WHAT IS PILATES?  

Pilates is a form of exercise, developed by Joseph Pilates, which emphasizes the development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement.  Pilates is one of the most popular exercise systems in the country and works for a wide range of people from athletes, dancers, seniors, women rebounding from pregnancy and people who are at various stages of rehabilitation.

The top benefits of doing Pilates that people report are that they become stronger, longer, leaner, and move more efficiently with less injury.  All exercises are developed with modifications so the workout can be that can make a workout safe and challenging for a person at any level.

Core strength is the foundation of Pilates.  The core muscles are the deep internal muscles of the abdomen and back.  When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.  As you develop your core strength, you develop stability throughout your entire torso.

The six Pilates principles – center, control, flow, breath, precision and concentration are essential ingredients in a high quality Pilates workout.  The Pilates method has always emphasized quality over quantity, and you will find that unlike many systems of exercise, Pilates does not include a high number of repetitions for each move.  Instead, doing each exercise fully, with precision, yields significant results in a shorter time than one would ever imagine. Pilates is meant so help correct the postural balance of the body and since posture dictates muscle function, it should be the foundation upon which we build movement skills.