PILATES, A WAY OF LIFE

January 2015 Scoop

Pilates Empowerment

by Kerry De Vivo

Kerry with the bronze bust of  Joe Pilates at The Pilates Studio  in NYC Click here to learn more!

Pilates, a Way of Life

Every year at the turn of the calendar, we are faced with resolutions.  Part of me resents this "imposed" self reflection and part of me gets excited about the opportunity to set new goals or take another shot at finding more balance.  One of my favorite, more recent resolutions, was to spend more time in my pajamas.  That lasted for a month or so.  The truth is, aren't we all trying our best year round?  I think we are.  But the New Year does seem to provide an opportunity to give our goals a renewed opportunity.

I think Joe Pilates had this down.  He didn't set unrealistic expectations.  He said to do his exercises four times a week.  We could do that, right?  He also didn't consider his system of exercise, which he referred to as Contrology, as a seasonal activity, more a way of life.  His exercises were designed to find uniformity in our bodies so we could enjoy our days "... satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure". 

  

The big ingredient that keeps Pilates from being a January fling is the mind body connection.  Pilates deeply engages every aspect of our mental focus providing both physical and mental results that become all the motivation we need to exercise year round.  One student of mine recently shared a funny story, which I'll share with you now. One morning while getting her teenager off to school, she mentioned she didn't feel like going to Pilates.  To which her son said, 

"Shut up Mom, whenever you say that you always come home saying how great you feel". 

Sure, we all have times when our motivation is low or our bodies feel sluggish.  But we always know a Pilates workout will pick us up both physically and mentally and there's the motivation to workout year round.  

Joe Pilates said, 

"By reawakening thousands upon thousands of otherwise ordinarily dormant muscle cells, Contrology correspondingly reawakens thousands upon thousands of dormant brain cells, thus activating new areas and stimulating further the functioning of the mind."  

We so often think about being in shape a physical aspect.  But we have to be in shape both physically and mentally to meet the daily challenges we face.  Pilates demands focus and concentration on what you are doing.  This relieves stresses from our mind.  Pilates demands that we become more conscious about how we use our body.  This delivers more physical balance and relieves discomfort from poor alignment.  Pilates empowers us to discover our potential and reach beyond.  This elevates the spirit and deepens our self awareness.  All this from one system of exercise.  

O.K., my resolution for 2015 is to incorporate even MORE Pilates workouts in my weekly schedule.  After all, who wouldn't want these results.  If you have a resolution that incorporates Pilates, let us know so we can help you. 

Happy New Year!