Body Control Pilates®

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What is Pilates?

Pilates is a mental and physical conditioning programme where exercises are employed to improve the way we use our body. Bad postural and muscle recruitment habits develop over time, often due to injury, working postures, sporting interests and illness. Pilates can help to break these bad habits by emphasising correct muscle recruitment patterns and restoring muscle balance thereby producing good postural alignment and restoring natural, normal movement. The result is a longer, leaner body, better flexibility, muscle strength, co-ordination and balance, a strong stable “core” and pelvis, and a healthier spine and joints.

The History of Pilates

Joseph Pilates was born in 1880 and as a child suffered from poor health. His solution was to improve his body by adopting a regime that incorporated many aspects of other fitness methods such as yoga, gymnastics, self defence and dance. In 1926 he moved to New York where he set up a studio to teach his method to clientele that included top ballet dancers, actors, gymnasts and athletes. During that time he developed a series of about 34 mat exercises (often referred to as the “Full Mat”) which he believed was a complete body-conditioning programme, and which, when practiced regularly, promoted health, mental agility and fitness.

Body Control Pilates®

As many of his original clients were already extremely fit, the exercises that Pilates taught were very challenging and would most likely cause injury to the average person practicing them today. Body Control Pilates® breaks down these exercises into progressive stages to ensure that clients build sufficient strength and flexibility to enable them to attempt the more complex moves without the risk of injury.

Carlton Road Clinic Body Control Pilates® mat work classes

In order to structure a progressive Pilates programme for our clients, our mat work classes are run as six week courses. At the end of the six weeks clients are offered the opportunity to progress onto the next course after a short break which usually coincides with school holidays. In this way clients of similar experience are able to practice and progress together in a safe but challenging environment.

Clients new to Pilates and new to the Clinic are asked to attend an induction session prior to joining a course. This is ideally done on a one to one basis but can be shared with a maximum of two others where friends and family wish to attend together. During this session you will be asked to complete an enrolment form giving details of any health issues which may influence your practice of Pilates, and your objectives for taking up Pilates. The Teacher will use this information, along with a postural assessment, to ensure that you get the most out of your classes. During the induction session you will also be taught the basics of the method including relaxation, breathing, alignment and core stability.

At Carlton Road Clinic all classes take place in our newly refurbished dance studio. We restrict our class size to a maximum of 10 people to ensure that all class members receive a high level of individual attention. For clients who are unable to attend the scheduled classes or who wish to undertake a more intensive form of practice, we also offer private sessions or small group sessions by arrangement.

Carlton Road Clinic Pilates Teachers

Our teachers are members of the Body Control Pilates® Association which is widely seen as a quality standard for Pilates teaching. Body Control is a registered Trade Mark used under licence.