How your body is feeling?
“… Pilates… meeting at 9.30… lunch at 12… report due at 4pm ” – Sound familiar?
This is an example of the type of running internal dialogue that many of us have throughout the day.
Previously, we have mentioned the importance of paying “attention to technique” in Pilates, in order to experience its full benefits. Many physical complaints and imbalances in the body are caused by habitual postures and movements, and if the mind is focused on work issues, lunch or the meaning of life, then instead of performing correct and beneficial Pilates movements, automatic habitual patterns take over.
All of our postures and movements are chains or sequences of smaller parts. More often than not our injuries or physical complaints are due to imbalances within these chains. We are often unaware of these imbalances, as many develop overtime unnoticed. To complicate things further, even if we are aware of an imbalance, the complexity of our movement patterns makes it difficult to correct them, as this process requires a certain degree of focus. That is why we often stress that ‘how’ we do something is more important than ‘what’ we do. The best exercise can also be the worst for your body if it is done incorrectly, as this may reinforce the imbalances rather than correct them.
Lets Focus
“Leaving your day at the door” and allowing yourself focus completely on the task at hand, will help you perform better. Practising this while you’re doing Pilates will give you the best chance of correcting poor habitual movement patterns, and you will get the most out of every session.
Beyond the technique and physical benefits, focusing on the present moment has been found to have many mental and emotional health benefits. Our mind and body are inherently linked and the more in-tune we are to this connection, the better we can operate both physically and mentally. The act of focusing on movement or breath helps to strengthen the mind-body connection.
We all seem to be time-poor these days, so why not get the most out of the time you spend doing your Pilates (or anything else for that matter) and leave your day at the door!
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