Pilates is a method of training the body and mind, which aims to strengthen and lengthen the muscles to form a more balanced and flexible body through a series of exercises performed in a slow and controlled way. The mind is literally trained to control the body so that body awareness and coordination are hugely developed.

While at first glance the basic Pilates exercises seem relatively simple, they are in fact working the deep and very important stabilizing muscles of the body. While working on rebalancing the architectural structure of the body, it is possible to create a solid foundation, building strength from the inside out. “Core” postural muscles are strengthened, in particular the stabilising muscles of the torso.

As the body strengthens and one becomes familiar with the exercises, it becomes possible to add complex and more difficult variations. This explains why Pilates can be as challenging for a top athlete as for a person who exercises for the first time or for a person suffering from back pain and/or injuries. As Pat Cash, the former Wimbledon champion remarked: “My reaction was amazement, at how gentle, yet effective, the exercises were. I was taught how to breathe, how to improve my posture and how to stretch and strengthen muscles I didn’t even know I had. The advanced exercises were some of the toughest exercises I have ever done.”

As is often the case in life, good results need real commitment. If you take the time to do at least three sessions of one hour per week, you will see real improvements in your body shape, your posture and in your overall well-being within a few weeks.

However, many people are not only attracted by the aesthetic benefits of Pilates. It also provides curative benefits which have attracted the attention of the medical world. That is why, in many countries, physiotherapy and osteopathy centres are now using Pilates type exercises for rehabilitation, especially after back surgery and are now engaging certified Pilates teachers with whom they work closely to complete their treatment programmes. In fact, many physiotherapists and osteopaths have undertaken training to be qualified to teach Pilates. Jacqueline Knox MCSP SRP, a leading British physiotherapist, said once: “Correct body alignment and muscle balance is the key to maintaining improvements gained with treatment. Pilates encompasses both these concepts of alignment and control, and is, therefore, used in the rehabilitation of patients with excellent results.”