Why Pilates is more than just a workout
Pilates is more than just a workout. Any person who’s been doing Pilates for at least a couple of months knows that Pilates doesn’t only restructure your body but it also clears your mind and gives you energy and inner peace.
But what is so special about Pilates?
Pilates exercise focuses on postural symmetry, breath control, abdominal strength and stability, spine, pelvis and shoulder stabilization, muscle flexibility, joint mobility and strengthening through the complete range of motion of all joints instead of isolating muscle groups, the whole body is trained integrating the upper and lower extremities with the trunk.
After practicing Pilates for 5 years and teaching it for 3 years I’ve seen changes in my body and mind as well and also observed the same transformations in my clients. Most people go to a Pilates class to get a flat tummy, ease joint pains and discomforts, rehabilitate after surgery or improve their athletic performance. Pilates can do all of that!
However, the most amazing transformation happens when clients start seeing changes not only in their body and mind but also in their emotions.
Our world is full of distractions, stresses and chaos. We are all looking for a personal inner state of peace and tranquility that would help us make sense of everything that is going on in our lives. When searching for that inner balance we usually consider techniques such as meditation, but Pilates is rarely a consideration for mind and body.
Below are some reasons why Pilates can be the answer you have been searching for.
Pilates improves your memory
In our late 20s most of us start losing about 1% of the volume of our hippocampus, a portion of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive function.
For a long time scientists thought that we were born with a certain number of brain cells but recently they discovered that our brains can create new cells thus slowing down or reversing brain shrinkage. What does this mean? It means better memory, lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease, better learning and problem solving.
Several recent studies have proved that exercise improves neurogenesis – creation of new brain cells. The changes are mostly noticeable in the hippocampus, the region responsible for memories and learning.
Research shows that people have significantly superior brain function after a mindful movement practice like Pilates compared to aerobic exercise.
Pilates trains your brain
Learning new activities is a proven brain-training technique. Learning new activities increases the density of white matter in the brain (the fibers that let neurons communicate.) If the neurons are formed but they don’t connect then eventually they die without any benefit to brain health so this white matter is extremely important.
Learning a new activity is an important part of brain fitness. An exercise program however can be just the right way to multitask – benefit your body and mind at the same time.
Deeper muscle activation means better function of the nervous system.
Every time you move you use several specific areas of your brain. The brain then sends an impulse through the spinal cord to muscle fibers.
When you learn to voluntary engage certain muscles (like deep core activation in Pilates) you initiate a series of movements that might have been asleep for a long time. Your core musculature consists of 29 muscles – not just a six-pack. Learning to use them is a cleansing rinse for your nervous system.
A healthy nervous system means better communication between your brain and other parts of your body as well as the release of stress-fighting and mood-boosting hormones. You may even achieve homeostasis whilst practicing Pilates!
Calm mind and emotions with Pilates
You have probably heard a lot about the benefits of mindfulness meditation for your mind and body. Meditation can help:
- relieve anxiety and depression
- help treat insomnia,
- sharpen the mind,
- uncover creative thinking,
- relieve stress,
- help with chronic pain management
- reduce negative emotions,
- help fight addictions and instill positive habits,
- lowers blood pressure and improve cardio vascular health.
- Mindfulness originated in ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese traditions and when it comes to experimental psychology, mindfulness is less about spirituality and more about concentration: the ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention on the present, and dismiss any distractions that come your way.
Pilates lets you concentrate your attention on one thing – your body. Whether you want it or not, you have to clear your mind of any distractions if you are performing Pilates mat coordination work.
You can gain mindfulness benefits only if you are comfortable with what you are doing. Some enjoy the peacefulness of a traditional meditation while others get better results from mindful movement that cleanses the mind while exercising the body.
Pilates relieves stress tension in our body.
You have probably heard about the “fight-or-flight” response to stressful situations. When confronted with a stressful situation (for example fear of public speaking) your body releases a wave of stress hormones to prime your body to fight or flee.
In a stressful situation your body is not always able to cope with the situation so the hormone cortisol floods our body causing hypertension, muscle tightness and often pain.
Pilates relieves tension built up in the muscles through gentle stretching and gradual conditioning by taking you through a series of controlled exercises. This also helps focus your mind to leave you feeling like you have had a complete mind and body experience.
A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well balanced mind, fully capable of successfully meeting all the complex problems of modern living.
~Joseph Pilates
Pilates may tame your stress.
While it’s important to drive stress out of your body, it’s even more important to prevent stress from entering your mind. If you don’t address the cause of stress (the way you perceive situations and respond to them) you won’t be able to have lasting stress relief.
Pilates embodies steadiness and ease and teaches you to find opposition inside your body, work with gravity and use it to gain greater control of the body.
During a Pilates class movement is focused on flowing transitions. When physical demands are met with steady breathing and mindfulness the nervous system responds by maintaining activation while keeping an underlying sense of calm. This response lets us face our day-to-day stress with clarity and respond to it without getting overwhelmed.
Pilates makes you happier.
If you love Pilates then it will make you happier.
When our body is positively stressed, like when you go through a favorite workout, endorphins are released into the body which make you feel good. If you enjoy your workout and stay focused on it instead of letting your mind wander somewhere else you will feel happy and calm at the end.
Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.
~Joseph Pilates
Pilates makes you more creative.
A creative and open mind lets us experience life fully and come up with inventive ways to deal with life’s challenges.
Exercise and mindfulness meditation each have proven to improve creativity. When you combine the two in a Pilates workout you get even better results for your mind and your body.
Pilates lets you control your emotions.
Our emotions and breathing are closely connected. Think of how your breathing changes when you face something frightening as opposed to something pleasant. There is no major breakthrough, just common sense. Put simply, you can basically breathe yourself into calmness or anxiety.
Above all, learn to breathe correctly.
~Joseph Pilates
Breath is one of the six fundamental Pilates principles. Learning to control your breath is probably the biggest benefit of Pilates since many of us forget how to breathe properly. The techniques that you learn in a Pilates class can also be used in different life situations to calm your mind or get through a stressful situation.
Mindful Movement helps release emotional tension.
Any mind/body professional can tell a lot about your personality by simply looking at your posture and observing your movement. Over time we store our emotions and anxieties in our body. We clench our jaws when we want to yell, slouch when we feel inferior or shy, and tighten our hips to suppress emotions of sadness and fear.
Pilates practice lets you release your muscles and gain control of the deep core muscles that tend to be closely connected to your emotional baggage. When you release muscles that hold your emotional tension you also let go of the emotional baggage that you’ve been carrying around for who knows how long.
Pilates teaches you to be yourself.
Pilates teaches you to respect your body and exercise some self-compassion. Pilates practice is focused on working within your range of motion and building up your strength and flexibility gradually. Interesting enough, once we become confident in what we are doing we find strength and motivation to move to the next level.
When you learn to respect your body this way you also learn to do the same with everything else in your life.
Become more confident.
The “power” posture boosts confidence levels. By sitting and standing straight is the exact posture that makes us more confident.
Pilates is all about good posture and proper body alignment. Of course, good posture is important for your health but you will also gain the confidence benefit from it.
Pilates offers intelligent movement for the mind and body.