PILATES IS THE

COMPLETE COORDINATION OF

BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

– JOSEPH PILATES

BENEFITS OF PILATES AND YOGA

PILATES

Developed by Joseph H. Pilates to strengthen and tone muscles, and to properly align the body.  It is a refreshing mind-body workout emphasizing proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment and concentration on smooth flowing movement.  In Pilates the quality of movement is valued over the quantity of repetitions.

STRENGTHENS YOUR CORE.  The core being more than just the abdominals, focusing on shoulder and pelvic stability as well.  You’ll learn how to activate the deeper muscles that support the trunk.

ELIMINATES BACK PAIN.  Pilates focuses on stabilizing and strengthening the back.  A strong back and core help to alleviate and prevent back pain.

INCREASES FLEXIBILITY.  The Pilates apparatus helps to control stretches while working with resistance.  You’ll learn to stay connected while stretching, and will develop greater flexibility over time.

HELPS KEEP BONES STRONG.  Weight bearing and resistance exercises help build bone mass, which is especially important to women.  Over time, bones lose minerals and get less dense and more brittle, therefore prone to osteoporosis.

IMPROVES BODY AWARENESS AND ALIGNMENT.  Pilates helps you engage the right muscles for improving control.  It helps teach correct body alignment which helps to prevent injury.  Lessons learned in the studio carry out in daily life.

REDUCES STRESS.  A great way for the body to release tension, as the mind is deeply focused on the present and breathing properly in harmony with movement which, helps to calm.

HELPS TO LOSE INCHES.  Pilates definitely targets often neglected and hard to find muscles, and most likely inches will be lost!

FINALLY.  Pilates at a glance may look deceptively “easy”, but it is the small controlled movements that really make the work challenging.  It would be ”easy” to do Pilates incorrectly , so to gain the full benefit of Pilates  good form is essential.

YOGA

Yoga is a popular workout regime for people looking to improve flexibility, strength, balance, and stamina. Yoga teaches mindful breathing and relaxation practices, which increase body/mind awareness while reducing stress. Suitable for all ages, levels and body types, Yoga also has therapeutic benefits for a variety of aches, pains, injuries and health challenges.

IMPROVES FLEXIBILITY. Improved flexibility is an obvious benefit of yoga. With a weekly yoga practice, you’ll notice a gradual loosening, and eventually, seemingly impossible poses will become possible. Aches and pains will also start to disappear; that’s no coincidence. Tight hips can strain the knee due to improper alignment of the thigh and shinbones. Tight hamstrings can lead to flattening of the lumbar spine, causing back pain. Inflexibility in muscles and connective tissue can cause poor posture.

BUILDS STRENGTH. Strong muscles do more than look good. They protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain and help prevent falls as we age. When you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility.

PERFECTS YOUR POSTURE. Your head is like a bowling ball – big, round, and heavy. When it’s balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Move it several inches forward, however, and you can strain those muscles. Hold up that forward-leaning bowling ball for 8-12 hours a day and it’s no wonder you feel tired or stressed. Poor posture can cause back, neck, and other muscle and joint problems.

PROTECTS YOUR SPINE. Spinal disks – the shock absorbers between vertebrae that can herniate and compress nerves – crave movement. That’s the only way they get their nutrients. If you have a well-balanced asana practice with plenty of backbends, forward bends and twists you’ll help keep your disks supple.

HELPS YOU FOCUS. An important component of yoga is focusing on the present. Studies have found that regular yoga practice improves coordination, reaction time, memory, and even IQ scores.

RELAXES YOUR SYSTEM. Yoga encourages you to relax, slow your breath, and focus on the present, shifting the balance from the sympathetic nervous system (or the ‘fight or flight’ response) to the parasympathetic nervous system. The latter is calming and restorative; it lowers breathing and heart rates, decreases blood pressure, and increases blood flow to the intestines and reproductive organs—comprising what Herbert Benson, M.D., calls the relaxation response.

IMPROVES BALANCE. Practicing yoga increases proprioception (the ability to feel what your body is doing and where it is in space) and improves balance. People with bad posture or dysfunctional movement patterns usually have poor proprioception, which has been linked to knee problems and back pain. Postures like Tree Pose can make us feel less wobbly on and off the mat.

GIVES YOU PEACE OF MIND. Yoga quells the fluctuations of the mind, according to Pantanjali Yoga Sutras. In other words, it slows down the mental loops of frustration, regret, anger, fear, and desire that can cause stress. And since stress is implicated in so many health problems—from migraines and insomnia to lupus, MS, eczema, high blood pressure, and heart attacks—when you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll likely live longer and healthier.