SUNNYSPILATES
What is Pilates ?
Pilates uses calm flowing controlled movements to focus in on strengthening the deep core muscles of the back, abdominal and pelvic floor areas. Creating greater core strength, increasing flexibility, improving posture and balance and focusing the mind.
Who will it benefit?
Pilates is particularly beneficial to people with back soreness, recovering from injury, and pelvic floor weakness, as well as people who want to strengthen their core muscles, improve posture or reduce stress levels.
The principals of Pilates
The five principles of Pilates:
• coordination
• flow
• breath
• core strength
• balance
Are incorporated throughout the class, through smooth controlled flowing movements that are coordinated with the breath and focus on using the core muscles to stabilise the body.
Pilates, the History
Originally created by Joseph Pilates. A sickly child turned fitness fanatic, professional boxer, bodybuilder, and competent skier he used his experience of many exercise forms, sports and dance to create his own new form of exercise, which was originally called contrology. During WWI he worked as a nurse and was able to adapt his technique for patients in hospital beds to help with their recovery. After the war, he moved back to Germany (his place of birth) and worked with movement specialists such as Rudolf Laban, Then in 1923 he moved to America where he set up a studio. Many professional dancers came to him including Martha Graham and her dancers and George Balanchine. They enjoyed the technique for its help with injury prevention and recovery.
The Pilates technique was brought back to England by Alan Herdman in 1970. He had been asked to investigate the methods of Joseph Pilates by The London Contemporary Dance School, he set up a Pilates studio at The Place, London Contemporary Dance School's home.
