Discover a little more about Pilates….
Modern day Pilates practice stems from the founder- Joseph Pilates. He was one of the first individuals to explain imbalance theories within the body. As a child he had numerous ailments such as rickets, rheumatic fever and asthma, and was not expect to have a long life expectancy. Joseph was determined to improve his own health and he started to study yoga, martial arts, boxing and body-building. He came to believe that the “ modern” life style (he was born in 1883!), bad posture, and inefficient breathing lay at the roots of poor health. He ultimately devised a series of exercises and training techniques and engineered all the equipment and cues needed to teach his method which he named “Contrology”. He was interned in England for a short while during the war, and post war made his way to New York with his wife Clara, where they founded a studio. They developed a following amongst the dance community and their exercise regime was said to build flexibility, strength and stamina.
The principles of Contrology are traditionally cited as:
Breath
Concentration
Centering
Control
Precision
Flow
A classical Pilates Matwork class consists of a 34 exercise flow as the picture opposite. Some fairly challenging exercises I think you will agree!
My Pilates training has been predominantly with the APPI Health Group. The APPI curriculum is designed by physiotherapists, who have broken down the traditional Pilates repertoire into clearly defined levels to ensure a standard, gradual progression towards normal functional movement.
The planning & delivery of my classes therefore has you absolutely at the centre of my thought process. Combining my expertise as a physiotherapist, knowledge of how pain and pathology can affect the different structures in the body & subsequently how you move, along with the selection of exercises through progressive levels of challenge means the quality & content of a class is I believe, exceptional.
I have taken all of the Matwork training level courses 1-3, and the final exam so I am a fully certified APPI Matwork Pilates instructor.
