September Newsletter 2018

THE BENEFITS OF DOING PILATES

This is a short story of a session I had with one of my clients just this week. I hope you enjoy reading it as much I did teaching it.

I encourage my clients to take responsibility for their own wellness by widening their perspectives on their capabilities of movement, health and wellbeing. By teaching them to own their body, own their movement and own the response they get from it.One of my clients arrives in today sits on the chair and sighs,” is it nearly over”? She has just arrived! Her next sentence is, “I know I’ll feel better when it’s over”, another sigh.

I smile and start our session with some breathing. The wonderful benefits of breathing is it promotes rest and digest to the automatic nervous system. Marie knows what this means.

Joe Pilates said in his book, you must go to the countryside and nourish your body with fresh air, getting out of the cities stale air in order to maintain healthy lungs.

Marie comes to Pilates to breath wellness into her lungs by letting her body slow down and be in a space that supports her.

We move onto footwork on the Reformer, “oh great she says I get to ly down”. I smile and show her the way to movement, lengthening the legs, dropping the heels, breathing and engaging. We move to mermaid on the reformer. “Oh I like this one she says, as its stretches all the places you feel needs to be stretched”.

I suggest she follow that feeling that needs to be stretched. “I LOVE this feeling she says”. I suggest we try another exercise, roll back on the reformer. Marie works 2 days a week and can often have low back pain after work. Her typical posture is anteriorly tilted, shhhh don’t tell her as she is figuring that one out. Every day she is supporting herself more and more by doing Shoulder bridge and holding table-top legs for 30 seconds at home by herself. She does this so she can strengthen her core to stabilise her back. She tells all her friends this is what you need to do to reduce low back pain and enhance your energy levels.

We do one arm press on the chair, as its important for Marie to be able to get up and down from the floor. As well as working all those muscles in your arm and shoulder joint it keeps your hips, knees and ankles free I tell her. You see she is 70 years old this year and lives alone, so it’s important to keep her mobility tip top. She likes to show off to her friends how she can pick things off the floor as quick as a flash!

When the session is finished, Marie says “is that it, are we done already?”  I smile and nod, and wait for her next sentence.” If only I could bottle this feeling, I feel like I’m walking on air, stretched and open” .Every week Marie comes back for her “air feeling”. Because you see, Marie understands Pilates and Yoga is a way of living well, a way of wellness not just an exercise!

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