So you are curious about Pilates and have been thinking to take a Pilates Beginners or Pilates Mixed Ability class for a while now? Or perhaps someone has recommended you try Pilates after recovered from injury or because they know you suffer from aches and pains? You probably have heard before about all the benefits of Pilates: increased flexibility, stronger core, better posture, etc. But what does actually happen on a Pilates class?
On the next paragraphs I will outline everything you need to know to make you feel confident and prepared when attending your first Pilates class.
The first thing that will help you to become more familiar with Pilates are the Pilates principles. There are 6 so called Pilates principles on which Joseph Pilates based his Method: Breathing, Centering, Concentration, Control, Flow and Precision.
Here is a brief description of these principles, you will not need to remember all of them, it’s just to give you a glimpse of what you can expect when you practice Pilates:
Breathing: Joseph Pilates describes Breathing as ‘the first act of life and the last’ On a Pilates class we focus on lateral breathing, that is directing the breath as you inhale to the back and the sides of your lower ribs, and as you exhale the lower ribs return to its original position.
Centering: This is the level of recruitment of the core muscles that you will need to maintain in order to move from a stable centre. With the core muscles we not only refer to the muscles between the lower ribs and hips (mainly abdominals) but we also refer to the deep intrinsic muscles of the back. We use centering as a dimmer switch, sometimes you will need more sometimes less, depending on the requirements of the exercise.
Concentration: It’s basically to bring your full attention to each movement while you are doing any Pilates exercise. This principle sometimes reminds me of the level of attention required for Mindfulness meditation.
Control: The mind directs every movement that your bones and muscles perform. So Pilates not only entails physical training but also a mental training that is essential to the Pilates method.
Flow: All movement during an exercise and between exercises is perform with fluidity and grace. Although each exercise should be performed with control it should also be executed with ease of movement.
Precision or Alignment: It’s the position of every part of the body before you start an exercise and also when performing the exercise. With special focus on the position of the pelvis and the spine, alignment is what is going to allow you to create healthy movement patterns and reap the full benefits of an exercise.
Alignment, Breathing and Centering are very often called the Pilates Fundamentals and refer by Pilates’s teachers as the ABC’s. If you attend to my classes, you will hear a reference of the ABC’S on each exercise. Once you get familiar with the ABC’s you are in a good path to achieve great results with a regular Pilates practice.
The other thing I will recommend is to relax and enjoy your first Pilates class. This is your time, your investment in yourself, and you should enjoy it without worrying too much. Nobody is perfect, including your Pilates instructor, in fact perfect is boring! The more you practice Pilates the more benefits you will get from it, increasing the connection between your body and your mind, and improving your overall sense of wellbeing.