What Makes Pilates a Method?

So what makes Pilates a method and not just a collection of exercises?

The short answer is because everything has a purpose.

The exercises are not random.

They all relate to each other and they are all built on one another.

And one exercise prepares for the next exercise.

So everything is really built to prepare the body the best way possible,

To move the best way possible.

And that means over time you are not simply learning individual exercises.

You actually learn how the body relates to each exercise and how the different body parts relate to each other in movement.

So for example,

Let's take a practical example why the Pilates method is so wonderful.

Let's take the exercise the swan.

The swan is an extension exercise.

So think of a backbending.

And the most difficult version,

For most people at least,

Is on the mat,

The swan dive.

This requires really a lot of control,

A lot of strength and at the same time flexibility.

And especially when we go into the swan dive,

Even coordination.

So you really have to understand your body quite well.

The beautiful thing about the Pilates method is that you can take this one exercise,

The swan dive,

And first of all bring it onto other pieces of equipment.

For example,

On the reformer.

So the mat and the reformer is in the classical system a bit of your basic workout.

So you should do your mat and your reformer sequence quite regularly because it's a wonderful way to get into the movement.

So the swan on the reformer compared to on the mat gives certain stability because you can push through the legs and you have your hips supported.

So it's a nice way to use the springs to feel the activation of the back chain.

For some people it's actually easier to learn the swan on the wonder chair.

That's now a whole different scenario.

It's the exact same exercise,

It's the exact same extension in your back,

But this time you have to support from your arms through your shoulders to your upper back.

So it's the same exercise,

The swan,

But with a very different feel.

And that's the beautiful and wonderful thing about the method because everybody is different and we have different patterns in the body.

And as a teacher,

My goal is always to set my clients up for success.

So I try to give them the exercise on a piece of equipment that supports them,

Not necessarily challenges them the most.

It's really about support.

So the system wants to support you to learn the movement.

And this means for everybody maybe a very different way and that's totally fine.

That's the beautiful thing that the Pilates studio gives you the space and the opportunity within the system,

Within the method,

To learn your way and at your pace.

We have also on all the other equipment actually the swan.

For example,

Even on the high chair,

Which is a very different feel because you have the feet on the pedal,

Your arms on the handles,

But you still can find that beautiful lifting from the mid-back.

And we even have it on the Cadillac,

Where you have a very wide surface that supports you,

The mat,

And then with a push-through bar that either can help lift you or you can even use it to press down,

That you can push with your hands again down.

In this case,

Compared to the wonder chair,

You even have the feet supported fully on the mat.

And that gives you a beautiful opportunity to explore very safely your swan.

That's basically what the method is in essence.

The method wants to build gradually awareness,

Connection,

Build definitely strength and flexibility.

And if you put everything together and you try to find that control from within in the exercise,

Then the magic happens.

And this is what I experience all the time,

That there is that one aha moment,

That one wow moment where somebody was struggling with a certain movement in the body and then you just bring that movement in a slightly different position,

With a slightly different initial activation and sometimes literally within a second it clicks and then the person understands it in the body.

It's pure magic when these moments happen.

It's,

Of course,

Not every single time.

There's a lot of work behind,

But it really pays off.

The method,

The system is amazing.

It takes time because it's quite extensive,

But once you have this one wow moment,

I experienced it back and over and over again,

You want to come back to the method.

So that's the beautiful thing.

I hope one day you have your wow moment in a Pilates studio.