YOU GOTTA ASK YOURSELF..................How aware am I? What thoughts are running through my head? How are these thoughts impacting my body?
As a Pilates teacher I train myself and others to connect their mind and body every day. It never ceases to amaze me how many and varied experiences are from day to day and from individual to individual. Every individual is different and every day brings with it new and exciting challenges to the individual and so because of this there is a wealth of knowledge and understanding about the mind and body just waiting to be tapped into. Circumstance, upbringing, society, culture and environment are all variables in this understanding and more and more I am discovering that the only constant is the Pilates Principles themselves.
The Genius of these principles lies in the learning, applying and experience of them. These simple experiences lead to discoveries about the mind and body that hold untold power to change wellness and quality of life. My aim is to provide the environment for these experiences to occur and to educate why these changes are important. I have found that the experience itself and the power to articulate this experience are both needed especially when dealing with muscles in the body and thoughts. Both the thoughts and the inner workings of the muscles from the outside are quite intangible and it is both in the feeling and the understanding that the answers lie.
You may have heard that you can know something but only when you experience it can it have the power to change you. This is true but you also need to know what you are experiencing so this change can occur.
Joseph Pilates quite cleverly invented 8 principles that can be applied both physically and mentally hence the nick name for Pilates being the intelligent exercise. Yogi’s and martial artists have been applying philosophies both physically and mentally for centuries but Western Society needed a discipline that spoke its language and I believe that is why Pilates is so popular today.
Awareness is the first Pilates Principle and seems like an obvious ability we should all have but it is a skill and like any skill it must be honed. We all exist with different levels of awareness, we are aware of different things and many factors influence this. It is the awareness of self that we lack in our society due to the daily bombardment T.M.I. (TOO MUCH INFORMATION) Our brains are only able to process a small amount of information, when all the information is being fed from outside of us it is any wonder we find it hard to be aware of what going on inside our minds and our bodies.
With all this in mind (the why) I would now like you to fully experience the first Pilates principle Awareness (the how) both mentally and physically. These questions you can practice asking yourself every day and by doing this you will start to see your mental and physical awareness change and grow. How aware am I? What thoughts are running through my head? How are these thoughts impacting my body?
Do these questions mean more? You are different now to when you first began reading this article. Imagine how different you are from one moment to the next and from day to day. It is simply that we need to ask ourselves these questions more, genius lies in simplicity.
By Heidi-Ann
Email heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au or phone 04333 76657 for a copy of Voice Pilates
Heidi-Ann invokes "A moment of realisation" at Portarlington Primary school where teachers experience first hand new Body and Mind Awareness.
What is Voice Pilates?
Voice Pilates is an Audio Pilates Manual that trains in the Pilates Principles and Technique. It comes in CD format and can be downloaded to the laptop or PC or even listened to on the CD player in your car, it can be used anytime and anyplace to reconnect the mind to the body through simple listening. Ideal for sedentary desk jobs!
What will it do?
· Voice Pilates provides the tools for people through simple listening to understand and use their bodies in a more economical way.
· It is designed to release stress and tension in the muscles and mind through simple reconnection exercises that can be done at the desk.
· It also trains people to use their deep abdominals whilst sitting to take the pressure off the lower back.
· Voice Pilates invokes a relaxed state designed to clear the cluttered mind and refocus the individual.
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I have designed Desk and Voice Pilates to teach all people (no matter what their fitness level) to apply Pilates to every aspect of life and all exercise routines. Desk and Voice Pilates is designed to give the power back to the individual so that they are able to train themselves to become master of their own body and mind and to use both mind and body to achieve their FULL POTENTIAL........
Heidi-Ann
Email heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au or phone 04333 76657 for a copy of Voice Pilates or to get Desk Pilates Seminar to come to you
DESK PILATES SEMINAR AND VOICE PILATES
“Ergonomics for the Mind and Body”
Learn how to apply the Pilates Technique and the 8 Pilates principles your day to truly change habits that impede well being. PILATES DESIGNED TO BE DONE Any where anytime is the answer to you and your daily comfort. This answer lies within the body and not a foot stall or pillow.
The Desk Pilates Seminar and VOICE PILATES by Heidi-Ann from “Pilates And The City” will teach you that you can switch on your core muscles while you sit breathe more deeply, change postural habits that impede performance and learn to truly relax. The Seminar is 30-45 minutes in length and is an introduction to Desk Pilates Live and Audio Program.
During the Seminar you will learn to apply “The 8 Pilates Principles”
Awareness/ Centring/ Balance/ Concentration/Breathing/ Relaxation/Fluidity of Movement/Quality of Movement
Education in these principles enhances Mind and Body effectiveness and encourages staffs realization of their full potential, physically and mentally.
Email heidiannfrick@pilatesandthecity.com.au or Phone 0487319610 for a copy of Voice Pilates or to get Desk Pilates Seminar to come to you.
