By: Matthew Hick
One of the most popular forms of yoga is Pilates yoga. People all over the world practice Pilates. This form of yoga has been praised for aiding people with developing a spiritual and body connection. By doing exercises to develop strength, muscle tone, flexibility, and better posture, people who do Pilates get themselves into better shape mentally and physically.
Joseph H. Pilates developed Pilates Yoga in the 1920’s. As a child Joseph was sickly and frail. He grew tired of watching other children run around and play sports and became determined to not only improve his health but also strengthen his body. This began his journey on this now popular mind/body fitness movement. He began to overcome his physical limitations through exercise and soon became an accomplished sportsman. When he was detained as a German national during World War I, he trained other detainees with his exercises, even helping bedridden patients.
After Pilates was released, his exercise method was gaining popularity in the dance world. He immigrated to the United States and opened a fitness studio in New York City with his wife, Claire. Many of his clients were dancers, some from the New York City Ballet. Several of his students went on to open their own studios, spreading this form of exercise to places outside of New York City. Pilates continued to teach until his death at the age of 87.
Pilates supports fewer successive repetitions and more control over body movement. It is a method of total body conditioning training and strengthening entire body alignment. It stretches and strengthens muscles, builds endurance and restores muscle balance. It aims at developing graceful bodies that move more efficiently but don’t result in bulky bodies. Pilates believes “change happens through movement and movement heals”. By performing movements, the body will learn by its actions. The methodical form of exercise will stretch, strengthen and balance the body while performing proper breathing techniques.
Pilates exercises are done on mats or with the aid of apparatuses. The One Hundred pose is one of the most common poses. It consists of lying on the floor on your back with your waist to the floor. Place your arms by your side and legs pointed up in air. Lift your head, neck and shoulders off mat as you pump your arms like a bird. Hold this for the count of 100. This exercise will strengthen abdominal muscles, as well as, warm up the body for more exercises.
Joseph Pilates combined yoga with stretching, creating the popular form of exercise today. It is known for its ability to produce core strength, which is a balanced development of the trunk muscles that stabilize movement. It also helps to control and expand yoga poses safely. Pilates had much success in treating bedridden soldiers during the war. Today, this exercise program is used not only for fitness but also widely used in rehabilitation processes. He believed you could train the mind to control the body. His discipline program is designed to bring mobility back to the body through a less vigorous, slow, concentrated effort. This makes it safe and easy for anyone to use.
