Pilates can help you prevent and recover from injury it can also help your training towards a Human Being Active event. 

What is pilates?

Pilates is an exercise method, designed to elongate, strengthen and restore the body to balance. Based upon an anatomical understanding of the body's muscular and skeletal systems, the Pilates teacher creates a comprehensive exercise programme for the client.

Classes can focus on specific areas individually whilst using exercises that integrate the whole body to re-educate and restore it to optimum muscular and skeletal function.

It is this holistic approach that sets Pilates apart from many other forms of exercise. Osteopaths, physiotherapists and general practitioners recommend Pilates as one of the safest forms of exercise today. Pilates can be beneficial for just about everyone, regardless of age and fitness level.

Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. In order to achieve happiness, it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. If at the age of 30 you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60 you are supple and strong then you are young. ...
Joseph Pilates

Benefits of Pilates:

1. Develop a strong core -- flat abdominals and a strong back ...

Control of the core is achieved by integrating the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle.

2. Build strength without “bulking up” -- gain long, lean muscles and flexibility ...

Conventional workouts tend to build short, bulky muscles -- the type most prone to injury but Pilates elongates and strengthens, improving muscle elasticity and joint mobility. A body with balanced strength and flexibility is less likely to be injured.

3. Be confident and safe ...

Many of the exercises are performed in reclining or sitting positions, and most are low impact and partially weight bearing. Pilates is so safe, it is used in physical therapy facilities to rehabilitate injuries.

Top 5 Pilates Exercises - for Beginners ...

Although simple – If you breath correctly, you will find it easy to relax and provide adequate oxygen to your muscles. You will notice the difference when you breathe correctly as it will enhance your overall experience. Breathing is a major part of all Pilates exercises. You simply breathe in through your nose for a count of five, and out through your mouth for a count of 5, with a shushing sound. Make the breaths into short, rhythmic bursts – in, in, in, in, in and shush, shush, shush, shush, shush. Never rush your breathing and don’t go overboard to the point that you feel light headed and fall over.

This will help you with core balance. Core balance works in harmony with the alignment of your feet supporting your whole body. You will be amazed at how much strength your toes possess to balance your body. This movement strengthens the muscles on the top of your feet and increases the blood flow into your toes. Poor circulation to your feet can lead to stiff muscles and problems that affect the rest of your body.

This is a very simple exercise designed to improve circulation and enhance your awareness of balance. Start standing with your feet together in line with your body. Hold your head straight and keep your arms rested at your sides. Start simply by raising your right foot toes slowly up as far as they will go and then back down again. Do this a couple of times alternating feet. Then lift up the toes of both feet at the same time pressing the metatarsal bones at the base of your toes strongly and evenly into the floor.

Important – Do not roll your feet inward or outward while performing the exercise. And do not lean back as you lift. You should be breathing in as you lift, and breathing out as you lower your toes. Try closing your eyes as you exhale and lower your toes. Keep your eyes closed for five repetitions and you will notice an improvement in your sense of balance.

3. Finger Flicks

This exercise improves the circulation in your arms and hands. The increased blood flow into the fingertips helps to flush out toxins and reduce arthritis or stiffness in the joints. It’s also a good forearm workout and is excellent for relieving aching elbows.

Start standing with your feet together inlign with your body. Hold your hands down in front of you below your waist and make loose fists by rolling up your fingers with your thumb on top. In this exercise your arms should always be fully extended as they move in a circular motion into six main positions.

1. Down and in front. Hands facing inwards.
2. Raised to shoulder height and in front. Hands facing inward
3. Stretched straight up. Hands facing inward.
4. Stretched out to the sides. Hands facing upwards.
5. Lowered to 45 degrees. Hands facing down.
6. Lowered to sides. Hands facing inward.

The idea is to strongly flick your fingers open continually throughout all the positions. Do eight flicks while you stand in position 1 and four flicks as you move to position 2. Do eight flicks while standing in position 2 and four flicks as you move into position 3. Continue this pattern.

Important - Keep your wrists still and your arms straight

This is a classic Pilates exercise so named because it takes a count of 100 to complete. This exercise strengthens core abdominal muscles and expands the chest and ribcage.

This is a floor or mat exercise. It involves raising your legs to vertical and waving or pulsing your arms up and down in small motions.

1. Start by lying on the floor with knees bent as if you were doing sit-ups and have your arms resting palm down at your side.
2. Squeeze your abdominal muscles so that your head, neck, and shoulders raise off the floor. Keep your abdominals squeezed tight throughout the whole exercise. Stretch your arms forward toward your toes and start pulsing them up and down a distance of about 15cm. Stay is this position for a count of 20.
3. Slowly lift your legs to a 90 degree angle with your body. Continue the pumping for a further count of 20.
4. Slowly extend your legs straight up to the ceiling and keep pumping for 20 counts.
5. Begin to lower your legs at a 45 degree diagonal to your torso and keep pumping for 20 counts.
6. Keep your legs straight and lower them as close to the ground as possible without lifting your spine off the floor and keep pumping for 20 counts.
7. Lower your head to the floor. Release your arms, bend your knees, and place your feet back on the floor.

This exercise works your abdominals and improves flexibility of your spine. This is a floor or mat exercise and involves rolling up your upper body while extending your arms.

1. Lie with your legs in the diamond position. Keep your back flat on the floor and rest your arms on the floor above your head. The diamond position is when you point your toes and bring your legs into a diamond shape with your knees out to the sides.
2. Lift your arms toward the ceiling and slowly start rolling or peeling your upper body off the floor from your head down.
3. Keep peeling and extend your legs forward while keeping your toes pointed.
4. Stretch your arms and torso forward over your legs creating a C shape with your body. Keep your abdominal muscles tight and hold your arms directly around your ears.
5. Begin to roll back down to the floor pulling your legs back into the diamond position. Your arms should start to point to the ceiling again.
6. Finish in the starting position with your spine flat on the floor, your hands resting above your head and your legs in the diamond position.

Important – Keep the movement fluid and constant. Work with your abdominal muscles. Do not straighten your spine while rolling. If you feel any stress or discomfort, hold on to your thighs until you are stronger.

TEN OTHER GREAT REASONS TO CONSIDER PILATES

 1. Improved posture ...
Your spine supports the weight of your body and allows your body to move with ease and comfort. That's the theory anyway. But in practice, hours spent sitting in front of a computer screen or slumped in front of a TV means that the spine's natural S shape is lost, resulting in back pain and rounded shoulders. Pilates helps to re-align the spine and with that comes better posture.

2. Relief from back pain ...
As mentioned above, a great deal of lower back pain comes from poor posture and our daily mistreatment of our spines. By re-aligning your spine and improving your posture, lower back pain can often be eliminated entirely.

3. A good night's sleep ...
Ask anyone to name three things essential for life and you will be told, water, air and food. Few people will mention sleep and yet it too is essential to life. A disturbing ten million prescriptions for sleeping pills are issued every year in England alone - a figure that gives you some idea of the numbers of people who suffer from insomnia. Pilates can help stretch muscles, releasing tension and pain, and it can also help trigger natural sleep responses.

4. Increase your strength and stamina without adding muscle bulk ...
Pilates helps increase both your strength and stamina without adding unwanted bulk because it focuses on developing your "core" muscles - muscles found in your abdominal and pelvic regions as well as in your back. By toning and stretching these muscles, and by correcting your posture, your natural strength and stamina will improve in leaps and bounds.

5. Pilates can help prevent osteoporosis ...
One in two women and one in five men over the age of 50 in the UK will break a bone, mainly because of a bone disorder called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis affects three million people in the UK every year, with bones (and particularly those of the spine, wrist and hips) becoming thin and weak and susceptible to fractures. By promoting good posture and balance, pilates can actively help you avoid becoming one of those people. 

6. A great way to relax and beat stress ...
Pilates is a gentle form of exercise that literally re-introduces you to your own body. And the better you understand your body and how it works, the easier it will be for you to release tension, relax and beats the stresses and strains of modern life.

7. Help with prevention of incontinence ...
Stress incontinence is the most common form of incontinence and affects over three million people in the UK. A common cause of this type of incontinence in women is pregnancy, where the pelvic floor muscles can be weakened, but as we get older muscles in the pelvic area can weaken too. Pilates will help you strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, thereby curing what can be a very distressing problem for sufferers.

8. Improve your balance and co-ordination ...
Pilates helps improve your balance and co-ordination by realigning your spine and strengthening your "core" muscles. And better balance and co-ordination means fewer injuries - hence pilates growing popularity among professional sports people - from dancers to rugby players.

9. Helps aid recovery after injury - and prevent injury recurring ...
Because of its low impact nature, pilates is widely recognised as being beneficial to people who are recovering from certain types of injury including whiplash and a wide range of sporting injuries. Indeed, many of the injuries that sports people are afflicted with can be avoided - and pilates can play a big part in ensuring correct body movement and core body strength leads to fewer such injuries.

About Alun's Pilates

Alun was first introduced to the study of Pilates movement when he started learning judo at the age of ten. His teacher Steadman Davies MBE was taught by Japanese and Korean masters just after the second world war. The judo they taught was very much different to the modern day competitive style in that it encouraged the study of correct posture and efficient movement.

Today at at his studio Alun's works with and helps clients from all walks of life to include international sports men and women and those just wanting to greatly improve their core strength and fitness. All are welcome at his Stdio.

Pilates Training

Induction Session:
Everyone who wants to learn Pilates must first complete an initial induction session on a one on one basis with the teacher. The aims of the induction is the note any relevant medical history, assess posture and movement quality, teach the Pilates principles and formulate an exercise plan which meets the clients needs. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes more than one induction session is necessary. The client is now ready to join a group session.

Group Session:
A group session consists of up to three, occasionally four, clients sharing the sharing the studio at the same time. However, everyone practises their own exercise plan under the close guidance of the teacher. The client numbers are kept low in order to make an individual approach and a fine attention to detail possible. Exercises are performed on special Pilates machines as well as on the floor and with smaller equipment such as balls and exercise rings etc.

Remedial Massage

Alun's Pilates Studio also offers a remedial massage service...

A therapeutic massage used to treat back pain, muscle and joint pain and sports injuries.

The techniques use are:

• Deep Tissue Massage
• Myofascial Release(direct)
• Neuromuscular Technique
• Muscle Energy Technique
• Positional Release
• Swedish Massage

These techniques are used to relax and lengthen tight and short muscles and connective tissues, de-activate trigger points and break down adhesions in the soft tissues. To this end they help free the joints and improve body movement and posture. The combination of Pilates and Remedial Massage can be very effective.

Alun's Pilates Studio ... opening times, contact deatils and directions etc

Website

Opening Times

Mon, Tue & Thurs: 10am to 8pm

Wed: 6pm to 8pm

Fri: 10am to 7pm

Contact

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Parking

Free parking is available at The Lord Arthur Rank Centre.

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