Pilates is a form of exercise, developed by Joseph H. Pilates, which emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement.
The Six Pilates Principles
Joseph Pilates originally called his work Contrology. He considered this to be a body/mind/spirit approach to movement founded on the integrative effect of principles such as centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow. Whether you are working out on a mat or using Pilates equipment, like the Reformer or Cadillac, these basic principles infuse each exercise with intention and fullness of expression.
The 6 Pilates principles (Breath, Concentration, Control, Precision, Centre and Flow) were actually created by Joseph’s students. They condensed his theories into 6 simple ideas to preserve and make his method accessible for future generations of students. The 6 essential principles are important to keep in mind as you begin your Pilates journey or dive deeper into your practice.
The History of PILATES
Movement Lab
The Pilates Academy is a movement lab based on knowledge of the anatomy and biomechanics of the human body. All our instructors are Fully-Certified Pilates Instructors and whilst we start from the Pilates Principles our intention is not Pilates as an end goal but as a tool for health and wellbeing. As such, we stress the importance of optimum physical performance, functional movement and injury prevention. Whilst all our classes are deeply rooted in the Pilates Principles we believe that using only one form of fixed movement practice does not give the greatest challenge to the body. For this reason we offer other disciplines into the practice such as Cardiolates, MOTR and Silk Suspension to ensure the greatest possible range of options for our clients. Giving the same attention to detail and anatomical knowledge in our portfolio of classes helps to build efficient and effective movers.