Pilates is not like other exercise
Pilates is not like other exercise. It isn't just to make people fitter. Instead; Pilates consciously effects change throughout the body to allow us to move with grace and ease. I spent Sunday participating in a teachers' workshop at the Pilates Pod in Hitchin. The tutor, Michelle, is trained in classical Pilates, which means that her teaching draws more from the original style and method of Joseph Pilates than a contemporary teacher such as myself. A key focus of the day was how the mat, reformer and other apparatus work together to help create change in the bodies of our students. At the Pilates Pod. Photo credit: Michelle Smith. Most - if not all - of us have movement patterns that hinder us from optimal efficiency. Pilates can help us to identify and correct those patterns, through improved strength, flexibility, alignment and coordination. Often, we focus on strength and flexibility by going to ever bigger and more challenging movements. However, if these are performed dy...