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The 8 Principles of Pilates – RELAXATION

The PILATES theme of the week is The first of the 8 principles of Pilates RELAXATION:

The 8 PRINCIPLES OF PILATES:

  1. Relaxation
  2. Concentration
  3. Alignment
  4. Breathing
  5. Centring
  6. Co-ordination
  7. Flowing movements
  8. Stamina

The opposite to relaxation is tension and  Pilates movements require relaxation and an absence of tension. The muscular effort required to perform Pilates movements is 20-30% (although they may require 150% mental effort).

One way of finding relaxation is to contract a specific group of muscles as you exhale and then to let go as you inhale.

Please see the 10 minute Breathing and Relaxation video below:

 

We will go into more detail about each of the 8 principles over the coming weeks.

We look forward to seeing you in your Pilates class this week.