Principles of Pilates
Concentration
Focus in class is a vital aspect of Pilates, the Pilates method relies on the concentrated awareness of the movement of the abdominal muscles, in particular transverse abdominus - or TA as it is commonly referred to.
Breathing
Joseph Pilates stated "breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Therefore above all, learn how to breath correctly." Utilising the exhalation to activate specific muscles like the TA gives rhythm to the timing of firing the correct muscles in each movement.
Centring
Beginning movements from the Pilates neutral spine position increases the efficacy of the Pilates movements, and centring back in this position at the end of each movement provides a beginning and an end point for the precise and controlled activation of each muscle.
Control
Encouragement is given to controlling movement according to the ability to maintain the Pilates Neutral spine position. Control of the spine on the stable base of the mat, enables us to increase control against the varying forces in the less stable world off the mat.
Precision
Pilates movements require very specific and precise movement. This is why it is so important to learn the movements from a qualified and experienced teacher who can spot when you are recruiting the correct muscles in a pose. Muscle recruitment has a variety of stages, which is why following the instructions of your instructor carefully and feeling free to ask if you are not seeing results or feeling the effects of a pose.
Flowing movement
Pilates works towards building flowing movement in a client's body, where the muscles are communicating and working in synchronicity to achieve the principles of motor control retraining. Most of our movements in life are continuous - like walking. Most Pilates exercises can be specifically linked to day to day functional tasks that we carry out and enable us to re-teach the muscles to work together when we are making these movements.
Integrated isolation
Bringing the concept of centring into normal daily activities to ensure carryover from what we do on the mat, in our lifestyle.
Routine
The Pilates method is based on the client being able to practice Pilates for at least 10 minutes per day. Learning takes place in three stages, cognitive, associative and automatic - and it is in the automatic stage of learning that the subconscious recruitment of stability muscles is achieved.
Principles of Yoga
Yamas - Moralities for living.
The Yamas are a series of five moralities which the yogis translate into daily living. They include Ahimsa - non-harming, Satya - truthfulness, Asteya - non-stealing, Brahmacharya - energy moderation, Aparigraha - non-grasping. In yoga practice on the mat the yamas may be translated into making sure that your activity does not harm your body, being honest with yourself about where you are in your practice and what you are looking to achieve from it, not stealing energy from your body where there is none to steal, and not looking to steal limelight from others by "doing better". Moderation in your activity, to conserve your energy and not grasping, clinging to the ideal posture, but experiencing and accepting your practice on that day for what it is.
Niyamas - Self observances.
The yoga self observances encourage us to be aware of how we purify the body. Saucha - purity, can be considered in thoughts, actions and intentions, Santosha - contentment with what is here, tapas - right effort encourages us not to be lazy in our practice, to find our edges and explore them, Svadhyaya - self study, consistently increasing our awareness of ourselves and how we are interacting in the world, Ishvara Pranidhana - dedication to the highest, in whatever form you consider the highest energy of life to be.
Asanas - Postures.
Many of the original yoga postures were all seated poses, standing poses that were later added to the seated range came from a variety of gymnastics and weight lifting practices that were prevalent at the time of yogas growth into the western world, all were designed to strengthen the body for longer periods of sitting still in meditation.
Pranayama - Control of the breath.
Attention on the breath and utilising the breath to enhance the movement and strength of the body. As part of the progression of yoga increased breath awareness and the ability to control and retain the breath become an important part of the practice.
Pratyahara - Withdrawl of the senses.
At the end of a yoga asana session where we have focused our attention on the movement of the breath we come into Savasana - corpse pose, where we allow the body to die a mini death to all that has gone before that moment. In that relaxation into the earth we allow the senses to withdraw into the mind.
Dharana - one pointed focus.
In a state of sensory withdrawal we bring the mind to focus on one thing - it may be the breath, the sensation of the skin touching the earth, the sounds we can her around us or a particular feeling in the body. The chattering mind is quiet and we experience single pointed focus.
Dhyana - devotion.
When one pointed focus is achieved the mind is able to release the focus on one thing, and experience a state of connection to all things. This is the state of meditation - where the focus remains but the object of the focus is released. In a yoga class this would be where we find we experience moments of no longer focusing on the breath but we still experience stillness of the mind.
Samadhi - Union.
In the final stage of yoga we experience connection to all things, complete union with our surroundings. Often this happens for seconds as we start a practice, and over time develops.