Pilates key principles: Concentration

In a world of attention grabbing, Pilates is a 55 minute window of calm. As a teacher of small group and solo Pilates I can tell if my clients are having a busy mind day. When the mind is elsewhere, movements are not as exact and clients ability to complete a challenging move is compromised. It is OK to have a busy mind, we are not robots, however letting go of your thoughts and concentrating on the movements your body is making will help your Pilate practice to develop.

These are my top tips for concentration:

1) Be present, use the repetitive nature of the warm up to connect with every part of your body. Try to visualize each part of your body, be selfish and only focus on yourself.

2) Pay attention to the alignment of your body. The beautiful line from your toe, through your ankle, knee and then into your hip. Maintaining correct alignment will increase the difficulty of an exercise. Why not challenge yourself to completing level 1 exercises with perfect alignment. Difficulty can be found in many aspects of Pilates.

3) Keep stable and engage those core muscles. Use your clear mind and concentrate on everything you should be doing. Pilates is more than moving a limb. It is keeping your core stable, breathing well, concentrating, moving with flow and precision. It is often more difficult to make a small movement with greater stabilization then to wave your leg around.

4) Practice the minds connection with the body. When other thoughts pop into your head dismiss them and take you mind back to the movement and your body.

I feel an enormous sense of lightness when I have finished attending a Pilates lesson. Not only do I feel the physical benefits of felling up right, connected, worked and stretched. I have an empty mind and a feeling of calm. I hope you too are able to benefit from Pilates in this way.

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