Mat Pilates Flow with precision & control

What are you working on these days?

Maybe you’re still nursing your back muscles or working on how to breathe. Or are you trying to activate your abs muscles? Or are you learning to connect to your body more? 

These are all great goals to have. Like they ask you in an interview where you see yourself in a certain number of years, you could use the same concept as motivation to advance your body. A vision is a guide to understanding better where you are at and where you are going. 

The goal you set for your body to achieve may even be more critical than the answer you give to an interviewer. Unlike the job you can change to maintain your mind goals, the body you live in is permanent, and you need to challenge it to be the best host to your life. So, what can your body achieve in 1, 2, or 5 years from now? 

Running, climbing, pole dancing, trekking, horse riding …

The list goes on. What is your list? Could you write it down?

Now what?

Now evaluate yourself. Does what you’re doing right now reflect your vision at the beginning of the year?

Why is this important?

The beginning of the year is where we start with the resolution, and now it’s a good time to check in to see if we are still on track. And if not, it’s good that we are checking now to still get back on the right track.

Now for today’s video. Grab a friend of your daughter and let’s all move together.

Let’s explore the 4 out of the 7 Pilates principles.

Here’s an excerpt from The Everything Pilates Book.

Precise control: ” Disciplined, precise, controlled movements are hallmarks of the Pilates method. Pilates originally named his method “Contrology” because he believed that you could become fit and healthy only if you trained your mind to control the actions of your body…. Learning controlled movement gives you much more physical freedom because it enables you to know what your body is (and isn’t) capable of doing.

Flowing natural movement: When you do Pilates you don’t stop and start and don’t move too quickly of too slowly. You maintain a strong, controlled pace that takes you smoothly through the process of one movement and on to the next…… As you move from exercise to exercise, you make each transition with the same kind of controlled, flowing movement. Because you natural, daily activities involve many transitions.

Oppositional energy: Oppositional energy is a principle that combines the skills of concentration and visualization to increase the benefits of movements. Using this principle, you visualize that two opposing points in your body are actually stretching apart as you assume a position or movement. Oppositional energy elongates muscles, aligns bones, and balances and stabilizes the muscular forces around each joint.

Breathing: Breathing is both a both a guiding principle and a goal of Pilates. That deserves a whole video. And that’s for next month.

Bring a friend with you and give this flow a sequence a try, it’s fun. You will feel uplifted and strong by the end of it.

Once you do, please share your experience with me.

Xo