What is Pilates?
Pilates is an effective, efficient, full-body workout that is based on the core principals of alignment, stability, and breath. Pilates works on developing your body awareness so that you are always working out in optimal postural alignment.
Pilates (pronounced "puh-lah-teez") is a system of over 500 controlled exercises created almost 100 years ago by the late Joseph Hubertus Pilates. Pilates himself called his form of exercise "Contrology". As of the late 1990's, this form of exercise is now universally accepted and called Pilates, after it's namesake. Pilates is a system of mind/body training to improve overall health and fitness by strengthening and toning muscle, improving posture and increasing flexibility.
Pilates is is a balanced blend of strength and flexibility training that improves posture, reduces stress and creates long, lean muscles without bulking up.
According to the Pilates Method Alliance,
"Pilates is a full-body system of specific sequenced exercises performed on the mat and specially designed equipment. The method is centered around the concepts of awareness, balance, breath, centering, concentration, control, flowing movement, and precision. The principle of Pilates is to uniformly develop the body and mind".
Pilates has many benefits and is restorative.
The exercises are designed to improve posture and increase flexibility through controlled strengthening and stretching exercises. In particular the exercises work the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor, helping to create a centre of balance for the body, improving core-muscle tone and alignment.
Good posture can help us to attain (and retain as we age) maximum flexibility, strength, resiliency, and mobility of the spine. This is a goal well worth aiming for, and regular Pilates workouts can help you achieve it — because postural awareness is built right in to every exercise.
A person who moves well in his or her body projects a sense of power, grace, self-confidence, and personal style. If your posture is equivalent to a lazy slump, you CAN end up with a thick waist, narrow chest, and rounded shoulders that take a good 2 inches off your natural height — definitely not the picture of grace and style! Good posture is about more than just looking good, though; it's essential to a healthy, well-functioning body.
Poor posture is an energy sapper. If your spine is incorrectly balanced, your muscles need to work harder to keep your body upright all day long. Lazy posture also causes your upright structure to collapse in places, like a poorly constructed building. In turn, this can compound many physical ailments, such as digestive problems, poor circulation, chronic low energy, lower back pain, headaches, and shortness of breath.
The Pilates Methodology is based on sound scientific principles that squarely address the structural realities of the human body. Among its many benefits, it seeks to promote good posture by balancing the body and distributing the normal physical stresses of standing and moving among the appropriate bone and muscle groups.
The human spine is made up of 32 to 34 bones called vertebrae, and it is designed to provide a maximum range of motion and support for the body with a minimum of wear and tear on the spine's joints, or intervertebral discs. In addition, the spine has four natural curves:
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a flexible forward (or anterior) curve in the 7 cervical vertebrae that form the neck
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a flexible backward (or posterior) curve in the 12 thoracic vertebrae, where the ribs attach to form your torso
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another flexible anterior curve in the 5 lumbar vertebrae that form the lower back
- a final, fixed posterior curve in the 5 fused bones of the sacrum, where the spine attaches to the pelvis
If your posture is good, as illustrated here (in a side view), these spinal curves lend shock absorption, extra flexibility, and range of motion to your movement. Having evenly developed back muscles and strong abs helps support the spine. But if there is too much or too little curve in your spine, or if the curves do not balance properly with one another, your posture is poor, which can lead to structural problems and back pain.
Pilates offers a wonderful solution to poor postural habits because the exercises encourage bilateral, even muscle development and flexibility at the same time.
Poorly aligned postures cause asymmetrical muscle development, meaning certain muscle groups are constantly overworking to hold the body upright, while others become significantly weakened. Even our favorite sports, such as golf, tennis, and running, encourage lopsided and uneven muscle development — as does carrying a briefcase or handbag on one side of your body, or balancing an infant on the same hip for hours on end.
Pilates can be a wonderful solution to all these poor postural habits because the exercises encourage bilateral, even muscle development and flexibility at the same time. A good Pilates workout doesn't have to be long or exhausting — but it can and will rebalance your body over time.
Pilates Integration utilizes equipment like the rehab reformer, ladder barrel, arc barrel, spine corrector and cadillac which are specially designed to help students to establish the natural curves of the spine while maximizing strength, endurance and flexibility.
It is also a complete mind-body fitness program. Not only enjoy a challenging and highly effective workout, but you will learn about your blue-print design, function, musculature, proper alignment, and injury prevention while you do it! Goals of a Pilates bases exercise session are to return the body to it's blue-print design, improving posture, establishing and restoring/improving pelvic stability and integrating breath with movement.
If you are already familiar with Pilates and want to take your practice to the next level, Pilates Integration is the place to do it!
Deb Preachuk is a highly trained movement specialist with years of experience working with clients in chronic pain, severe injury rehabilitation to streamlining accomplished athletes.
With thousands of practical and certification training hours, Deb is able to tailor a Pilates program to meet the unique needs and abilities of each student, monitoring movements to ensure correct form and neuromuscular engagement for optimum results. We look forward to working with you and designing a program for your specific needs.
What makes Pilates Integration DIFFERENT and BETTER than other styles of Pilates instruction?
Intelligent Exercise. Profound Results.
Pilates Integration practices the "ivy-league" of all pilates instruction. STOTT Pilates. Former professional dancer Moira Merrithew developed STOTT PILATES® , with input from sports medicine professionals. STOTT PILATES® is a contemporary, anatomically based approach to Joseph Pilates' original exercise method. Its exercises safely deliver optimal strength, flexibility and endurance, without adding bulk in a building-block approach.
Pilates Integration takes these principles of breathing, flowing movement, precision, control and concentration and integrates modern knowledge about exercise and athletic performance. From a continued Pilates practice expect to build a stronger core, a flatter mid-section, find increased flexibility, better balance, improved joint alignment and mobility, and beautiful posture!
Whether performed on a mat or on specialized equipment, Pilates produces results like no other form of exercise. Pilates Integration Mind. Body. Spirit. offers a full line of STOTT Pilates equipment and excellent trainers to help you feel the profundity of moving as your body was designed to move.
Many people who suffer from chronic pain or are in need of rehabilitation can get lost in a cycle where movement hurts, therefore the fear of moving escalates and the pain prohibits the body from moving. The pain gets worse, and the person does not get the opportunity or knowledge needed to heal. We believe in the body’s innate ability to heal itself, given the proper information, exercises and opportunity.
The approach we take to Pilates focuses on spinal mobility, local stabilization, improving kinesthetic awareness and proprioception, and nurturing the process of healing in mind, body and spirit. We assess movement patterns and teach our clients proper muscle recruitment patterns. We teach your body how to return to its original blue-print design and make moving a pleasure and PAIN FREE!
Not only does Deb have extensive training in STOTT Pilates, she also holds advanced degrees/certifications in other complimentary movement therapies.
Each exercise has been broken down into the safest and most effective way to teach the entire spectrum of clientele, from elite athlete to chronic injuries and rehabilitation. STOTT PILATES® ensures a successful outcome no matter where a student begins.
Unlike the original series of exercises, STOTT PILATES® incorporates modern exercise principles, including contemporary thinking about spinal rehabilitation and performance enhancement. For example, unlike the original approach, which promotes a flat back, STOTT PILATES® exercises are designed to restore the natural curves of the spine and rebalance the muscles around the joints. They also place more emphasis on scapular stabilization. As well, there are more preparatory exercises and modifications to make the method safer and more effective.
Who can do Pilates?
Everyone! People of all ages and physical conditions can benefit from Pilates. From athletes to individuals with acute and chronic injuries, a trained Pilates professional can modify the work to suit an individual's needs.
What if I have more questions?
See our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information. There's a great chance we've answered them all for you.
However, if indeed you do have more questions, please contact us today. We'd love to hear from you!
"Concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise,
lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value."
~ Joseph Pilates.
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