Yoga and Meditation

Pilates is a great way of strengthening and toning all the muscles in your body - especially the core muscles. What are core muscles? These are the muscles in your abdomen and pelvic regions that holds your entire body in balance.

Having the correct posture gives one a feeling of well-being, as well as the look of leanness and height. Good posture is also important for good health as we shall soon see.

Many athletes and even ballroom dancers practice Pilates in order to strengthen their core muscles and allow them to change direction quickly with better balance, thus reducing the risk of injury.

The foundation of Pilates is based upon slow, controlled exercises where nothing is rushed. The reason for this is to develop body awareness, and this is why Pilates is so fantastic. Body awareness allows you to be conscious of what every muscle in your body is doing, and this helps a lot when you do any kind of sporting activity.

The basic Pilates exercise is suitable for people of all ages as well as those recovering from injury. For rehabilitation purposes, specific or customized Pilates exercises can be utilized to isolate the injured limb whilst giving the rest of the body a great workout.

Correct breathing combined with slow, controlled exercises are what creates the muscle toning and strength that people rave on about. Unlike other types of gym workouts, doing faster repetitions get you no where. Instead precision is key.

The trick to getting the maximum benefits out of Pilates is to perform every motion with precision and control. In addition, proper breathing as well as position of your body is critical. Therefore, as a beginner you will want to find a school that takes the time to correct your motions so you do not form any bad habits and get the best foundational techniques possible right from the start. This will ensure that you don’t waste your time or risk causing yourself injury.

To develop your body awareness, Pilates must be approached with a full dedication and also concentration. To practice Pilates in it’s truest form, your mind must be focused on every single movement and your breathing in sync.

This is something you definitely won’t be developing overnight so you should expect some time to pass before you get over the initial learning curve. Once you reach a certain point, you will realize what a great mind, body and spirit workout it is.

For those of you who are looking to lose weight, Pilates is good but it might not help you lose massive weight - you will need to supplement your workouts with regular intervals of cardiovascular exercise during the week. Although Pilates does in fact help boost your metabolic rate, losing large amounts of weight will not happen unless you monitor your diet as well.

Get started with Pilates DVDs now. Have a look at this Pilates DVD review at the author’s website. Also reviewed are Pilates equipment like the Pilates machine within.