We really could pick more tips, but we want to keep it simple and easy to remember. So we are going with the top 5 tips your Pilates instructor hopes you do every time in class.
1.) SLOW DOWN – why slow? isn’t bigger and faster better? Not in this case. Think control. Never sacrifice safety, form, precision or control for speed. We don’t do too many reps of any given exercise, technique and execution are essential, so yes those 5 teasers will be enough when done properly.
2.) DON’T USE MOMENTUM – this is tied to #1. Pauses are built in deliberately into the choreography of many Pilates exercises to prevent momentum from taking over. Listen to your instructor’s cues, his or her voice will dictate the speed of the exercise.
3.) STAY FOCUSED – be mindful, pay attention to what muscles you are using. Visualization is a powerful tool that will allow you to build the mind body connection that is at the core of Pilates. Instructors can often tell when clients’ minds start wondering off… remember that the hour you are in the studio is for you.
4.) BE PATIENT – with yourself. Results in Pilates or anything else for that matter come from working consistently. You need to be patient and regular in your practice of Pilates to achieve your goals. Often the exercises you find most difficult may be the ones you need! This is also tied to staying focused…don’t worry about what the person next to you can do. The more you are concerned with them the less focused you are on yourself.
5.) DO PILATES ALL DAY LONG – what?! how? Here at HALE we teach for transfer outside of the studio. It is our goal to teach our clients how to organize and use their bodies in everything they do, every day. Remember all those cues your instructor gives you in class? “Relax your shoulders, draw your abs in, breathe, control, length, chest open, spine long…” and yes there are more. Don’t just maintain good posture when doing Pilates in the studio. Apply everything you have learned in class everyday and you will be doing Pilates all day long!
