Monday, March 7, 2011

5 Pilates Principles for Life

You have been doing Pilates for awhile, but do you understand how the principles you learn in class can translate to your outside life?  Well, believe it or not they do.
  1. Quality is better than quantity.  Take the time to master the details of the movement much like you ponder decisions before they're made.  We learn the basics like scooping before we master the ab series.  Mistakes will happen, but we must learn from them and move on.  
  2. When in doubt breathe and scoop.  In Pilates this is a given in order to achieve fundamental and challenging exercises.  In life when you hit a rough spot take a moment to focus back on your center and breathe before you move forward.
  3. You are your only competition; preform at your best.  If we all trained like athletes we would have beautiful, strong bodies.  Remember you are an athlete, except your only competition is yourself.  Find motivation and push yourself.  Set goals to track your progress.  There is always another layer to a Pilates exercise much like there is to your career and relationships.
  4. The body and mind have to work together as a unit.  You need to be present in your Pilates workouts to achieve the maximum benefits.  You also need to be present in your daily life: career, family, social, and spiritual.  The mind is powerful and can help your body achieve its physical goals.  Start by being strong internally and the rest will follow.
  5. Make work a form of play.  In Pilates we add in props to make a mat class more fun and stimulating.  In classes you learn new variations of exercises to keep you mind active and enjoying the workout.  In life, take the time for learning new things and experiencing joy.  Take a break to try a new activity like golf or taking a trapeze class will give you a new sense of wonder at all your body is capable of achieving.
Allow Pilates to become a lifestyle change.

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