How I fell in love with Classical Pilates
Photo by @kirthana.amirthavasani
I used to think Pilates was boring.
To be completely honest, I used to absolutely hate it.
I was a yoga girl through and through. I loved flowing through a Vinyasa, how strong it made me feel in my body, seeing the results of a strong practice increasing my strength and flexibility daily.
Yes, I am ashamed to say that one of the big reasons why I loved yoga (at first) was because of the sense of accomplishment I felt when I did manage to ‘unlock’ an asana (yoga pose) that I had been working towards for a long time.
Yoga felt good in my body. I later found out that there’s a scientific reason why - most people who enjoy practicing yoga have the musculoskeletal structure to support that. Typically, they might have hypermobility, or a leaner structure (which makes binds easier to access), or longer limbs (easier to catch overhead poses like king dancer or king pigeon), their femur bones might sit in their hip sockets in a way that allows ‘open hip’ poses to come more easily to them and feel good, the list goes on.
Classical Pilates, however, works with all body types. And I have noticed that the way that Pilates translates to students when I teach - and myself as I practice - is so much more accessible.
But really, the key reason why I fell in love with this practice isn’t just about the movement. It’s all about the breath.
Breath is a key part of yoga, but did you know that it’s also a key part of Pilates? (If you’re going to a Pilates class and they’re not cueing breath - it’s literally not Pilates - but that’s a rant for another blog post!)
Now I’ll be completely honest, I lose the breath in yoga and have to really work to keep it consistent. But the structural nature of Pilates - working with movement within the functional range rather than out of functional range (which is a key element of why hypermobile people might love yoga, and others not so much) combined with the measured breath control is a lot easier to maintain.
This in turn has really helped me tap into Pilates as a holistic practice - and honestly, sometimes I just find it translates to my body so much more easily.
If I’m feeling a bit rubbish, and I have the opportunity to do self practice, the thought of moving through a Vinyasa flow can sometimes just feel a bit overwhelming.
But Pilates? Pilates can help me connect to myself and ground me in a way that yoga just doesn’t (unless I’m really in the mood!)
We all know that breath is the key element of a healthy working nervous system. Multiple studies have shown that in times of stress, measured and slowed breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting the ‘rest and digest’ functions responsible for helping the body relax and calm the nervous system.
The ability of moving the diaphragm (the balloon-like muscle underneath the lungs and heart) to a measured steady state is a wonderful skill to unlock to help to relax the body during a time of stress. With Classical Pilates, the focus is on a nasal inhalation and a controlled exhale through pursed lips and stream of air, creating a ‘whoooosh’ sound, but nasal breathing is also more than fine if that resonates more with your body. (Move! The New Science of Body over Mind by Caroline Williams)
Photo by @kirthana.amirthavasani
My amazing teacher Sabrina Kelly, who has over a decade teaching experience in Classical Pilates (full comp), put this theory beautifully - that Pilates is so much more easily accessed by individuals because of the controlled movement that only works with functional range - combined with a steady breathwork pattern, it really helps to tap into the mind-body connection that creates that amazing post-practice high.
Classical Pilates isn’t a fitness class - it has peaks and troughs, and is intelligently sequenced to allow individuals to tap into their breath and connect to themselves holistically.
The feeling of being completely centered and grounded in the body is the result.
So, although I still love to practice and teach yoga, Classical Pilates has quickly become one of my favourite ways to move my body in a holistic way - and I really can’t wait to share more with you as I learn more on this journey!
What do you think? Does a particular practice resonate with you more? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Abby x
Photo by @kirthana.amirthavasani
