CAROLINE'S PILATES
CHELMSFORD

Pilates suits all ages and abilities. Pilates is kind on the joints and creates better awareness of moving mindfully throughout each movement. Pilates can help with current injuries as well as preventing them and all exercises can be adapted to help build up strength at the individuals own pace. Learning the correct biomechanics of the body and how it impacts our joints and muscles, will establish a good understanding of how to move intelligently and this will become more and more apparent, not only in the studio but in our everyday lives. It truly is an investment for our bodies even if you are super fit and healthy, our bodies always need maintaining and nurturing through healthy movement. Pilates is also nurturing for our well-being as well as our physical state. It connects mind and body together through gentle movement patterns. It is known to aid sleep and help settle the mind.

I will take you step-by-step through each exercise providing detailed demonstrations for you to try out. Throughout the session I will explain in detail the technicalities for each exercise and their purpose, focusing on correct postural alignment. We start with a gentle warm up section involving all types of movement of the spine gently waking up the muscles and joints. The middle section is all mat-work based exercises to gently tone and work different muscle groups in the lower and upper body. The final section is a cool down session of gentle stretches and balance practise. I also like to include a moderate amount of meditation to help wind down the mind and body effectively. During a class, I might utilise equipment such as Pilates balls, TheraBands, and toning circles to enhance resistance through the movement. This is optional so you can choose to do all of the exercises without equipment as well. Using equipment will benefit those who want the option to increase the difficulty level throughout the session. I will guide you with some helpful Pilates “cues” to help move more efficiently and correctly within each exercise. I give two or three alternatives including a modified version and a more challenging one. Each exercise can be easily adaptable to suit your needs. I shall also guide you through some breathing patterns which better connects mind and body, stamina and fluidity through each movement. I incorporate some useful co-ordination patterns to help stimulate the brain to enhance a good function of the nervous system.