Are you getting the most out of your Pilates Practice?

We have experienced a very different way of life over the last two and a half years - successfully taking our Pilates classes online, adjusting to working out in sometimes limited space in our living rooms, seeing each other only virtually and learning so much more about technology than we ever could have imagined prior to Covid! It worked well for us during that time but last summer we were happy to get back to live classes and being able to see each other face to face again.

Pilates has been one of the things that has stayed constant in our lives through this difficult period, and it has been a real saving grace for many of us.

After just over a year of being back live, I think it’s a good time for us to take stock of where we are with our own Pilates journeys. Let’s consider if we are reaching our goals and meeting our expectations as we continue to participate in this amazing method.

Why not take some time to evaluate how you’re feeling about your individual practise and consider if you’re really getting maximum benefit from attending your sessions?

Here are some important factors to think about:

· Regular Attendance

Those of you who have been coming to class for several years, have experienced the huge benefits that Pilates can bring to both your body and mind.

One of the key points to achieving results with your technique is staying consistent and by attending sessions regularly, you will see and feel the difference. It may take a little time….as Joseph Pilates himself said:

“You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions and have a completely new body in thirty.”

When you do start to see and feel a difference and experience the positive changes to your body and mind, you will understand how important it is to continue practicing Pilates regularly. “Pilates becomes a way of life”

Here are some of the many benefits you can gain:

·Increased mobility, strength, and flexibility

·Improved balance, coordination, posture, and alignment

·Better breathing, sleep, and concentration

·Less joint and injury pain

As many of you have already found, the best way to make sure you attend every week, is by committing to a block and paying for 6 weeks in advance. It is cost effective and means you are much more likely to come each week when you have already paid up for it, making an investment in your well-being. Of course, there may be times when it is necessary to take the option of “Pay as you go” but this could mean that you start dipping in and out of your practice and lose your momentum, therefore no longer gaining the maximum benefit from your Pilates experience.

Remember that when you pay on block, if you miss a class due to illness or other commitments, you have the option to make it up at 2 of my other classes during the week.

All make-up classes must be taken within your 6-week block.

· Arriving Early

“Every moment of your life can be the beginning of great things.”

Getting to class a few minutes early allows you the time to set up your mat in the right space for you and to settle, ready to start class on time. It means that you are prepared and in a good mind set to practice Pilates. If you need to do any preparatory exercises due to an injury or because of the way your body is feeling that day, it gives you relaxed time to do that comfortably.

Being early also means that you have time to speak to other members before class starts and discuss any concerns or relevant information with me.

It is important to be present for the Warm-up and if you are late and miss part of this component it could lead to injury or mean that your body is not sufficiently warm for the more challenging work to come.

It can be stressful for both you and other participants if you arrive late as while you are trying to find a space and set your mat down, it is disruptive to both my instruction, and members concentration, and stops the general flow of the class.

Allowing enough time to get to class will ensure that you arrive early, avoid being flustered and stressed, and will give you your optimal Pilates experience.

· Being Present

“It is the mind itself which builds the body”

One of the fundamentals of Pilates is Concentration and therefore it is imperative that you are not only present in class physically but that you are also present in mind too. Joseph Pilates believed that as well as constantly striving to acquire healthy bodies, we must also develop our minds to the limits of our ability.

In order to fully practice and understand Pilates, we need to have good concentration and really focus on our breathing and technique. By listening to cues, set up instructions and teaching points, you will be able to perform and perfect each exercise more concisely.

“Concentrate on the correct movement each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all vital benefits.”

Coming to class, we all have a lot of things on our minds, related to our work, home, family and so on. It is sometimes hard to clear the chatter going on in our heads…. but that one hour of Pilates gives us that precious time just for us, to fully immerse ourselves in our practice, as our bodies and minds work together, we can find that deep connection between the two. Often this can be an amazingly positive hour for us, even when we are going through difficulties in our lives, as it gives us the chance to be present with ourselves during class and to clear out all other distractions from our minds. If we can be completely present at class, we will truly achieve the best results for a whole holistic mind and body experience.

· Challenging Yourself

“ Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking, nor outright purchase”

It takes hard work and commitment to build and maintain a strong body.

Are you putting in maximum effort when executing the moves in class? Do you work hard at the exercises that your body likes and feels comfortable with and then opt out of those moves that are more challenging for you? In order to improve your technique, you need to push yourself a little out of your comfort zone. If the exercise is feeling good in your body, take the progression offered and try it at the next level. Recognise that feeling of slight discomfort, as your body working hard and being challenged. Slow down your pace as slower movement requires greater control and is harder. It will increase muscle strength and give you better alignment and control over joint movement.

If you’re fatigued, injured, or losing good technique, regress the exercise or take the modification offered to suit your needs and work mindfully but still with maximum effort within your capabilities. When it comes to an exercise that feels unachievable for you at its fullest level, think about gradually building up to it through the easier variations and enjoy perfecting it at the right level for your body.

The Physical conditioning in Pilates as well as the emphasis on breath control should leave you feeling worked out, relaxed and invigorated. It will stimulate feel-good hormones; oxygen flow and blood circulation and you should leave class feeling re-energised.

· Setting Yourself Goals

“Self-confidence, poise, consciousness of possessing the power to accomplish our desires, with renewed lively interest in life are the natural results of the practice of Contrology.”

What do you really want to achieve out of coming to Pilates? Do you want to feel less pain in your back? Improve your posture? Get a good night’s sleep? Gain more all over strength? Identify what your goals are….it could be a few different things…. and set yourself a realistic target date that you want to achieve each one by. Having a target date gives you something to aim for. Even if you don’t quite reach your desired goal by that date, you’re heading in the right direction and have a little more incentive to take the right steps to push yourself towards success.

Do you have a specific move that you feel stuck with or can’t seem to execute correctly? Ask me for some extra help with it before or after class – there may be some appropriate exercises you can practice for homework to help you perform the move more easily.

If you feel stuck in a rut with your Pilates class or practice, clarify your health and wellness goals and consult with me so that I can be aware of what you want to accomplish. That way we can work together to develop a plan of action to help you achieve your goals.

This leads on well to my next point to consider:

· Self-Practice

As well as attending class, do you set any time aside each day/week to do your own Self-practice?

I know that for myself as a Pilates Instructor, if I factor in time during my week, to attend a class or Workshop with my Tutor or another fellow Instructor, I feel much stronger in my body and re-motivated to teach you all. Maintaining my own personal practice makes me confident and inspired to teach the work because I feel how it continuously affects and benefits my body.

If you can set aside just 10 minutes a day, you will really feel the difference in your body too. Here are some examples of some short Self -practice ideas you could try:

1.Gentle mobility exercises when you first wake up in the morning

2.A wind -down routine before bed, focusing on stretch and relaxation

3.Execute the first 5 moves of the 34 Moves every day for a week (you can add 1 or 2 moves on each day after that)

4.Practice your homework exercises for your injury, condition or goal

5.Set yourself a balance challenge and practice it until you can perfect it

6.Work on your Abdominal Series of 5 to focus on getting that strong Centre

The above are just a few ideas, but it really is up to you to identify the areas that your body needs to work on and make time to practice. It requires self-discipline and commitment but once you get into a routine, it will become second nature and you will notice that your body misses it if you miss a session.

· Change of Circumstances/Injuries

As the weeks and months go by, our routines can change along with our circumstances, and it is important to keep me informed of any factors that could affect you in class.

Moving home or changing your job could have an impact on whether you can still attend the same class. An option could be to have One to One’s with me, either online or at your home. This works well for some of my members who are unable to get to class for one reason or another.

“Change happens through movement and movement heals.”

Getting an injury or illness could also stop you from coming to class for a while. Whenever possible, depending on your condition, I can offer you support by phone, via email or online. There may be some appropriate gentle stretches or exercises I can give you to do at home, to keep you mobile or to help with relaxation or better sleep, during this period. If you have an injury that you have been given specific exercises for by a Physiotherapist or Osteopath, we can incorporate these into your class/session or give you suitable adaptations or modifications to enable you to still attend class. Last year, when I was going through my own rehab programme for my Achilles rupture, I found that my Pilates sessions online with my own Tutor were an essential part of my recovery and well-being. I looked forward to my sessions and they helped me both physically and mentally to stay strong, mobile, and positive.

Please also keep me updated yearly with all your contact details and change of information by filling out the Health Questionnaire on my website which is easy to do either digitally or by printing out the form and giving it to me at class.

· Lifestyle

“Civilisation impairs physical fitness”

Modern life – doubled up over screens, bent over desks, stressing about work and deadlines all takes a considerable toll on our posture. This influences our physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.

Joseph Pilates believed that the longer we live, the more opportunity we have, to improve our health. Pilates actually reverses our natural physical decline and nearly 40 years after his death, his methods still offer a potent antidote to 21st century sedentary lifestyles and screen-fixated ways.

“Not only is health a normal condition, but it is our duty to not only attain it but to maintain it”

As well as creating such an amazing Exercise method, Joseph Pilates also believed that there are other things we can do to transform our lifestyle.

His philosophy on life is one that we should all try and follow as it truly makes sense, but sadly we often neglect to do so, in lieu of our busy lives and changing social values.

Here are Joe’s recommendations for a healthier and better life. Do you need to make some improvement in any of these areas?

1. Proper Diet : To maintain a healthy body and have energy for exercise, we should fuel our body with nutritious food and Joe believed that eating in reasonable portions was essential. He considered overindulgence to be “both foolish and dangerous” and that we should be careful to guide our eating habits based on how much fuel we need for our lifestyle.

2. Sufficient Sleep : No one functions well without enough rest. The body needs to recover and restore itself day to day, regardless of your level of physical activity. Sleeping in a cool room with good ventilation is ideal, and we shouldn’t surround ourselves with mounds of blankets and pillows – the simpler the better. Relaxing at “fixed intervals” throughout the day is also important to maintaining fitness levels.

“The person who uses intelligence with respect to their diet, sleeping habits and who exercises properly, is beyond any question of doubt taking the very best preventive medicines provided so freely and abundantly by nature.”

3. Fresh air and sunshine : “Breath properly, walk correctly, and swing along briskly” to invigorate your day. Joe believed that the ultraviolet rays of the sun give us life and cleanse the body as it falls on our skin. Fresh air is a far better alternative to the stale indoor air we are exposed to. Better yet, we should wear looser clothing so that this air and sunshine can better be absorbed into our bodies.

“ By all means, never fail to get all the sunshine and fresh air you can.”

4. Healthy weight : Carrying too much extra weight could be a burden on one’s organs according to Joe, particularly around the heart, producing “needless fatigue.” The reverse is also true – not enough body weight yields low energy and danger to the organs. Optimum function of the body is best achieved at a normal, healthy weight throughout one’s life.

5. Dry Brushing : Joe claimed that a “good stiff brush” should be used daily to produce best results in healthy and clean skin. This dry practice opens the pores (essentially through exfoliation) and stimulates circulation in the body. By clearing out our pores, our body can “breathe”, and our skin will renew itself better than ever. If we do this regularly as well as taking our daily bath or shower, our skin should feel smoother and revitalised.

As we can see; the Pilates method goes hand in hand with the Pilates philosophy on life to achieve greater well-being.

If we can maintain a healthy lifestyle as well as practicing Pilates, we can achieve the balance of having both fitness and good health

· What You Require from Me

Lastly, for me to better provide a complete Holistic Pilates experience for you, I’d like to open a dialogue for feedback.

What is it that I can give you individually to fulfil your own personal needs in your practice?

I want to be able to address any concerns that you may have and help if there are any elements about your progress that you would like to discuss.

Would it be useful for you to have regular check-in sessions with me to make sure that you are seeing results, feeling the benefits, and reaching your goals?

This could be done by phone, email, online or face to face.

Alternatively, I could send out feedback forms every 3 months or so, to see how you’re feeling and to find out if there are any areas you need extra guidance with or to specifically focus on.

Let me know what works best for you and I will be happy to assist in the best way possible for you.

Many of you have been with me for a very long time and I value your input and feedback. I want to keep your Pilates experience fresh and exciting as well as comfortable, relaxed, and nurturing.

Let’s continue forward together on our Pilates journey and enjoy the great benefits that it brings to us in both our bodies and minds, feeling the magic of it enhance our lives and well-being.

“Through the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning, this unique trinity of a balanced body, mind and spirit can ever be attained.”