Pilates

Pilates is a new addition to my teaching repertoire. People often ask me what's the difference between Yoga and Pilates. On some levels it's really similar and on others it's totally different. That's really not a very helpful statement, is it! And similar to Yoga, Pilates is a broad spectrum, from fitness and exercise to mindful movement. So this is how I would describe the Pilates that I teach. Pilates is quite functional and targeted. It's mindful movement with the breath. There is a lot of focus on core and on stability. Joseph Pilates called what we usually know as the core, the powerhouse. I love this, Pilates is helping is helping us to be powerful!

What have I noticed in my own Pilates practice? Like many people, I am a little wonky, small differences between the left and right hand sides here and there. Pilates has helped me to be more balanced and even, especially in my walking. I do feel a lot stronger. I have achieved this with surprisingly little effort, although with a lot of practice! When I say little effort, I mean it's not sweaty with large numbers of repetitions. Just a few very targeted movements done with a lot of precision and excellent technique. Unlike Yoga, there are very few "classic" shapes. Much of what we do is preparation for the nineteen classic excercies that Pilates prescribes, which in truth are very difficult.

I find Pilates to be extremely complimentary to my Yoga practice. The breathing is different on some exercises, but that has not presented me with any challenges personally.

I teach Pilates on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at West Barns Village Hall. Please enquire if you would like to discover the benefits of Pilates for yourself.