My Pilates Experience Thus Far

*Photo from Pilates.About.Com

I started out Pilates in January as a new resolutions to introduce some exercise to my weekly routine and keep fit. I was also hoping to improve my shoulder ache by the stretching exercises in Pilates. After taking the first class did I only know that the focus of Pilates is increasing the core strength which is the muscles that stabilise, align and move the trunk of the body, mostly the abdominals, muscles of the back and the glutes (i.e. buttocks). According to Anna, the instructor, these muscles will be used throughout our life so if these muscles stay strong then we will be able to maintain good posture even when we get older.

The priciples of Pilates are:

1. Concentration - we need to concentrate on what we are doing, i.e. the workout and the breathing.
2. Breathing - each exercise must be done in correct sequence with the correct breathing coordination. I turned out that the way I was breathign was wrong. When breathing in, the thorasic (chest area) should rise and the stomach should also rise to be filled with air. And when breathing out, the stomach should be squeezed to let out all the used air.
3. Centering - Concentrating on the centre of the body which is the powerhouse area between the lower ribs and pubic bone. Based on my experience, most pilates exercises require us to focus on the cente, i.e. core.
4. Control - during each exercise, we must control the movement of the muscles. Different exercises are done on different muscles such as abdominals, hamstrings, triceps ets.
5. Isolation or precision - since the exercises target certain muscles, we were told to ensure that the rest of the body stays as still as possible.
6. Isometrics or flow - all exercises are done in a flowing manner. Starting from stretching, to the supine (lying on the back) exercises, to side exercises, to prone (lying on the front exercises) and finally to the warming down. Fluidity, grace, and ease are goals applied to all exercises. The energy of an exercise connects all body parts and flows through the body in an even way.

The first 10 classes I attended provided me with the basic mat exercises of Pilates containing 20+ exercises that work most muscles in the body. I have finished the first 10 and am not on my 16th class where we improve on the basic exercises and are introduced to other intermediate exercises. Thus far, I think the most difficult exercises are The Hundred - we have to lift our upperbody and legs with a flat back and maintain this posture for 10 breaths, the single leg stretch and criss cross which must each be done 50 times (total 100) and the prone plank - must hold this posture for ideally 3 minutes but we've only gone up to 1 minute.

Actually, after the 10th class we can already start doing the exercises at home. I initially planned to do them every Tuesday and Thursday after work but sometimes I feel lazy or I need to entertain Maisarah. But at least I am doing it once a week during the class. Even when we move over to our house in Kajang, I think I will continue to go to the Pilates class in PJ because there are lots more to learn especially when we get on to using the ball. And if I'm good enough, I may even learn to become an instructor and open classes in Bangi.Kajang. Who knows? :)