How to Enhance Your Practice with The Six Core Principles of Pilates
Even if you’ve been doing Pilates for years, it’s important to check in with yourself during your practice to make sure you’re not just going through the motions. With so much happening in our lives, it’s very easy to get distracted during a Pilates session—mentally prepping for dinner, for example, or reflecting on your to-do list for work. It’s important to remember that Pilates is not just specific movements in a specific sequence. As Joseph Pilates envisioned it, an important part of Pilates is the coordination between the mind and body. It’s easy to let the mind-body connection slide, particularly if you’ve reached a certain level of proficiency that allows you to be on auto-pilot during your session.
Regardless of whether you’re new to Pilates or an experienced practitioner, these six core principles are important to keep in mind as you move through the sequences. Focusing on these principles will help sharpen and elevate your practice and fortify the mind-body connection.
1. Concentration
If you find it hard to stay focused during your Pilates practice, you might find these tips helpful:
Breath Awareness: Use your breath to guide each movement and stay present.
Visualize Movements: Picture the muscles working as you perform each exercise.
Minimize Distractions: Create a calm environment to practice in. Concentration ensures that every movement is performed with intention, enhancing the connection between mind and body.
2. Control
If you’re a control freak, then you’re in luck: Control plays a crucial role in Pilates! It's all about precise, intentional movements that protect against injuries and target the right muscles. How can you enhance your practice through control?
Begin Slowly: Perform new movements slowly to maintain control and precision.
Engage Core Muscles: Keep your core engaged to stabilize and support your movements.
Focus on Form: Pay close attention to your alignment and form with every exercise.
Practice Regularly: Consistent practice helps improve muscle memory and control.
Mastering control in Pilates helps you perform movements with precision, enhancing your technique and effectiveness.
3. Centering
Centering in Pilates isn't just about your core—it's about building a strong foundation for every exercise. Your abs, back, hips, and glutes are your powerhouse muscles and are essential for stability and strength. Looking to enhance your centering during Pilates practice? This is for you:
Progressive Core Exercises: Gradually increase the intensity of your core exercises to continually challenge and strengthen your powerhouse muscles.
Postural Awareness: Maintain good posture throughout the day to support your centering efforts and prevent strain on your back and hips.
Integration into Daily Activities: Apply centering principles to everyday activities like walking or sitting to maintain core engagement and improve overall stability.
4. Flow
When we talk about "flowing" in Pilates, we're describing moving effortlessly and transitioning seamlessly from one exercise to the next. It’s all about maintaining controlled and continuous movement that enhances the efficiency of the workout.
To work towards these fluid transitions, it's important to master the movement patterns and the sequence of the exercises first. Once those become automatic, you will be able to coordinate the breath with each exercise and anticipate the transition into the next exercise. Smooth transitions and controlled precision can make a world of difference!
5. Precision
Imagine balancing a teacup on your head while tiptoeing across a tightrope—sounds tricky, right? That’s what precision in Pilates is all about! It’s the key to unlocking your body’s full potential.
Precision is essential for those who want to focus on and improve their technique. As Pilates instructors, it’s our responsibility to remain hyper-focused on the details, helping our students be as precise as possible with their placement, alignment and trajectory. We may never achieve perfection, but we will always aim for precision.
When you move with precision, you ensure that every muscle gets exactly what it needs, leading to stronger, more balanced results and improved overall performance. Precision takes your practice from ‘just okay’ to ‘Wow, I didn’t know I could do that!’
6. Breath
Last but certainly not least is Breath.
Breath is the foundation of every movement in Pilates. Our breath supports the body’s alignment and flow. It also brings energy and focus, deepening the mind-body connection in every practice. Remember, every movement begins and ends with a breath. Let it fuel your practice with intention and control.
Each of these elements relies on the ability to focus, which can be difficult in this frenzied world where it’s easy to be distracted. However, incorporating these foundational elements into your practice will result in a profound shift in your ability. Six elements may be a lot to focus on all at once, but take it slowly. Try to incorporate at least one of these principles into your practice each session and it will become second nature.