The 6 principles of Pilates

The method that Joseph Pilates designed is based on 6 fundamental pillars that are the basis for each exercise and its execution within the programme, and which are essential for understanding and practising it. We talk about each of them below:

Powerhouse or energy centre

It is the engine where the power comes from necessary to perform any action or movement towards the rest of the body in all the exercises of the method. This is where the musculature that surrounds the whole body is located. abdominal region to lumbar vertebrae, including the musculature encompassing the hips and pelvis with the pelvic floor as a base.

Why is work on the powerhouse important?

The strength of the centre will be the responsible for initiating and controlling movement of the parts of the body that, depending on the exercise, we aim to move, doing so in a balanced way and avoiding movements that overload or put pressure on weaker areas.

It will help us to gain tone in the deep muscles., This generates the force necessary to transmit it to the superficial musculature, which is in charge of carrying out the complete movement of all the muscle chains that start from this central area in a symmetrical way to both sides of the body, enhancing its functionality and efficiency.

Concentration

It is the feature that allows us to connecting our mind with our body, This is necessary to become aware from the first moment, of its placement, of each force and movement, maintaining its control with the breath. The mind becomes aware of its capacities, limitations and weaknesses in order to improve its state.

Why is it important to work on concentration?

By concentrating on the execution of each muscular action, the position of our joints and the functioning of our breathing, we will obtain a increased awareness of our body which will allow us to obtain exquisite control in order to use it with the right precision and intensity.

Control

Nothing happens randomly, but every movement is controlled. In the practice of the method, it is the mind that guides the body. The body control is achieved when we become aware of and use this control of all the elements involved in the elaboration of the body schema, whether for the maintenance of posture and balance or to perform a specific movement.

Why is it important to work on body control?

During the practice of Pilates method not only physical aspects are worked on, but also mental ones. The mind will always be alert and supervising the rest of the body and this will allow us to perform any movement with the highest quality.

By providing this control, we can ensure that each movement is correct. This will help us to better focus our work, avoiding unwanted compensations. On the other hand, it will allow us to developing and improving our body awareness, not only during exercise, but at any time in our daily lives.

Accuracy

Exercises should aim for perfection in correct execution, giving quality of movement and achieving the proposed objective.

In this way we seek perfection of posture and movement in space without disorganising or destabilising what we are interested in at any given moment. For this reason, the method focuses on perform and execute the exercises with few repetitions, so as not to lose that precision. We attach importance to quality rather than quantity.

Why is work on precision important?

Generally, doing a lot of repetitions of an exercise does not ensure that we will have better results or that we will get stronger faster. In fact, in most cases, exaggerating the number of repetitions leads to overexertion that ends up resulting in unwanted compensations that can lead to imbalances in the body and even injury.

During the practice of the Pilates method is given priority to precision to ensure that the work is focused exactly where we want it to be. In this way we avoid overloading certain areas or muscles that are dominant in each body and we manage to maintain efficiency in each of our movements providing greater benefit.

Fluency

It is the quality that allows us to carry out the exercises in a harmonious, natural and continuous way, without generating undue tension or sudden movements or impacts that disturb their function. It is essential in order to perform exercises correctly.

Why is fluency work important?

By following a smooth and continuous rhythm, the following is achieved combating stiffness and will avoid the risk of muscle pain or injury in the joints. All the movement arises in a functional and global way following a sequence of chained exercises, with no pause of movement between them. There are no isolated, static or abrupt movements that interrupt its execution.

The Pilates method seeks, first and foremost, re-educating the body during movement. To do this, he uses both his exercises and the transitions between exercises as a way to teach people to move correctly, harmoniously and without abruptness, as the idea is not only to apply this learning during the session, but for anyone to be able to transfer it to their daily life.

Breathing

Focusing the work on the breathing, In this way, we will get the air in and out naturally and deeply through the nose, directing it towards the intercostal area to fill the lungs, thus increasing their capacity and also favouring blood circulation. This also helps us to direct the energy and attention to the movement that is being established, based on an internal rhythm, within our body awareness and our control from the energy centre.

Why is it important to work on breathing?

During the practice of breathing exercises will be a key factor, sometimes with the idea of facilitating movement and sometimes with the specific aim of working directly on the lungs to increase their capacity and improve gas exchange, thus having a favourable effect on tissue oxygenation.

In addition, by practising the method we are able to establish a connection between the coordination of movement and our breathing, which will help us to move in a fluid way, to improve physical performance and to achieve correct postural hygiene.

If you want to put these principles into practice, call us and book your first class now. Tel. 91 4357838. 628 887552. contacto@elitepilates.net