We successfully chewed our way through the first 5 leads. I'm sure many of you were wondering what other leads we were going to see, as we had seemingly covered everything. Well, we are far from the end. So far we've covered the obvious, now let's look at the benefits we would never associate with Pilates!
- Pilates and yoga keep stress under control.
Although it is important to know how to get rid of stress, it is even more important to learn how to keep it at bay. If we do not address the source of stress (how we perceive and react to the situation), we will not be able to eliminate it completely.
Since Pilates has only become really popular in the last few years, there are no scientific results on the subject. However, yoga has been studied through and through, so it is safe to say that it is an excellent stress reliever. And although yoga and pilates are not the same, they do have one very important thing in common - both forms of exercise place a strong emphasis on the mind-body connection.
Research has shown that the benefits of yoga can be felt after just one session. Researchers have found that the position itself is a source of stress in yoga. But once you master the movement and successfully assume the position, the stress disappears. The same happens in pilates. When physical demands meet regular breathing and mind-body connection, the nervous system reacts to maintain a state of calm. We can later apply this in real life, so we can decide what is worth stressing about and what is not.
- Pilates makes you happier.
If you love sport and you love Pilates, you'll be happier for it.
When we put our body under positive stress (like when we do our favourite form of exercise), our brain releases endorphins into the body. Endorphins are also called happy hormones for a simple reason - they make us feel better. If we enjoy our workout, concentrate on the movements and don't let our minds wander, we'll be much happier and calmer after the workout.
Even Joseph Pilates said, "Physical fitness is the first condition of happiness."
- Pilates makes you more creative.
A creative and open mind allows us to experience life to the full and to find innovative ways to solve life's challenges.
Both exercise and meditation develop creativity. Because Pilates allows you to exercise and meditate at the same time, it is the perfect way to bring your creative side to the fore.
- Pilates helps us keep our emotions in check.
Our emotions and our breathing are closely linked. Pierre Phillipot's research shows that different emotional states can be linked to different breathing patterns. Think about how we breathe when we are scared and how we breathe when we are calm. The research doesn't tell us anything unbelievable, because it's pure logic.
The interesting part of the research is that different breathing patterns trigger different emotions. Our breathing can take us from a state of calm to stress, and vice versa.
"Above all, learn to breathe correctly," said Joseph Pilates.
Breathing is a fundamental principle of Pilates, and learning the correct breathing technique is one of the greatest benefits of Pilates. Most of us are lazy breathers, which means that our breathing is sloppy and we only pay attention to it when we are "out of breath". However, by learning a regular breathing technique, we can calm ourselves down in tense situations.
Our next article brings this mini-series to an end. Finally, we'll get a full picture of the scientifically proven benefits of Pilates and decide whether it's worth taking the plunge (we'll give you a hint - it is!). Next, we'll talk about the three remaining benefits that will have the most impact on how we feel about ourselves.
