Great article from the Pilates Bridge about how you can strengthen your brain through Pilates. "Pilates is more than just a workout. Any person who’s been doing it for at least a couple of months knows that Pilates doesn’t only sculpt your body but it also clears your mind and gives you energy and inner serenity. But what is so special about Pilates? 12 scientifically proven reasons Pilates is an all-inclusive ticket to your peace of mind 1. Pilates improves your memory and makes you smarter. Beginning in our late 20s most of us start losing about 1% of the volume of our hippocampus, a portion of the brain responsible for memory and cognitive function. Our brains are literally shrinking. For a long time scientists thought that we were born with a certain number of brain cells but recently they discovered that our brains could create new cells thus slowing down or reversing brain shrinkage. What will it mean to you? It means better memory, lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease, better learning and problem solving, a higher IQ and more. Several recent studies have proved that exercise improves neurogenesis – creation of new brain cells – as well as protects existing cells by prompting in increase in B.D.N.F. production – a nerve protecting compound that some scientists call “Miracle-Gro” for the brain. The changes are mostly noticeable in the hippocampus, the region responsible for memories and learning. Another group of researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reported in the Journal of Physical Activity & Health that people have significantly superior brain function after a mindful movement practice like Pilates or Yoga compared to aerobic exercise. 2. Pilates trains your brain. Learning new activities is a proven brain-training technique. Heidi Johansen Berg and her colleagues from the University of Oxford have discovered that learning new activities increases the density of white matter in the brain (the fibers that let neurons communicate.) If the neurons are formed but they don’t connect then eventually they die without any benefit to brain health so this white matter is extremely important. Learning a new activity is an important part of brain fitness. But most of us don’t have an extra several hours a week to learn how to juggle (that is what Heidi Johansen Berg used in her research) or take on a new hobby. An exercise program however can be just the right way to multitask – benefit our body and our mind at the same time. If you start to automatize your workout (like running on a treadmill while watching TV, doing reps at the gym without focusing on your form or flying through the same Yoga sequence every week) you cut the benefit of your workout in half (not even mentioning that you double the risk of an injury.) According to Anne Bishop, a Pilates instructor and researcher, learning a new movement or a new modification in a Pilates routine provides just the effect we are looking for by challenging the body and mind at the same time. 3. Deeper muscle activation means better function of the nervous system.
Every time we move we use several specific areas of our brain. The brain then sends an impulse through the spinal cord to muscle fibers (the process is more complicated than that and requires a bunch or words that my spell checker doesn’t even know.) When you learn to voluntary engage certain muscles (like deep core activation in Pilates) you fire a movement chain that might have been asleep for a long time. Did you know that your core consists of 29 muscles and not just a six-pack? Learning to use them is a cleansing rinse for your nervous system. A healthy nervous system means better communication between your brain and other parts of your body as well as the release of stress-fighting and mood-boosting hormones. 4. Calm mind and emotions with Pilates. You have probably heard a lot about the benefits of mindfulness meditation for your mind and body. To sum them up, meditation:
According to Ellen Langer, one of the pioneer researchers of mindfulness, Though the concept originates in ancient Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese traditions, when it comes to experimental psychology, mindfulness is less about spirituality and more about concentration: the ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention on the present, and dismiss any distractions that come your way. Pilates lets you concentrate your attention on one thing – your body. Whether you want it or not, you have to clear your mind of any distractions if you are performing Pilates coordination work on the Reformer or if you are just visualizing an inner spring in your core that your instructor is talking about. Pilates lets you reap all the benefits of meditation without actually sitting still and feeling like you are wasting your time. You can gain mindfulness benefits only if you are comfortable with what you are doing. Some enjoy the peacefulness of a traditional meditation while others get better results from a mindful movement that cleanses the mind while exercising the body.
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Omni introduces a Men’s Only Golf Athletic Conditioning Class this fall. Clients can raise their golf game to a new level with exercises targeting the specific muscles used in the sport while balancing the body through strengthening the weaker, unused muscles. These moves can help improve balance and flexibility while conditioning the entire body.
A Pilates conditioning program that assesses performance, lengthens tight muscles, decreases multijoint tightness and strengthens weaker muscles for power on impact will advance the game, prevent injury and improve general fitness. Golf is a left-handed game played by a right-handed society. For a right-handed golfer, the left side of the body is considered the target side (closest to the ball), whereas the right side is the nontarget side. Although the golf swing uses almost all the muscles in the body, the muscles on one side of the body may be doing the exact opposite of the muscles on the other side. For a golf conditioning program to be effective, both sides need to be trained for the specific jobs they must accomplish. For example, in the 1 second it takes to complete the golf swing, the muscles fire in the following pattern for a right-handed golfer (Simpson & Kaspriske 2004b):
Read more from this article HERE. The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce will celebrate Omni Pilates' first year in business on October 21st with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. We would love to see our clients enjoy this exciting event with us! After the Ribbon Cutting, you will have the opportunity to meet our new Group Fitness Instructors as well as your Pilates with Equipment Trainers and to chat about your fitness goals. Additionally there will be a brief presentation, a tour, and demonstrations. Exclusive to the event, attendees will also be offered a 10% discount on any 5-session package or introductory private session that is booked at the event.
For more information, call the studio at (806) 731-4540. Click HERE to learn more about the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. The Group Fitness room is open and available to host a variety of great classes including Yoga, Booty Barre, and PiYo. Each class compliments Pilates on the Equipment or stands alone as a great way to get fit. So, tell your friends about this high-quality workout opportunity! Yoga began in September and is instructed by Erica McDonald. This class is considered beginner/intermediate. She walks you through several of the standard yoga moves while explaining thoroughly which muscles to engage and utilize and how to move from one position to another. Booty Barre begins the first week of November. Click HERE to see the line-up of classes. The instructor, Misty Myler, studied with Booty Barre Founder Tracy Mallet and Stott’s own Natalia Haigler to learn this fun, energetic workout that fuses techniques from dance, Pilates, and yoga. She will be teaching two different classes: Booty Barre and the brand new Booty Barre Flex n Flow.
Booty Barre alternates deep muscle toning movements along with cardio interval segments. The method incorporates a well-balanced fusion of isometric movements that are counter balanced with full range of motion choreography, therefore creating a program that translates into functional strength and a beautiful physique! Booty Barre Flex n Flow is the perfect blend of deep muscle toning with the fluidity of Ballet, the flexibility of yoga, and the core strengthening of Pilates. This class is designed with well-balanced sequences utilizing a fitness band for efficient and low impact strength training. The dynamic class is available for all fitness levels. The PiYo class combines the muscle-sculpting, core-firming benefits of Pilates with the strength and flexibility advantages of yoga. The speed is cranked up to increase fat-burning, but the low-impact of the workout leaves your body strong and lean. Did you know that the foot has over 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 120 muscles, ligaments and nerves? With that much going on in our feet, it is important to pay attention to them while we workout. Pilates can help. It helps you improve your awareness and balance by strengthening the feet and correcting balances. The One Pilates Studio in Denver, Colorado posted a great article on the importance of foot placement in exercise. Click HERE to read more.
We all can agree that life has become hectic. Possibly too hectic to even call it a 'life', but Pilates Style magazine has a great article on how to keep going and keep sane. Article by Beth Johnson A year ago, my life seemed to be spiraling out of control. I worked at a weekly magazine with long, deadline-driven hours spent siting in front of a computer. To accommodate my husband's new job, I had moved farther away from my job and thus had an hour-and-a-half drive or train trip (more sitting) each way. Then I'dcome home to my youngest kids, both eye-rolling teenagers, and a stressed-out husband. My "free" time consisted of grocery shopping, housework, nagging about college essays and term papers, racing to school sports and collapsing. Not surprisingly, I had weekly migraines and near-constant pain in my left knee and shoulder. Instead of running up the stairs like I used to I began to hobble. I couldn't reach for anything with my left arm without searching pain in my shoulder. I couldn't even get out of the tub by myself, which was totally humiliating. I was burnt out from my job and my commute, my body was falling apart and my depression over the whole situation made it impossible for me to see a way out. Clearly, my work-life balance was totally out of what, and my self-care was nonexistent. PILATES TO THE RESCUE
When my eldest daughter got engaged and set a wedding date a year away, I knew I had to do something. I would never forgive myself if I couldn't dance at her wedding. So one rare weekend when the rest of the family was away, as I happened by a Pilates studio in my town, on impulse, I went in and signed up for a private session. With no one at home, I think I could finally give myself permission to something just for myself. I loved Pilates immediately. In that hour, I didn't think about deadlines or the long "should-do" list that crammed my brain and cranked up my anxiety. I felt so much better after that first lesson that I signed up for weekly sessions. Every Saturday morning, I popped out of bed, eager to get to my private class. Then, I started getting up early one workday a week to squeeze in a mat class before my commute. My knee and shoulder pain quickly subsided. My migraines were less frequent. I was laughing more. I was feeling a sense of accomplishment. I was devoting some time to myself, with positive results, and that inspired me to delegate more household chores to the rest of the family. Balance was coming into my life and it felt great. And no one was more stunned by this turnaround than me. To read more about how Beth took back control in her life go to Pilates Style on the web. We have several awesome classes designed to fit just about anyone and everyone. So, check out our class descriptions and see which Open Group Equipment Class you would like to join! If you do not see a class you like, then let us know. We are happy to form Private Group Classes anytime for you and your friends.
Great article on Pilates Bridge about Pilates post knee and hip replacement. Some excerpts are posted below, or you can read the whole article HERE. 1. What unique benefits does Pilates offer after a knee/hip replacement?Katherine and Kimberly Corp, the owners of Pilates On Fifth in New York City say,
3. What muscle imbalances are most common after hip/knee surgery?One of the amazing parts of the Pilates method is that it addresses body as a whole. It doesn’t only strengthen a particular group of muscles or increases range of motion in one joint, it trains the whole body as an integrated system.
After surgery it would seem logical that only the affected side of the body needs extra attention. In reality we see that the entire body bares the consequences of surgery and any pre-surgical condition.
5. When is it safe to start a Pilates-based rehabilitation program?It is important to obtain clearance from the surgeon to start a Pilates program. Some patients can start doing Pilates just 6 weeks post-op while others need several months before they can come to the studio. A lot of physical therapists now use Pilates equipment to further facilitate recovery of their patients. Many Pilates studios (like Pilates on Fifth in New York) also have PTs working at their facilities. The number of physical therapy sessions covered by insurance differs from patient to patient and it has great impact on how soon a client can come back to Pilates. Pilates proves to be an effective and cost-efficient way to facilitate recovery after the initial PT sessions are over. It is important to obtain exercise guidelines from the PT or from the surgeon before starting a Pilates program. We are excited to announce that classes are officially being held in our new studio! The location is in Coppertree Office Park on 4412 74th Street, Suite D. You will not find an Omni Pilates sign just yet, but the entrance is on the very southeast corner of the complex and the suite. We are just behind the Coppertree brick sign as seen in the picture.
Pilates may not offer spiritual or meditative benefits, but its core-strengthening exercises can invigorate your yoga practice. Plus: 6 great exercises to incorporate into your yoga routine. Through years of yoga classes, I've gamely moved into Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) hundreds of times—balancing precariously with one hand on the floor, the other reaching skyward, and one leg shooting back from my hips. I thought I had it mastered. Then I enrolled in a Pilates class to assist my recovery from an injury, and when I came back to Half Moon, I discovered a whole new dimension to it. Pilates not only helped me strengthen my core, it taught me how to consciously tap into the power there to create greater stability and better alignment. In Half Moon, I can now open my chest more fully and lengthen my spine in a way I had never experienced—and I can hold the pose much longer. I have really strong legs and had been using them to compensate for a weak midsection. But the deeper awareness of my core strength that I gained through Pilates has given me greater control over my movements; I discovered a center of gravity that allows me to glide in and out of the pose with fluidity and grace. I'm not alone in bringing Pilates to my yoga mat, of course. Many yogis are recognizing that Pilates—an 85-year-old system of body conditioning designed by German émigré Joseph Pilates, is a rewarding complement to asana practice. And some, like me, are finding that Pilates's focus on building and engaging a strong core can propel their yoga practice into new realms. Interestingly, much of Joseph Pilates's technique was derived from his study of Eastern philosophy, and many say this included yoga. In his book Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology, he wrote that age is gauged not by years but by the suppleness of the spine. He also noted that full, deep breathing is a key component to efficient movement. And a stint on any Pilates mat reveals similarities between Pilates exercises and asanas: Side Lift is much like Vasisthasana (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Vasistha), Roll Over is reminiscent of Halasana (Plow Pose), and Swimming could be mistaken for Salabhasana (Locust Pose). But the similarities stop there. While yogis are instructed to either hold poses or flow quickly through them in vinyasas, Pilates is a rhythmic practice of precise movements repeated five to 10 times for each exercise. "There is a method to the practice, with a simultaneous emphasis on flow of movement, but a controlled flow," explains Rebecca Slovin, a certified Pilates and yoga instructor in San Francisco. By focusing on targeted movements that develop core strength, Pilates can help yogis build a stable center, lengthen the side body, and increase awareness of alignment. "Pilates helps some of my [yoga] students slow down and work deeper," Slovin says. Ultimately, she says, it can help yogis get stronger, avoid injury, and sometimes advance into poses that they hadn't previously felt were possible. Engaging the Core When you hear the word Pilates, you might think of an apparatus involving pulleys, springs, or a movable platform used for a resistance workout. While equipment is an integral part of Pilates practice, the ultimate goal is to get to the mat work—a series of 34 exercises outlined in Return to Life. Done correctly, mat work is a lot harder than performing the hundreds of moves designed for the Universal Reformer, the Trapeze Table, the Step Barrel, and other types of Pilates equipment, because without the support of the apparatuses, students must rely solely on their own strength. But whether practitioners work with an apparatus or on a mat, the emphasis is on using the breath to channel core energy into the center of the body and out to the limbs. "In Pilates, we say the periphery comes out of the core," says former dancer Bob Liekens, a yoga teacher and the education director of Power Pilates, a training center based in New York. "Most of the energy in yoga is out in the periphery, but in Pilates, we learn how to bring it back to the center and send it out again." The core, also called the Powerhouse, is the body's center of gravity; it is composed of the muscles of the lower abdomen, lower back, buttocks, and pelvic floor. Jillian Hessel, a Pilates instructor and yogi in Los Angeles who instructs the sequence of Pilates exercises shown here, explains how to locate your Powerhouse: Stand with one hand on your lower abdomen and the other on your lower back. Inhale deeply through your nose and then exhale through your mouth while pulling the lower abdominals up and into the spine, simultaneously drawing your pelvic floor muscles up and squeezing the base of your buttocks together. The aim is to engage and strengthen the transversus abdominis (the deepest layer of abs that wrap around the torso horizontally), the obliques, the lower back muscles, and the pelvic floor during complex movements. By doing so, you develop a strong, corsetlike support system that protects your back from injury. "Many dancers and yogis who come to Pilates are hyperflexible," Liekens says. And sometimes these extremely bendy people rely so heavily on their flexibility that they just let their muscles stretch rather than engaging and strengthening them. "If the center is not realized or strengthened, then the structure is weak and the energy is not being channeled properly," Liekens says. Exercises such as Seal and Swimming are ideal for challenging the core muscles and building strength, even in those who enjoy a great deal of flexibility. "As the poses get more advanced, rather than just breathing into them, you start to use your belly brain—that strong, deep core that gives you endurance and a center from which to grow," Slovin says. Over time, this greater awareness of your center can help you integrate movement between the front and back body, which comes in handy in a posture like Sirsasana (Headstand), in which a loose midsection can cause you to fall over. "In Pilates, you're constantly asking, 'Where is my center?'" Slovin says. "And as you move more from that center, you're more efficient and more grounded." Lengthening the Side Body By strengthening the muscular corset of the Powerhouse, Pilates can help you get in touch with your side body—from the tops of the thighs to the armpits. Many of us tend to shorten the side body in poses like Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose), Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), and forward bends, leading us to stifle the full postures. Pilates can come to the rescue. "When you use the muscles in your center efficiently, you're much more able to lengthen the side body," Slovin explains. "It's like a star. If the middle is burned out, the light doesn't emanate outward." In the same way that some yoga styles use props, Pilates uses equipment to help create body awareness in specific areas. To encourage you to connect with your side body, a Pilates instructor might ask you to lie on your side over a Step Barrel, an apparatus that looks like a well-padded wine barrel positioned on its side and with a seat attached. As your side body drapes over the rounded barrel, you can feel the space between your ribs and hips and create a greater sense of length in the waist—an awareness that is helpful to recall in a pose like Ardha Chandrasana or Trikonasana. For me, finding length in my side body while engaging my core transformed the way I do Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose). For years, I hadn't engaged my abdominal muscles properly, so I strained my trapezius muscles. My neck hurt and my shoulders were uncomfortably sore following any challenging vinyasa class. By learning to engage my newfound stomach muscles, I discovered how to distribute the effort evenly throughout my body and ease the strain on my trapezius muscles. Now I can flow through a vinyasa without having to stop and rest my arms. Side-body awareness can come to your aid in Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward-Facing Dog Pose) and Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) as well. Instead of pushing out your chest to get into the backbend, you might find yourself focusing on grounding the pelvis, pulling in the floating ribs, and lengthening the sides to create a stable, beautiful pose. In postures like Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose), your side-body consciousness can guide your alignment so that you don't compress your torso as you pull your leg toward your body. By maintaining length in your torso and using your core strength, you find stability, even when you cross the leg over your body for the twist. Working with Alignment Much pilates mat work is done lying down, with the arms and legs both moving at the same time; this can help you perceive and correct your body's alignment. "Because Pilates focuses on balancing the musculature, it helps create symmetry between the left and right sides of the body," says Melanie Casey, a San Francisco yoga instructor who also teaches Pilates. "By working both sides simultaneously, you're able to compare the strength of both sides and work them equally. That's the goal." For example, having asked you to lie faceup on a Styrofoam roller and breathe into your ribs, a Pilates instructor might then point out that one side of your back is stronger than the other. Once you know this, you can bring awareness to the different sides of your back and work on correcting the imbalance every time you think of it. In this same position, you can use your awareness of proper alignment to balance your inhalations and exhalations evenly on both sides. Taking this knowledge back to your yoga mat, you may discover that a simple Balasana (Child's Pose) provides the ideal opportunity to practice engaging your back muscles evenly and distributing the breath equally between the left and right sides of the back body. The understanding of my body's alignment that I gained through Pilates allowed me to take my Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle Pose) to the next level. Often, when I did this twisting Triangle in yoga class, I received the same adjustment: My teacher would come up behind me and square my hips. With increased awareness of my body's alignment, however, I became more mindful and figured out how to adjust my hips on my own. I am now able to move my pelvis into position and keep it there even as I twist. With the help of my Pilates-enhanced obliques, I have become more stable in the pose and am able to lengthen my side body while articulating the twist deeply. The Breath and the BandhasMany people say Joseph Pilates borrowed much of his breathwork technique from yogic pranayama. He was asthmatic as a child and lived through the great influenza epidemic of World War I, which killed more people than the combat itself. He developed opinionated theories about the importance of proper breathing, believing that the bottom of the lungs was a repository for infection, germs, and disease, and that only by fully exhaling could you cleanse toxins. By recruiting the deep abdominal muscles, he thought, you could more forcefully exhale air from the lungs.
In Pilates breathing, unlike in yogic pranayama, students exhale through the mouth and aim to attain a "scooped," or flattened, abdominal wall on the exhalation. Some yogis even use what they learn from Pilates's focus on the lower abdomen to inform the breathwork in their yoga practice. "Pilates breathing is really a form of pranayama that focuses on the lower bandhas," Jillian Hessel says. Although she learned about the bandhas in asana, neither her Iyengar Yoga practice nor professional dance training strengthened her core—or her understanding of the abstract concepts of Mula Bandha (Root Lock) and Uddiyana Bandha (Upward Abdominal Lock)—the way Pilates breathwork has. A Place for Pilates?Yoga and pilates are, of course, distinct practices, but there might be times—perhaps when you've hit a plateau in your asana practice or are in an experimental mood—when you want to play with some Pilates techniques on your yoga mat. Mary Bischof Stoede, a certified yoga and Pilates teacher at the Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado, suggests trying one of Pilates's breathing techniques—in through the nose and out through the mouth while pulling the abdomen in and up—during yoga practice. "This will assist you in Mula Bandha, because when you exhale through the mouth, you have no choice but to engage that area below the navel," she says. Stoede suggests doing Pilates exercises before you begin your asana practice. "The movement flow in Pilates is largely about strengthening the inner core, so start with that very physical practice," she says. "Then you can slowly move into the quietness of your yoga practice." Some students start their yoga practice with the classic Pilates move called the Hundreds, which warms the muscles, and prepares the spine for flexion, extension, and twists. Rebecca Slovin recommends incorporating Pilates principles throughout asana practice. When in Halasana, you can use the deeper awareness of your midsection that you've learned in Pilates to help you pull the navel to the spine. In Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), you can activate your core to engage the pelvic floor, which will enable you to move your sitting bones closer to the floor while reaching out with your arms. Slovin also suggests blending some Pilates into your seated poses; try Roll Over or scooping your abdomen inward as you move into Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend). However you choose to bring Pilates into your yoga practice, Hessel points out that while the slow and controlled movements make the risk of injury extremely low for a healthy person, those with a history of back or neck pain—particularly a disk problem—should check with a doctor before starting a Pilates mat program. Hessel says they should also seek out a professional teacher rather than trying to learn Pilates on their own, since it's easier to modify exercises for an injured individual within the context of a private lesson. Joseph Pilates wrote that one's self-confidence and health come from a balanced trinity of body, mind, and spirit—a belief that probably sounds pretty familiar to most yogis. The sheer physical emphasis of Pilates can give yogis a new body awareness about their strengths and weaknesses, help them become more mindful of their limitations, and give them insight into how the body moves. After experiencing the emphasis on precise, controlled movement and core strength, you may find that a simple Tadasana (Mountain Pose) becomes an opportunity to explore your newfound corset of muscles, or that a Handstand becomes a vehicle in which to engage the obliques and obtain balance. |
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