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The Pilates Method (or simply Pilates), pronounced / ("Pih -
LAH - Teez"), is a physical fitness system developed in the
early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. As of 2005 there are
11 million people who practice the discipline regularly and
14,000 instructors in the United States.
Pilates called his method Contrology, because he believed
his method uses the mind to control the muscles. The program
focuses on the core postural muscles which help keep the
body balanced and which are essential to providing support
for the spine. In particular, Pilates exercises teach
awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, and aim to
strengthen the deep torso muscles.
History
Pilates was formed by Joseph Pilates during the First World
War with the proposal to improve the rehabilitation program
for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed
mental and physical health are essential to one another. He
recommended a few, precise movements emphasizing control and
form to aid injured soldiers in regaining their health by
strengthening, stretching,and stabilizing key muscles.
Pilates created "The Pilates Principles" to condition the
entire body: proper alignment, centering, concentration,
control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement.
Joseph Pilates wrote two books concerning the Pilates
method: Return to Life through Contrology and Your Health: A
Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the
Entire Field of Physical Education.
Principles
Pilates claimed his method has a philosophical and
theoretical foundation. It claims not merely to be a
collection of exercises but a method developed and refined
over more than eighty years of use and observation. One
interpretation of Pilates Principles: Centering,
Concentration, Control, Precision, Breathing, and Flowing
Movement, is similar to yoga.
Mind over matter According to
practitioners, the central aim of Pilates is to create a
fusion of mind and body, so that without thinking about it
the body will move with economy, grace, and balance. The end
goal is to produce an attention-free union of mind and body.
Practitioners believe in using one's body to the greatest
advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting
its weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The method
requires that one constantly pay attention to one's body
while doing the movements. Paying attention to movement is
so vital that it is more important than any other single
aspect of the movements.
Breathing Joseph Pilates believed
in circulating the blood so that it could awaken all the
cells in the body and carry away the wastes related to
fatigue. For the blood to do its work properly, he
maintained, it has to be charged with oxygen and purged of
waste gases through proper breathing. Full and thorough
inhalation and exhalation are part of every Pilates
exercise. Pilates saw forced exhalation as the key to full
inhalation. “Squeeze out the lungs as you would wring a wet
towel dry,” he is reputed to have said. Breathing, too,
should be done with concentration, control, and precision.
It should be properly coordinated with movement. Each
exercise is accompanied by breathing instructions. Joseph
Pilates stated, “Even if you follow no other instructions,
learn to breathe correctly.”
Centering Pilates called the very
large group of muscles in the center of the body –
encompassing the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks –
the “powerhouse.” All energy for Pilates exercises begins
from the powerhouse and flows outward to the extremities.
Physical energy exerted from the center coordinates one's
movements. Pilates felt that it was important to build a
strong powerhouse in order to rely on it in daily living.
Modern instructors call the powerhouse the "core".
Concentration Pilates demands
intense focus. For instance, the inner thighs and pelvic
floor may be assessed when doing a standing exercise that
tones the triceps. Beginners learn to pay careful attention
to their bodies, building on very small, delicate
fundamental movements and controlled breathing. In 2006, at
the Parkinson Center of the Oregon Health and Science
University in Portland, Oregon, the concentration factor of
the Pilates method was being studied in providing relief
from the degenerative symptoms of Parkinson's disease .
Control Joseph Pilates built his
method on the idea of muscle control. That meant no sloppy,
uncontrolled movements. Every Pilates exercise must be
performed with the utmost control, including all body parts,
to avoid injury and produce positive results. Pilates
emphasizes not intensity or multiple repetitions of a
movement, but proper form for safe, effective results.
Precision Every movement in the
Pilates method has a purpose. Every instruction is vitally
important to the success of the whole. To leave out any
detail is to forsake the intrinsic value of the exercise.
The focus is on doing one precise and perfect movement,
rather than many halfhearted ones. Eventually this precision
becomes second nature, and carries over into everyday life
as grace and economy of movement.
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