Pilates is not just exercise. Pilates is not just a random choice of particular movements. Pilates is a system of physical and mental conditioning that can enhance your physical strength, flexibility, and coordination as well as reduce stress, improve mental focus, and foster an improved sense of well-being. Pilates can be for anyone and everyone.
Before exploring the anatomy of Pilates, it is important to note that many approaches to this system have evolved. Some forms of Pilates focus primarily on the physical aspect of the system; others emphasize the mind– body angle. In its original form, Pilates, as expressed emphatically by Joseph H. Pilates, was a system designed to be integrated into every facet of life.
Film footage shows Joseph Pilates not only demonstrating exercises and physical activity but also advising on everyday activities such as how to sleep and wash. Although the majority of this book is devoted to breaking down the muscular involvement in every movement and analyzing each exercise on this basis, it would be an injustice to the system (originally called contrology), its founder, and the industry, not to address the principles of the method and the mind–body connection.
FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF PILATES
Although Joseph Pilates did not specifically notate tenets for his method, the following principles can be identified clearly throughout the pages of his texts and gleaned from original film footage and other archival material. Depending on the school of Pilates, the list of principles and the way they are presented may vary slightly; however, this list—breath, concentration, center, control, precision, and flow—includes those principles that form the basis of many approaches of Pilates and are generally accepted as the foundation of the system.
Breath
Although all the foundation principles share equal prominence, the importance of breath and its numerous implications can be observed far beyond the fundamental and crucial role of respiration. This inclusive view is the basis of some approaches to the study of Pilates, but certainly not all. In this context, breath can be described as the fuel of the powerhouse, which is the engine that drives Pilates. It may be viewed as being of the body, of the mind, and of the spirit, as Joseph Pilates regarded it. In this view, breath can serve as a common thread that runs through all the foundation principles, in a sense sewing them together.
Breath is one of the keys to life itself—the respiratory muscles are the only skeletal muscles essential to life—and yet breath is so often taken for granted. An understanding of the anatomy underlying breath can facilitate optimal use of breath. Because of the complex anatomical processes involved in breathing, breath will be dealt with in greater depth later in this chapter.
Concentration
Concentration can be defined as direction of attention to a single objective, in this case the mastery of a given Pilates exercise. A Pilates practitioner’s intent is to perform the exercises as correctly as his or her current skill level allows. This requires concentration. Begin by going through a mental checklist of points to focus on for each exercise. This may take a few seconds or even a minute or two and should include awareness of the breath pattern as well as the muscles that are about to be worked. Concentrate on the alignment of the body and on maintaining correct alignment and stabilization throughout the execution of the exercise. Maintain mental concentration for the duration of the session.
Center
The concept of center can have very different meanings in accordance with the related discipline. In fitness and rehabilitation, center often refers to the core of the body and the muscles of the core. Center may have a more esoteric connotation, referring to a feeling of balance within, or the eternal spring of energy from which all movement emanates.
In the field of biomechanics, center relates to the body’s center of gravity (COG or CG) also referred to as the center of mass. This is an imaginary point of balance where the body’s weight is assumed to be concentrated and equally balanced and around which the body may rotate freely in all directions.
Each person is built differently and has an individual center of gravity. When standing upright with the arms down by the sides (anatomical position), the center of gravity of the average person is located just in front of the second sacral vertebra and at about 55 percent of the person’s height. However, its location tends to be higher in men than in women. Men tend to be top heavy, having larger and heavier upper bodies than women have. Women tend to have larger pelvises relative to men and carry more weight in this region. There are also marked differences within genders in accordance with factors such as body type, limb proportions, and amount of muscle development in various body regions. Where the center of gravity lies distinctly affects the execution of an exercise. Therefore, it is a mistake to assume a person lacks strength if he or she cannot execute an exercise successfully. Lack of success may have more to do with how the person is built and the distribution of body weight.
Furthermore, the center of gravity is dynamic and does not remain where it is located in an anatomical position. Rather it constantly changes depending on the relative position of the limbs and trunk. For example, when standing, raising the arms overhead raises the center of gravity, while bending the knees lowers the center of gravity relative to its location in anatomical position. It is apparent that in any given Pilates exercise, the position of the center of gravity constantly shifts in accordance with the movement.
Control
Control can be defined as the regulation of the execution of a given action. Refining control is inherent in mastering a skill. The first time someone executes an exercise, he or she has to use control, but as skill improves, this control becomes more refined. You can see a distinct difference when viewing a movement performed by someone who has achieved a high level of control and someone who has not. Often a higher level of control is associated with fewer and smaller errors, exact alignment, better coordination and balance, and greater ability to reproduce the exercise successfully over multiple attempts.
An important outcome of improved control is using less effort and avoiding excessive muscle tension. Refined control requires a great deal of practice, which can aid in developing the necessary strength and flexibility of key muscles as well as allow for the development of more refined motor programs. This practice can also allow these motor programs to run with less conscious attention so that attention can be paid to finer details and to making minute adjustments only when needed.
Precision
Precision is key when distinguishing Pilates from many other exercise systems. Precision can be described as the exact manner in which an action is executed. Often the exercise itself is not significantly different from other exercise regimens, but the way it is executed is different.
Knowledge of anatomy aids greatly in achieving precision. You can understand which muscles are working or should be working. You can align your body correctly and understand the goals of an exercise. The greater the precision, the more likely the goal will be achieved and the greater the benefit from doing the exercise. Precision is key to the Pilates approach to movement and to the infinite corrections that need to be implemented through the learning process.
Precision can be associated with the activation of isolated muscles and at the same time with the integration of the required muscles to create movement. Precision can make the difference between accessing a muscle or not, between executing an exercise successfully or not, and between achieving the goal or not.
Flow
Flow is an essential quality to strive for. Flow can be described as a smooth, uninterrupted continuity of movement. Romana Kryzanowska describes the Pilates method as “flowing motion outward from a strong center” (Gallagher and Kryzanowska 1999, p. 12). Flow requires a deep understanding of the movement and incorporates precise muscle activation and timing. As movement proficiency develops from extensive practice, each movement and each session should flow.
Some approaches also encourage a more esoteric use of flow. In describing the findings of his studies, Hungarian American psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi noted, “We found that every flow activity, whether it involved competition, chance, or any other dimension of experience, had this in common: It provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting the person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance, and led to previously undreamed of states of consciousness” (Csíkszentmihályi 1990, p. 74).
These six elements should be present when executing the exercises in this book and during daily activities. The common denominator of the six principles is that each one has a distinct physical and mental component. These very elements connect the body and the mind and permit the anatomical understanding, to which this book is largely devoted, to have a greater impact on your life.
The way in which each person integrates these principles into the practice of Pilates and life itself is individual. For example, one person may emphasize more of the physical aspects, using Pilates to enhance athletic performance, improve muscle tone, or aid with recovery from injury. Another person may place greater import on the mental aspects, using Pilates to reduce stress or aid with improving focus and concentration in his or her life. Yet the important issue is that the execution of each exercise and the practice of the system as a whole are not just a mindless imitation of the illustrated exercise steps provided in this book, but rather a process focused on learning how the exercises are executed and applying these six principles in accordance with your current physical and mental acuity.