The Pilates Lifestyle: Practical Application
With so much emphasis on the physical benefits of Pilates it may seem a little abstract to understand and apply the practicality of how Pilates can improve everyday life. If you have done any research on the benefits or have any knowledge about the “Pilates Lifestyle”, I am sure that the “quality of life” has been mentioned and that Pilates has a unique way of improving the tenure of it.
Pilates, isn’t a Zen meditation technique although it has properties of concentration that dabbles in Yoga inspired practices. So the process, by which someone can tap into its practical advocacy, can’t be categorized as simply spiritual or physical.
Imagine looking down the scope of Pilates’ arsenal of health and wellness, to identify it’s practicality you must focus on where the crosshairs meet, this being between the most spiritual sense of who we are and the most physical sense of what we are.
Pilates is not a religion, but rather a belief system, with strong ties to overall peace, wellbeing, and physical fitness. However, not unlike a religion Pilates wasn’t designed by Joseph Pilates just to be an exercise regime to do in a studio and then go about your life.
It’s meant to be a part of your life. As mentioned before, the abstractness of an exercise program being a part of your belief system isn’t common, and isn’t easily understood without some sort of spiritual motivation. Under the umbrella of “sedentary salvation”, an explanation of Pilates ability to transform one’s life isn’t as “hallelujah” as it may seem.
Mary Bowen, one of the originating elders of Pilates, puts it this way, “As I practice, teach and observe (the Pilates Method), there is always a spiritual uplift and buoyancy that comes from the work. Moreover, spirit is everywhere, isn’t it? The body is a house of spirit. Joseph and Clara Pilates knew and lived that.”
The key concept in order to first understand the practical application of Pilates, outside of a Pilates studio, can be found in the everyday mishaps or inconveniences we are all encounter on a daily basis. Getting cut off in traffic, getting lost in a new side of town while you were already running late, or finding out that you got outbid in the last few minutes of your EBay auction. How we react in life says so much more about who we are, than the situations we often find ourselves privy to.
If we allow pockets of anxiety to build up, our muscles and bones will be the ones that bear the brunt of the physiological strain. Pilates helps redirect this reactionary effect through the course of breathing techniques.
Breathing is a huge component in reconnecting with our thoughts on a deeper level. The health benefits that Pilates brings to the entire physiological networking of our bodies enables us to use our breath as it was meant to be, a life giving source.
When we listen to our breathing, we are acknowledging that our breath is the entire outlet by which we exist. This type of respect and awareness to our breath will then help us regulate emotion and incorporate a deeper sense and understanding of self.
Tags: benefits of pilates, pilates breathing, pilates can improve life, pilates lifestyle, pilates method