Like many wellness topics, Pilates for beginners often starts as a journey of discovery. You might have heard about Pilates from a friend, or perhaps an online search has mentioned some of the benefits of Pilates. Perhaps it was recommended to you as a potential solution to some particular health issue you are experiencing. So now you’re searching around looking for an information on Pilates for beginners, and you’re a bit overwhelmed trying to separate fact from fad.
As you might have noticed, here at Living Lotus Online we are total wellness nerds. We like to dive deep into wellness topics and learn all we can so we can share a balanced perspective with our community. We’ve written blog posts on a broad variety of wellness topics from 8 Mindfulness Meditation Benefits Backed by Science, right through to Music for Mindful Movement. The common thread for all of these investigations into the wonders of wellness is that we really like to do our research and look at things from a variety of angles.
There are a lot of questions a Pilates beginner might have: Where did the Pilates movement method come from? What does science tell us about the benefits of Pilates? What is the best way to get started with Pilates? In this blog post we’ll take a closer look at these topics as well as address some of the common questions we get asked about Pilates.
The Mind-Body Connection
Let’s start with the basic Wikipedia definition: “Pilates is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates.” Let’s zoom in one part of that statement: mind-body exercise. In the context of Pilates, this primarily refers to the integration of breath and movement into a single cohesive unit. Pilates movements are accompanied by specific breath patterns to help foster greater physical and mental awareness of the body, how it moves, and what it feels like to be mindful of those sensations.
Mind-body connection goes by many names, for example you might know it as simply “body awareness”. Science calls it “proprioception” and there’s a lot of scientific study into how this connection can allow our brain to understand where our body is positioned in space. You’ll find a lot of Yogis like to play with proprioception too. It’s one of the reasons why your Yoga teacher might suggest you try certain balance poses with your eyes closed. In addition to simply adding challenge, removing vision from the equation also tests the effectiveness of proprioception in terms of allowing our brain to understand the positioning and orientation of the body well enough to stay balanced.
What do I need to get started with Pilates?
Here at Living Lotus Online we practice Mat Pilates, which is a style of pilates that has something in common with Yoga in that it does not require any special equipment to practice (just a mat). Among the benefits of this style of Pilates is the fact that you can practice this easily at home with minimal space and without having to invest in a lot of equipment. Of course, you can build on this with a number of props and accessories. One popular piece of kit would be the Pilates Small Ball which we use in a number of classes in our On Demand Video Library. The Small Ball can be used to prompt proper body position, encourage correct muscle activation, and many other interesting uses. We also have Mat Pilates classes with incorporate wrist weights or resistance bands for extra strength training. But again, you don’t need anything but a simple mat to get started on your Pilates journey!
What are the benefits of Pilates?
In addition to promoting mindfulness and body awareness, Pilates has a number of great benefits. The main benefit that most Pilates enthusiasts will point to is that it builds strength and flexibility in a safe and practical way. Using bodyweight as resistance minimizes the risk of over exerting a muscle group and causing injury. In fact, many athletes use Pilates as part of their cross training plan specifically to reduce the chance of injury. Functional movements like the ones found in Pilates help build some of the smaller stabilizing muscles, which contributes to a better platform for movement all around. In other words, you’re building the kind of strength that can help protect the joints and muscles from the stresses of life.
Pilates places a lot of emphasis on isolating and engaging core muscles. Going back to that body awareness discussion from earlier, the more you practice isolating specific muscle groups and engaging them with intentional form the more you will be able to recruit those muscles in a controlled way. This is going to help with all sorts of other activities, from your next Yoga practice through to taking out heavy trash bags.
Pilates movements can also address areas of the body where traditional Yoga practice doesn’t place as much emphasis. The obliques and hip flexors are great examples. By utilizing some of the side-lying movements from Pilates we can efficiently strengthen and lengthen these muscles, which will give you more stability for Yoga poses such as Triangle or Side Plank. Here at Living Lotus Online we LOVE finding ways to blend practices and create fusion classes that combine complementary movement from different modalities into a well rounded workout!
You could even take it to another level and combine High Intensity Interval Training and Pilates for a cardio and strength powerhouse class. When you combine the cardio element from a HIIT class with the strength building element of Pilates you’re stacking the benefits. First of all, you’re building strength at the same time as increasing cardio endurance which is great if you’re looking to make the most of limited mat time. Also, as Pilates builds muscle it also increases the body’s basal metabolic rate which is the amount of energy your body burns at rest. This can be a useful way to help reduce body fat and manage body composition in a healthy and sustainable way.
How do I get started with Pilates?
One way to get started would be to find a certified Pilates trainer near you. If you’re in the Barrie, Ontario area you could join one of our in person events. If you’d rather work out at home, or are looking for a wealth of online video options to complement your regular in person practice, then consider joining our online studio! We have a wide variety of Pilates and Fusion Fitness videos in our On Demand Library (and plenty of other styles too). We invite you to check out our monthly or annual membership options. Not ready to commit to a subscription just yet? No problem! Consider signing up for our email newsletter where you’ll receive 6 free classes in a variety of styles (including Pilates).