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The Pilates Method follows carefully laid-out principles based on a well-constructed philosophical and theoretical foundation (one without mysticism or appeals to unseen forces, divine or otherwise). It is not merely a collection of exercises but a method, developed and refined over more than eighty years of use and observation. While Pilates draws from many diverse exercise styles, running the gamut from yoga to Greek ideals to Chinese acrobatics, there are certain inherent ruling principles that bring all these elements together under the Pilates name. These are the Pilates Principles: Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, Breathing, and Flowing Movement.
Mind over matter
The central element of the Pilates Method is also its most paradoxical. The method’s goal (beyond slimming and strengthening) is to create a fusion of mind and body, so that without thinking about it you will move with economy, grace, and balance; you will hold yourself regally; and you will use your body to the greatest advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting its weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The paradox is this: to produce an attention-free union of mind and body, the method requires that you constantly pay attention to your body while you are doing the movements. This attention-paying is so vital that it is more important than any other single aspect of the movements or the method.
Breathing
Joseph Pilates believed in getting the blood pumping so that it could awaken all the cells in the body and carry away the wastes that are related to fatigue. For the blood to do its work properly, it has to be charged with oxygen and purged of waste gases through proper breathing. Full and thorough inhalation and exhalation are part of every Pilates exercise. Pilates saw forced exhalation as the key to full inhalation. “Squeeze out the lungs as you would ring a wet towel dry,” he is reputed to have said. “Soon the entire body is charged with fresh oxygen from toes to fingertips, just as the head of steam in a boiler rushes to every radiator in the house.” Breathing, too, should be done with concentration, control, and precision. It should be properly coordinated with movement. Each exercise is accompanied by breathing instructions. In addition, there are a few general principles that will help when you’re doing something that doesn’t come with breathing instructions attached. And always remember the words of Uncle Joe: “Even if you follow no other instructions, learn to breathe correctly”
Centering
Pilates called the large group of muscles in our center – encompassing our abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks – the “powerhouse.” All energy for Pilates exercises begins from the powerhouse and flows outward to the extremities. Physical energy is exerted from the center to coordinate one's movements. In this way a strong foundation is built upon which to rely in daily living.
Concentration
You have to concentrate on what you are doing. All the time. And you must concentrate on your entire body. This is not something you’ll be able to do when you start, because it’s harder than you think. Once you begin really to pay attention to your body, you will find that a movement which may have seemed simple is actually quite complex.
Control
Pilates training teaches complete muscle control, and there are no sloppy, haphazard movements in this method. Thorough concentration is needed in order to be in control of every aspect of every movement. This applies not just to the large motions of limbs, but to the positions of fingers, head, and toes, the degree of arching or flatness of the back, the rotation of the wrists, and the turning in or out of the legs.
Precision
Every movement in the Pilates method has a purpose. Every instruction is vitally important to the success of the whole. To leave out any detail is to forsake the intrinsic value of the exercise. The focus is on doing one precise and perfect movement, rather than many halfhearted ones. Eventually this precision becomes second nature, and carries over into everyday life as grace and economy of movement.
Fluidity
Pilates exercises are performed fluidly. There are no static, isolated movements because our bodies do not naturally function that way. Dynamic energy replaces the quick, jerky movements of other exercise regimes. Grace of motion is emphasized over speed; ultimately the movements should feel as fluid as a long stride or a waltz. Uniformly developed muscles are the key to good posture, suppleness, and natural grace.
Bibliography
Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology (republished Paperback) by Joseph H. Pilates, William J. Miller,(Judd Robbins, Editor) ISBN 0961493798
Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education (republished in Paperback) by Joseph H. Pilates, ( Judd Robbins Editor) ISBN 096149378X
The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning by Philip Friedman, Gail Eisen. Hardcover: 191 pages Publisher: Doubleday; 1st ed edition (May, 1984) Language: English ISBN 0385144903
The Pilates Body, by Brooke Siler 208 pages Broadway; 1st edition (January 4, 2000) Language: English ISBN 076790396X
External links
"The Pilates Principles"