment. They engage the shoulder, pelvis, and spine effectively, allowing muscles to be strengthened at the optimal level. With proper alignment, joints and muscles remain stress-free and healthy.
5. Control and Coordination
All Pilates exercises should be carried out with proper muscular control. The movements of the whole body are deliberate, conscious, and focused. This principle encompasses the mind as well, as these exercises will help you work on your movement with intention. This will lead to better coordination between the mind and body.
In the beginning, start with simple sequences and eventually move towards more advanced sequences. This will help you learn better coordination amongst breathing, movements, body alignment, and core stabilization. These coordination skills will prepare you for advanced exercises along with bringing better alignment to the body.
Therefore, control and coordination are essential characteristics of Pilates.
6. Flow of Movement
Pilates exercises involve movements that are aligned, graceful, balanced, controlled, and flowing. They stabilize the core and build strength in the muscles of the arms and legs. The energy of these exercises connects the mind with all body parts. Pilates movements tend to be controlled, which should be done with ease, fluidity, and grace. So, always perform these exercises with flow and focus.
The range of movement for the muscles is done with isometric, eccentric, and concentric exercises. This will help with gaining leaner muscles along with strengthening them.
Takeaway
Mentioned above are six of the most essential characteristics of Pilates. These exercises, when done in a focused and deliberate manner, provide maximum benefits. They also help improve the mental well-being of a person by building better coordination and alignment between the mind and body.
Our fast-tracked lifestyle tends to put a lot of strain on the muscles, which affects our posture, balance, and mobility negatively. However, doing Pilates will help alleviate this stress while simultaneously leaving you calmer and energized.
A word of caution: Proper form while doing these movements is necessary to avoid hurting or straining your muscles. Start with simple movements and take the help of an instructor.
