Please note: we can also cater for Mixed Ability groups, maximum 5 people £10 per class per person. Paid in 6 week blocks.
Background
The Body Control Pilates Method is based on the work of Joseph
Pilates who began to develop his Method around the time of the First
World War before opening a studio in New York in the 1920's. His studio
soon attracted the city's 'elite' with actors, dancers and athletes
finding that his exercises perfected and completed their traditional
programme and catered for their individual needs - building strength
without adding bulk, balancing that strength with flexibility, and
achieving the perfect harmony between mind and body.
What makes Pilates different?
"it is the mind itself which builds the body" - Joseph
Pilates, from Schiller.
Pilates is a body-conditioning method that works in a different way
to other fitness techniques. Targeting the deep postural muscles, it
works by building strength from the inside out, rebalancing the body and
bringing it into correct alignment. It helps to reshape your body which
will become longer, leaner and more toned. It will also improve your
posture, achieving the perfect balance between strength and flexibility,
and is a great way to relieve unwanted stress and tension. Ideal for
athletes looking to enhance their performance and avoid the risk of
injury, it is equally suitable for first-time exercisers. Its slow,
controlled approach means that it gives longer-term results - and it is
especially recommended by medical specialists for those with back
problems.
Pilates offers both mental and physical training, literally teaching
you to be in control of your body. By improving body awareness and
focus, tension is released from the body and correct postural alignment
is taught.
One is encouraged to breathe more efficiently by breathing laterally
into the lower ribcage. The creation of a 'girdle of strength' is one of
the primary aims of the Method and is achieved by strengthening the core
postural muscles that stabilise the torso. By correcting imbalances,
sound muscle recruitment patterns are encouraged and the body realigned.
Precise, controlled, flowing movements mean that the muscle and ligament
damage, sometimes associated with other fitness regimes, is avoided.
Pilates, in fact, plays a key role in many injury rehabilitation
programmes in dance, sport and general practice.
The core of the Method is 'awareness of your own body' and each
exercise is built around its eight key principles:
Relaxation
Breathing
Concentration
Flowing Movements
Alignment
Co-ordination
Centring
Stamina
Pilates can be found in 'one to one' private sessions, group matwork
classes (typically 12 people as a maximum), by working on machines in
Pilates studios, at home from books or videos or through
specially-designed home equipment.
Client assessment
Before joining a class, your Body Control Pilates Association teacher
will ask you to complete an Enrolment Form giving details of any
injuries or conditions. Where appropriate and with your permission, they
will liaise with your practitioner.
Who was Pilates?
Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1880. Very little is
known about his early life, but according to various biographies, he
appears to have been a frail child, suffering from asthma, rickets and
rheumatic fever. His drive and determination to overcome these ailments
led him to become a competent gymnast, diver and skier.
In 1912 Pilates lived in England working as a circus performer, boxer
and self-defence instructor. During World War I, he was interned with
other German nationals and it was during this time that he further
developed his technique of physical fitness, designed for a confined
space, by teaching his fellow internees. During the latter part of the
War, he served as an orderly in a hospital on the Isle of Man where he
began working patients who where unable to walk. It was here that the
inspiration for his famous piece of equipment the "Cadillac" was born,
as he attached springs to the hospital beds to help support the
patients' limbs while working with them.
After the War, he returned to Germany where he trained the police in
Hamburg and worked with others such as Rudolph von Laban, the innovative
modern dance pioneer.
Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1880. Very little is
known about his early life, but according to various biographies, he
appears to have been a frail child, suffering from asthma, rickets and
rheumatic fever. His drive and determination to overcome these ailments
led him to become a competent gymnast, diver and skier.