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Why Pilates helps your muscles and your mind

Pilates uses breath techniques to focus the mind and create space for the muscles to contract and the ribs to open. Sounds hectic, but it's not. The more it's practised, the more you get accomplished.

Thoracic breathing - breathing into the thorax rather than the belly - "fully oxygenates the lungs and dispels stale air," explained Penny Little, Pilates instructor.  Thoracic breathing works the intercostal muscles so it's "possible to breath into the upper part of the body, creating space, fresh oxygen and movement".

Why bother?
Lateral breathing allows the breath to travel 3-dimensionally into, under and around the ribs, leaving the practitioner free to gently contract the abdominal muscles. It is possible to work the core section of the body while breathing into the upper body, which is essential in order to facilitate correct alignment, according to Penny.

Benefits
In my experience, not only does my tummy feel a little less flabby, but every Monday morning, I leave the Pilates class feeling active, positive and energised, and crack on with my to-do list with enthusiasm and motivation.

All in the mind
"Going to the gym is the antithesis of focusing the mind," said Penny. Trying to run, stretch or flex while watching a large screen, or listening to pumping music, makes it hard to focus on breath. Actions become habitual, and you work the body, but not the mind.

Pilates requires a quiet mind to sense the subtle movement deep inside your body; essential if you want to develop strength from the inside out.


Having a 6-pack but a weak core is like building a house on quicksand!

The abdomen comprises 5 layers of muscle...
  • obliquus externus - the side of the abdomen
  • obliquus internus - lies underneath the external
  • transversus abdominus
  • rectus abdominus - 6-pack
  • pyramidalis muscle - just below the 6-pack
...and true core strength comes from developing all 5 layers, not just the 6-pack.  The downside of overdeveloping muscles, such as the the abs, biceps, triceps, is that the muscles become short and lack movement.

"Pilates focuses on e-centric muscle movement- lengthening against resistance - and develops lean and lengthy muscle groups. Whereas weight lifting,  for example, uses concentric muscle contractions", explained Penny.  Picture muscle-bound body-builders - literally stunted by their bodies!

Re-educating the body, Pilates encourages use of just 25% of the core muscles' maximum output to re-train the body to iron out those postural quirks, developed over the years. So if you're after better flexibility, movement and grace, check out you local Pilates class and start breathing through the ribs. Life may never be the same again!