8 Core Principles of Pilates Exercises (Part 2)
Date: Sunday March 29, 2009Posted in: Pilates Reformer, Pilates exercises
To continue, the next core principle is breathing. You should always use large full breaths using the entire thoracic cavity. Always try to completely fill your lungs with air. This does a number of things including:
Removing all toxins from your body
Relaxes and energizes you at the same time
Brings a sharp focus to your mind
It engages all the core muscles of your abdomen, and
Controls the speed of the exercises
Pilates uses thoracic/lateral breathing, enabling you to breathe fully, but still maintain that all important core contraction to stabilize the pelvis, support the lower back and keep the neutral position.
The next important core principle is co-ordination. It may seem darned near impossible to co-ordinate your breathing with your movements at first. But as with all things-practice does indeed, make perfect. I know that some beginners courses can seem tedious and slow, but this is the very thing that allows one to slowly build, layer upon layer, the complete co-ordination of mind, breath, and body, until you can everything all at once.
Precision is the next principle in ingrain into your practice. Obviously every movement is filled with purpose and each instruction you receive is vital to your success. Precise and perfect movement is what you are trying to achieve rather than just relying on listless repetition. It is in this way that you can develop a strong, safe, and effective practice.
Fluidity- Your body is perfectly formed for the movements Pilates teaches and every exercise in its repertoire is quite dynamic. And while some forms may hold the posture for a moment the final action certainly involves movement. Theses forms flow with your breath like a exquisitely executed dance, lengthening away from your strong center, controlled, free from tension and stress, and rhythmic.
The final principle brings us to the end of this article-
Stamina
Your deep core muscles need to be working gently, but continuously so that you can keep your body correctly aligned. In order for this to happen, they require stamina. All your supporting muscles need a huge amount of stamina so that your body can work as a whole. Some of your muscles will tire very easily without the support of the others and with practice. That said, an exercise that seemed difficult to perform one week will soon appear relatively easy. Stay tuned for more information about the new Pilates Reformer.
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