What Are Pilates?

By Angela Winter


Developed by Joseph Pilates of Germany, Pilates is another type of exercise that is done by many people. It is one of the most commonly practiced type of exercise. Balanced development of the body is the main focus of this kind of exercise and it is attained through body conditioning, core strength, awareness and flexibility. Pilates can provide lots of benefits to the body if done properly and regularly.

Effects of Pilates to the body:

1. Toning and enhancing the body's overall flexibility is one effect that Pilates has on your body. Unlike many forms of exercise, Pilates does not make use of weights and weight lifting exercises to tone the muscles, it muses many other kinds of materials and equipment instead to attain this goal.

2. Developing muscle strength and agility is another effect of Pilates on the one's body. These characteristics or development that is achieved when practicing Pilates is important for a person to do activities that needs the use of muscle strength and agility.

3. Another benefit that one can get in doing Pilates is the pevention of injuries and opportunity to properly use correct body mechanics and appropriate posture.

4. Improved breathing efficiency and healthier lungs and heart functions is one of the many benefits that you can get in doing Pilates.

5. Rehabilitation and recovery from injuries is also one of the benefits an individual can get from doing Pilates.

6. For people that suffering from chronic pains, practicing may help alleviate their experience of pain in effect they experience improved quality of life.

Same with any other kind of exercise, doing Pilates accurately and appropriately is vital to achieve the benefits that you want from the exercise. Proper body discipline also plays a major role in doing the Pilates exercise. When planning to engage in Pilates exercise, you might want to consult Pilates experts first especially for beginners just to make sure that you will be properly guided in doing the exercise and making use of the different materials used in Pilates.

Two students, Gail Eisen and Phillip Friedman outlined the important principles of Pilates. Here are those principles:

1. The first principle is Centering which id the starting point for an individual to attain control over his/her own body.This is the method of Pilates also known as Central point.

2. The second principle of Pilates is control which makes a person concentrate on ahchieving control, specifically musle control, over his own body. This principle can be achieved by properly doing every aspect of the Pilates exercise.

3. Flow or moving with efficiency-One goal to be achieved when doing the Pilates exercise is to attain the proper flow of exercises in a way that the movement of the body should be well-coordinated. In this way, body precision will be achieved resulting in increased stamina and stronger body.

4. The fourth principle of Pilates is breathing. Considered as one of the most important principles of Pilates, once a person starts to do Pilates exercise improve oxygenation and improved breathing pattern is expected to be a result.

5.The fifth principle of Pilates is Precision. This is mainly defined as having people who perform Pilates do the exercises with 100 accuracy to ensure that the benefits of doing the exercise will be maximized.

6.The last principle of Pilates is Concentration. doing Pilates, one should concentrate on his/her own body for them to internalize what area of the body needs more improvement and development.

Same with the different kinds of exercises, practicing Pilates appropriately is very essential for a person to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves. Other than that, these principles of Pilates are important guidelines for individuals doing Pilates for them to attain the benefits that the exercise has to offer. Aside from doing the exercise and making these principles as guidelines, it is also advisable to seek help of a Pilates expert especially if you are a beginner.




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