What is Pilates?

Developed in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates, The Pilates Method is an exercise system focused on improving flexibility and strength for the body without building bulk. The Method emphasises the balanced development of what Joseph Pilates called the powerhouse. The powerhouse encompasses the band of muscles that circle the body just below your belt line – it includes the abdominals, lower back, hips and buttocks. More recently the powerhouse is often referred to as the core or our core strength. Pilates believed that if your powerhouse was functioning fully then the rest of your body would be able to move with ease and natural grace, free from stress or strain on muscles and joints. 

How it works

Through a series of rigorous and controlled exercises on the various apparatus and mat, you lengthen, strengthen and realign the body with precise efficient movement. Some of the benefits of Pilates include:

• improved posture and coordination
• improved flexibility
• increased muscle strength, particularly of the abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks (the ‘core muscles’ of the body)
• rehabilitating after an injury or prevention of further injuries
• restoring the muscular balance of the body.