Monthly Focus - August

 Whole Body Movement

Pilates is about integration: integrating movement into a flowing whole body experience, integrating the mind and body to create clarity and purpose and integrating mind, body and spirit to create a life of balance.

In contrast to other exercise methods that focus on isolating specific muscles, the Pilates Method looks at the body as a whole unit.  Joseph Pilates believed that developing the minor muscles naturally helped to strengthen the major muscles.   But, once someone starts practicing the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning, one realizes that it is much more than that.  It is a system that focuses on complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.

At Body Balance Institute we practice and teach whole body movement.  Whole Body Movement means nothing works independently; all body parts work together.  We are a sum of the parts, but no part of our body can work optimally as an independent unit. 

 “I invented all these machines in Germany. I used to exercise rheumatic patients.  I thought, why use my strength?  So I made a machine to do it for me.  Look, you see?  It resists your movements, in just the right way, so those inner muscles really have to work against it.  That way you can concentrate on the movement!  You must always do it slowly and smoothly... Then your whole body is in it. ”

–Joseph Pilates

Monthly Focus - July

Precision

Precision, or exactness of movement is what sets Pilates apart from other exercise systems.  Precision requires focus, awareness and controlled action.  Every movement has a purpose and every cue or instruction is important to the success of the movement.  In Pilates, we use fewer repetitions that are executed with control and precision, performing one or a few perfect movement rather than several haphazard ones.  The end result is efficient, graceful movement that appears effortless.

“Concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all vital benefits.  Correctly executed and mastered to the point of subconscious reaction, these exercises will reflect grace and balance in your routine activities.”

–Joseph Pilates