Therapist: Nicola Smith

Introduction to Pilates

“In ten sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 you will see the difference, and in 30 you will have a whole new body”  said Joseph Pilates.

Pilates is remarkably effective – and medically-approved. It is a series of meticulous, slow-moving resistance exercises, designed to build muscle strength, enhance balance, refine posture and improve flexibility.  It re-educates your body and works from the inside by engaging and strengthening your core, the corset of muscles around your torso supporting your spine and pelvis.

Central to the Method is ‘awareness of your own body’ and each and every exercise is built around its eight basic principles:

• Relaxation
• Concentration
• Co-ordination
• Centring
• Alignment
• Breathing
• Stamina
• Flowing Movements

By working on the deep architectural structure of the body, ‘core stability’ is achieved, and then maintained, through increasingly complex movement sequences.

Your body awareness is heightened by bringing together mind and body, Pilates literally teaches you to be in control of your body, allowing you to handle stress more effectively and achieve relaxation more easily.

Pilates can work for everyone, regardless of fitness level! Exercises can be mat or machine based, but mat-work exercises are particularly safe for those with back problems (and don’t forget that 95% of the UK population has, or has had, backache). Its consistent success rate in solving such problems has brought it to the attention of osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists and homeopathic doctors.

In fact Pilates is regularly recommended by physiotherapists, osteopaths and surgeons.

Call The Therapy Life Centre on 01702 433959 to book your Pilates class.