PILATES
Pilates roots started in the late 1800s with a man named Joseph Pilates. He suffered from asthma and rickets as a child, which left him severely crippled. Joseph Pilates began to study various methods of exercises and body-building. With the various key concepts he discovered, Joseph developed his own method, which he called “Contrology”. By his early teens Joseph Pilates had overcome his disabilities and grown into a fit and healthy individual.
Joseph Pilates is thought by many to be the first Physical Therapist. When the First World War broke
out, Joseph Pilates was interned by the British authorities as a German national. Joseph Pilates used his
method as a sort of Physical Therapy for many seriously injured internees. To aid in their rehabilitation
Pilates helped them regain muscle tone by attaching springs to their beds to provide resistance as they
carried out gently exercise movements.
Benefits
The word “health” comes from its Greek root “Holos” meaning “whole”. Pilates treats the patient as a whole rather than a part in how developing the mind controls every aspect of the body – concentrated breath, controlled movements, increasing body awareness, posture, and helping a patient regain confidence and control of their body and health.
Relief of back pain
Spinal stabilization
Improved neurological conditions
Awareness of neutral alignment, strengthening postural muscles
Balance, full body muscle development
Improved coordination and proprioception
Increased local and global strength/tone
Improved posture
Increased agility and flexibility
Enhanced body awareness and control
Space is limited. Class size will remain small to ensure individual attention and quality instruction.
YOGA
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years bringing health and serenity to the body, mind and spirit. The word “Yoga” means “union” and its central idea is once of balance. Yoga encourages harmony and relaxation. The therapeutic side to Yoga helps an individual become more aware of body posture, alignment, and patterns of movement.
Benefits
Yoga promotes mental rest as well as physical stretching and strengthening. Its benefits are vast ranging
from muscle toning to detoxification and lubricating joints, tendons, and ligaments. The following are a
few examples of the many benefits:
Pulse rate decreases
Respiratory rate decreases
Blood pressure decreases
Increased joint range of motion
Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
Self acceptance and self actualization increase
Social adjustment increases
Immunity increases
Depth perception improves
Balance improves
Level 1 Yoga: Beginner Level. Hatha Yoga tries to achieve balance between body and mind, as well as
attempts to free the more subtle spiritual elements of the mind through physical poses.
Level 2 Yoga: Intermediate Level. Vinyasa Flow Yoga is “breath-synchronized movement.” This style allows
for a lot of variety including stretching along side strengthening movements.
QIGONG
Qigong (Qi- meaning “energy”) is a derivative or form of the ever
popular Tai-Chi and has many applications. It works as a “healing art”
allowing your “Qi” energy to flow freely and assisting with ailments
such as stress, pain, disease and the effects of aging. It is an exercise for
personal wellbeing. Qigong is a powerful and enjoyable way to improve
health, increase vitality, and develop a “contagious” healing presence.
In sports training, Qigong improves strength, stamina, coordination, and other skills necessary for peak
performance. As a spiritual art, rooted in Taoism, it deepens awareness of self and nature and creates
a wonderful feeling of harmony, tranquility, and peace. And in the ever-popular category of weight
loss, QiGong presents a sustainable and self-directed approach. Instead of inhibiting your dietary
needs, Qigong cultivates knowledge of who you are and how your body works revealing how the body
regulates itself so you gain the power to control your health and weight. Students discover that mind,
breath, gravity, posture, emotions, Qi and forces of nature affect the delicate balances of the entire system.
