Pilates improves the way you feel and move!

Do you ever feel a little off balance? Or are certain movements a little more challenging than you'd like? Balancing your body can improve the way you feel and move, and one of the best ways I know to create this balance is Pilates. Whether you go to a group mat pilates class or take one-on-one privates, the process is built on the basic principles of breathing, pelvic placement, ribcage placement, scapular movement/stabilization, and head/cervical placement. These five principles work together to create safe and effective exercise. Pilates is very much a practice of awareness and mindful movement. Read on to learn more about each of these principles below.

The first basic principle of Pilates is Breathing. Breathing in Pilates not only helps engage the core muscles, but it also helps to relax the muscles and avoid unnecessary tension. A relaxed full breath can help facilitate awareness and focus on the exercise at hand. A deep exhale can help activate the deep abdominal muscles. With each exercise, breath and awareness of the muscles are "engaged" before the exercise begins. This ensures that all of the necessary muscles are ready to assist the movement

The second basic principle is Pelvic Placement. This is the placement or position of the hips/pelvis. When beginning Pilates, an imprinted position may be used at first. An imprinted pelvic placement is found lying on your back, by a slight posterior tilt of the pelvis, engaging the obliques and bringing the pubic bone slightly higher than the ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine). But an instructor should guide you to keep coming back to neutral. A neutral pelvis is the most stable and shock absorbing position. To find this, when lying on your back, the pubic bone and the front of the hip bones (ASIS) are parallel to the floor. This allows the low back to maintain it's natural curve. Neutral is the most stable way to work. In neutral, you have ALL of your core muscles working together.

The third basic principle is Ribcage Placement. The abdominals attach to the lower ribs and assist in finding a neutral position. While lying on your back feel the weight of the ribs resting gently on the mat. Don't allow the low ribs to lift away from the mat, and avoid pushing the ribcage forcefully into the mat. Breathe into the back and side ribs to help stay in a neutral position while doing an exercise. On your exhale, gently let the two sides of the ribs come in toward the mid line. Avoid excessive ribcage depression.

The fourth basic principle is Scapular Movement/Stabilization. Stabilization of the shoulder blades is important because of the lack of direct boney attachment of the scapulae to the ribcage and spine. They have a lot of mobility allowing us to move our arms/shoulders in a wide range of motions. This awesome mobility can also be a source of injury. Focus on stabilizing the scapulae is important before and throughout the entire duration of an exercise. A neutral scapulae position may be different in each individual depending on the shape of your ribcage. An instructor can help you become aware of how your shoulder blades naturally rest and find a working neutral position that works with your body. Besides keeping the shoulders safe, stabilized scapulae can also help decrease neck tension.

The fifth basic principle is Head and Cervical Placement. Head and neck position is very important throughout all Pilates exercises. While in neutral spine, there is a natural curve to the cervical spine (the neck area) and the head balances directly above the shoulders. This is true for seated, standing, supine and prone exercises. While doing flexion or extension as well as lateral flexion, the cervical spine follows the line of the thoracic spine (in the area of the ribcage). This is a safe way of moving and keeps the joints in the neck healthy, avoiding excessive wear, ensuring many happy years of neck range of motion and movement.

Spending time practicing the Basic Principles in Pilates is important for safe effective movement and utilizes all ranges of motion available in the body. This basic foundation is a great building block for any movement activity in your life whether hiking, cycling, practicing yoga, playing with kids/grandkids or even more advanced movements in Pilates. While moving through all ranges of motion available in your body, you keep joints healthy, move fluids such as blood and lymph, and stretch and strengthen your muscles. The pleasant by-product is an energized, rested, calm mind and body.