Pilates Principles
All the Pilates Principles weave together to support a complete movement practice but today, I’ve got a few in mind. I’m thinking about how they relate and have a push/pull with each other and how that translates into whole movement.
Flowing Motion.
This is one of the Pilates Principles identified by Joseph Pilates and the term us Fletcher Pilates teachers refer to. I’ve been thinking about this one a lot lately and by lately I’d say a few years. Essentially, we are looking for continuous movement with smoothness/ease. Much information is sent via the nervous system through Flowing Motion to help make this so. This is often an easy organization for people but often, it is not. I can tell you that for me, it is something I have to be thoughtful about. As a self-admitted over-thinker, it is not so easy to integrate thought and movement. As a result, I have spent many hours thinking on the subject, finding practitioners that teach to this, and then applying my process to movement. I easily recognize this in others now and happily teach to it. In these moments, I’m not teaching to a client’s physical outcome of form but to their mental intentions first.
Balance.
I want to get into Balance but first, perfection. A perfectionist mindset (aka over-thinking) gets people into that whole, “analysis paralysis” situation. We understand that dynamic for actions we want to take in our daily lives but it also applies to movement. Perfection promotes stuttered thinking and in turn stuttered movement. I strive to be precise in my movement not perfect. Precision (another principle) is paramount but not in a vacuum. There must be Balance (principle). Now, Balance refers to uniform stability through weight distribution, muscular symmetry/development, and aesthetic organization; a physical definition. I am also very keen to include the mind in that.
I want my movement to be precise but I want it to flow. I want to think about all the pieces all at once while feeling the whole movement. Balance in body but balance in mind to bring flowing motion and precision together. This is how we LEARN. I need to experience a full, free flowing movement to truly understand what it should be. Even if that movement isn’t perfect, I now understand the scope of what the movement is and will be in my body over time. I understand what my body is capable of for the movement right now. We often hear in life, it’s not what we do but how we do things. I don’t think that always applies but here, when we are talking Pilates, you bet.
“A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balance sequence, are worth hours of doing sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion.” – Joseph Pilates, Return to Life
Quality not quantity.
To be continued…
