BodyPoise

Pilates  

Pilates is for everyone. No matter your age, gender, health or fitness level, the targeted, body-mind exercises can be tailored to your individual needs. 

Pilates is excellent for improving your strength, flexibility, balance and posture.  

Maybe you’re seeking a new exercise regime, or this is a prescribed treatment, pre-natal or post-natal, post operative rehab or you’re seeking another health benefit, you will find something to suit you here in a one-to-one session or group class. 

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What is Pilates? 

Pilates is a mindful challenging low-impact exercise that focuses on performing movements while the body is in a well aligned position, to strengthen the smaller deeper postural muscles before the larger outer dynamic muscles. It combines breath and movement to enhance the body-mind connection.  

Pilates has a myriad of benefits backed by research, here are a few: 

  • Pilates promotes overall joint health and prevents injury 
  • It increases the strength of the smaller deeper postural muscles, our core muscles. This stabilises our joints which helps prevent damage. 
  • It teaches good posture to allow the force from the weight of our head and trunk to pass evenly through the joints in our spine, hips, knees and feet, which helps minimise wear and tear. 
  • It promotes good joint movement and flexibility. Stiffness in one joint can lead to overuse and damage of another so it can prevent this. 
  • It aims to equalise muscle strength on either side of the body. 
  • It balances muscle flexibility and strength in the larger outer muscles which work to provide fluid movement 
  • It increases balance 

History of Pilates 

Created in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, his first exercises worked mainly the larger outer core e.g. your six pack muscles. Since then, research tells us about the value of the smaller, deeper, stability muscles, that support our joints as the larger muscles move them.  

After pain or injury, the smaller muscles switch off, which leads to damage and pain at the joints and surrounding structures. These muscles need to be re-educated to work again after pain or surgery.  

The Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute have harnessed this research to adapt Joseph’s first exercises to the method we practice called Modified Pilates, where we work from the inside out, engaging the deeper stability muscles first to develop strong core strength.  

What can look easy can be incredibly challenging when done correctly with good form. We keep our classes small to allow an individual ‘hands-on’ approach to help you gain the most from each session. 

Pilates can help with all the following and more: 

  • a new exercise regime to improve overall health and fitness 
  • build core strength, flexibility, balance and good posture 
  • preventative antenatal pelvic care in pregnancy or recovery after birth  
  • postoperative recovery, from hysterectomy prolapse repairs to shoulder rehab or knee replacement surgery to name a few 
  • hypermobility   
  • recovery from joint injuries, from neck, shoulder to ankles and further injury prevention 
  • lower back pain 
  • sports injury recovery and recurrent injury prevention 
  • menopause symptoms through improving bone health, cardiovascular health, mood, manage hot flushes and weight gain. Pilates exercises  
  • helps strengthen weakening muscles and stretch tightened muscles 
  • pelvic floor rehabilitation 
  • post fall strengthening and balance improvement 
  • reduce chronic pain or fibromyalgia pain 
  • depression and anxiety can benefit from the mindful component, alongside the more common benefits of endorphin release from exercise, particularly in a class where connection with others can provide support 
  • neurological conditions for example multiple sclerosis, to strengthen core muscles and improve balance as able 
  • increases energy levels increasing your cardiorespiratory capacity 
  • enhances body awareness. The attention to the body increases your awareness of comfort or pain, your emotions and your environment with enhanced proprioception it helps prevent injury 
  • decreases stress as the breath focus can down regulate the nervous system taking you out of fight or flight and lowering cortisol levels 
  • reduces menstrual pain  
  • improves balance 
  • increases immunity due to improved circulation 
  • improves cognitive functioning and motivation 
  • improves sleep, especially in people under 40 years old 
  • strengthens bones 
  • improve sports performances