www.womanthismonth.com 73 October 2013 Women all around the world are giving up or pushing aside conventional exercise practices like weight training, cardiovascular exercises and even yoga for this relatively new trend called Pilates. Pilates (pronounced pill-ah-tees), also known as contrology, is a form of exercise developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. It emphasises the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement. Though initially developed for rehabilitation of war soldiers and for treatment of injuries, Pilates soon drew the attention of dancers and elite athletes. It was later in the 1980s, when the exercise science caught up with the Pilates principles, that people all around the world began dedicating themselves to this form of body sculpting principally to build core strength and flexibility. It is also as a mean of rehabilitation for aches and pains of various kinds. Centring, control, flow, breath, precision and concentration are the six essential principles of Pilates. In his book, Return to Life through Pilates, Joseph Pilates stated, “Self confidence, poise, [and] consciousness of possessing the power to accomplish our desires with renewed lively interest in life are the natural results of the practice of Contrology [Pilates].” A closer look To learn more, I talked to Jane D Barrica, a physical therapy and Pilates specialist who is currently an instructor at La Fontaine Centre for Contemporary Art. “Coming from a background of physical therapy, I have always wanted to incorporate treatments and healing into workout routines. That’s when I heard about Pilates and underwent training in Hong Kong,” Jane says. “Many people think that Pilates is only for the injured or for rehabilitation. The truth is anyone can practise it. In my five years of teaching, many women have achieved great goals in body sculpting and relaxing the mind.” Pilates requires intense concentration and focus, which is great for relieving stress. It is centred on strengthening the inner core, deep stretching and focused breathing. It offers a wide range of benefits, including developing self awareness, proper alignment and positioning of the body, and building symmetry and co-ordination. It develops the inner core, which in turn leads to an improved body tone and stronger muscles. Pilates vs yoga Worldwide, Pilates has proven to relieve all kinds of back-related aches and pains, build a strong, supple back, good posture and an efficient movement pattern. The key focus points are the abdominal muscles, lower back and the buttocks. It incorporates extensive work using machines as well as mat exercises. The founder of the exercise routine stated in his book that Pilates connects the body and mind, but does not unify the two as yoga does. “Pilates builds abdominal strength and symmetrical musculature along with flexibility, precision and coordination of movement with adequate breaths. On the by SUSMITHA S AROLI Many women have achieved great goals in body sculpting and relaxing the mind
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