Spring Forward
We moved the clocks forward this past month in the annual "spring forward". This always makes me yearn for spring and all of the wonderful colors, scents and warmth of the spring. With that in mind is your body ready for all of the rigors that spring brings with it: spring cleaning, yard cleaning, planting new bulbs, spreading mulch and loom and of course ramping up the spring exercise routines. This winter in particular has been a trying winter for us in New England. The excessive snow and harsh cold has driven many a dedicated runner, walker etc in doors. Now that the days are growing longer, the sun is shining just that little bit brighter it is time to make sure that the most important spring tool is ready to go, your body.
One wonderful way to work on your body is Pilates. With this innovative exercise program special attention is directed toward aligning your body while coaxing all of your joints to move to the best of their abilities. Getting your body strong is not just about doing crunches and pushups but instead about finding congruency in your joints and optimal articulation in your spine. With optimal articulation and congruency your muscles are then able to work to their best potential. All of this talk of articulation, congruency and yet to mention one of the most important Pilates principles...Breathing.
With spring comes wonderful smells: fresh cut grass, sweet smelling flowers and of course the smell of rain in the air. Joseph Pilates believed very strongly in using breath as the body's internal shower, making sure that his students learned to breath fully and correctly in order to fully cleanse the body. Breath is used as a tool to assist with both mobility or muscular activation. Breath can also be used to support the mood ie: soft breathing for relaxation or forceful breath for strength training.
All of this talk of posture, breathing and alignment leads us back to the reformer. The reformer is a wonderful piece of equipement that uses spring resistance as a way to strengthen the body as well as working on flexibility, coordination, and posture.. There are many ways to work on the reformer: laying on your back, sitting, standing, kneeling, sitting on a box, laying on a box and the list continues.
Come and join us for a reformer class to put these principles into action.
