Pilates and
intuitive movement
Pilates and Intuitive Movement
Movement is a key component of a healthy body and mind. Our bodies were designed to move and when we do, we feel better mentally and physically. Movement helps us to build strength, flexibility, agility and balance. One way to move in a way that feels natural and in rhythm with your body is to incorporate Pilates, Callanetics, Stretch and Tone, and Soma Sensing.
Intuitive Movement involves simply paying attention to your body’s internal signals to help you decide on the type of movement, duration, and intensity that you prefer to engage in, or if your body requires rest instead of physical activity.
Healthy movement is unique to each individual. Factors such as physical capabilities, fitness levels, personal preferences, time constraints, and fitness goals will vary from person to person. We each have a distinctive history and relationship with movement.
Combining Pilates with these additional modalities will help your body intuitively heal. Let’s take a look in more detail.
Pilates
Pilates is a blend of movement and breath that has a very specific focus on body awareness and balance, alignment, mobility, and core stability. Practised worldwide by millions of people, Pilates is a method of exercise that helps people to really develop their mind-muscle connection no matter what their level of fitness may be.
Pilates is a form of low-impact exercise that stresses muscular strength, flexibility, and endurance. Pilates moves very slowly and this forces you to use your whole abdominal wall, your obliques, your back – everything that makes up your core. You need to engage these muscles to help you to stay stable, and since the exercises are not weighted, it’s completely up to you and your mind to create that tension for yourself, to tap into the muscles that you’re working to improve your strength.
The basis for physical fitness is laid out in the following principles of Pilates. The integration of these principles will help you to achieve fluidity, balance, and grace:
Breathing: a deep, conscious and controlled inhalation through the nose and exhalation through the mouth. This improves overall blood circulation and helps muscles to function optimally.
Concentration: by focusing and becoming aware of each body movement, you promote the mind-body connection, which lies at the very core of Pilates.
Control: every movement needs to be controlled and precise in order to achieve positive results (always quality over quantity).
Centering: visualise the centre of your body as a three-dimensional sphere that changes in size as your muscles contract and relax. According to the Pilates philosophy, all movements find their origin in the centre of the body.
Flow of motion: seamless, graceful, smooth, fluid and elegant movements; rather than jerky or quick actions.
Precision: rather completing fewer exercises more precisely, than more exercises in an inexact manner.
Postural Alignment: good posture from head to toe. Be aware of the position of your spine, neck, pelvis and head in order to ensure correct technique and breathing.
Callanetics
Callanetics is a well-established and highly effective training technique that can reshape your body in a matter of weeks through a series of layered and precise movements. The key to the method’s success is the pulse – a subtle, gentle motion that sculpts and tones the muscles. This pulsing action, combined with correct alignment and positioning, is what sets Callanetics apart from other traditional exercise programs.
The controlled, minute movements are the primary distinguishing feature of Callanetics. Thousands of individuals have attested to the transformative effects of Callanetics on their entire body, rather than just common areas of concern. Every program incorporates exercises that are tailored to target the upper body, midsection, legs, hips, and buttocks, along with exclusive stretching techniques.
All exercises are designed to complement your body’s anatomy, and benefits of Callentics include increased energy, improved coordination, balance, and posture, a reduction in required sleep, weight loss, and enhanced strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Stretch and Tone
Stretch and Tone combines stretching and strength training. It is a low-impact, low-intensity workout that enhances muscle tone, expands range of motion and flexibility, and reduces stress. This type of movement consists of a sequence of toning and stretching exercises, complemented by breathing techniques that support resistance training.
The Stretch and Tone aims to improve balance, posture, and flexibility. Participants can unwind while experiencing a full-body stretch that rejuvenates and revitalizes. This type of exercise strengthens the core and tones the entire body.
Soma Sensing
Soma Sensing therapy involves mindful movements that have a calming effect on the nervous system, which is integral to overall physical and emotional health. Soma Sensing is also known as fascial unwinding.
Fascia is the fabric that encompasses your being, a network of connective tissue that spans your entire body and enables communication between its various parts. As the largest sensory organ of your nervous system, fascia is moulded by your thoughts, emotions, movements, and breathing patterns in response to the nervous system’s signals. When the nervous system is trapped in a trauma cycle of fight, flight, freeze, or fold, fascia can become a repository for trauma, even though this is not your fault.
Soma Sensing involves engaging in gentle and pleasurable movements to alleviate emotional distress, release stored trauma, relieve discomfort, and promote holistic healing. It helps you to acquire the ability to connect with your body’s intuition and discover inner peace.
Who is Pilates and Intuitive Movement for?
No matter your gender, age, race, size, level of ability, or existing fitness, there is a routine for you.
Pilates and these supporting modalities offers the perfect workout during pregnancy and post-natal as they focus on strengthening and stretching your core muscles which helps prepare women for childbirth and the recovery period afterwards. Pilates is also known for helping to regulate hormones, therefore it’s supportive of women’s monthly cycles and for those who are peri-menopausal or menopausal.
Pilates is practised by many professional athletes and dancers, and Callenetics is a favoured workout routine among both new and experienced athletes. Providing improved flexibility, balance, power and efficiency of movement, regular Pilates and Callanetics workouts can aid the sports performance of footballers, sprinters, cyclists, golfers, tennis players, swimmers and more. They can also help with rehabilitation following injury.
This combination of exercises really does work for everyone since they are based on the concepts of the natural movement of the human body. Your workout can be easily adapted to suit your level of fitness or your age, whether you have an injury or health condition that limits physical movement or causes chronic pain such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia.
What are the benefits of Pilates and Intuitive Movement?
Pilates, Callanetics, Stretch and Tone and Soma Sensing provide a total-body workout that challenges you to consider the best way to support your body’s movement. Let’s look at some of the benefits it offers to your health and fitness:
They improve your core strength, your flexibility and your balance
- They improve your core strength, your flexibility and your balance
This class enhances body awareness. The inward focus allows you to become more aware of your emotions, any pain or discomfort and your surrounding environment.
- This class enhances body awareness. The inward focus allows you to become more aware of your emotions, any pain or discomfort and your surrounding environment.
Pilates and Intuitive movement increases flexibility, movement and stamina, helping the body to be less prone to injury
- Pilates and Intuitive movement increases flexibility, movement and stamina, helping the body to be less prone to injury
The inward focus and breathing patterns adopted during this class helps to reduce stress and relieve tension
- The inward focus and breathing patterns adopted during this class helps to reduce stress and relieve tension
This combination of exercises can boost your energy levels while also promoting relaxation. Deep breathing increases the amount of oxygen in your blood, which helps to energise the mind and body and makes it easier to forget about everyday concerns.
- This combination of exercises can boost your energy levels while also promoting relaxation. Deep breathing increases the amount of oxygen in your blood, which helps to energise the mind and body and makes it easier to forget about everyday concerns.
Postural alignment can be restored through deep stretching
– Postural alignment can be restored through deep stretching
Being low-impact, these exercises promote recovery from strain or injury
- Being low-impact, these exercises promote recovery from strain or injury
Neuromuscular coordination can be improved with regular Pilates
– Neuromuscular coordination can be improved with regular Pilates
This class can offer relief from back pain and joint stress
- This class can offer relief from back pain and joint stress
Pilates and Intuitive Movement compliments sports training and performance and help to develop functional fitness for daily activities
- Pilates and Intuitive Movement compliments sports training and performance and help to develop functional fitness for daily activities
This class also improves the way your body looks and feels
- This class also improves the way your body looks and feels
Pilates at Self and More
Marléne is able to bring you this unique combination of Pilates, Callanetics, Stretch and Tone, Soma Sensing, and Intuitive Movement as she is a qualified teacher in these modalities. These complementary exercises, together with TRE® provides the opportunity to allow your body to move in a way that strengthens you, allows for more flexibility, lengthening of muscles, body awareness, and releasing tension and deep rooted patterns. All this takes is your dedication to yourself to show up and allow your body to move and release the mental and emotional tension. Allowing your body to be balanced, increasing agility and flexibility which creates an overall well-being and awareness that carries into all the other activities for your day.
Marléne is currently running group Pilates classes in person twice on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8.30 am to 9.30 am at Life’s Secret Garden in Longacres. Online classes are available by request. Beginners are always welcome and Marléne will be able to guide you through the class, ensuring that any injuries or health conditions are taken into consideration.
Marléne is always keen for participants to make the most of the benefits this class offers, and she is always on hand to answer any questions. For those new to these exercises, Marléne will take extra care to ensure that your posture and alignment are correct during each exercise.
Self and More offer a discount for booking monthly or you can pay as you go, although booking is essential. Marléne also advertises any changes to the regular schedule or additional classes on her Facebook page and Whatsapp Groups. You will always be guaranteed a warm welcome and ongoing encouragement for your health and fitness journey.
Book using the button below or contact us if you have any questions.