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Ten Good Reasons To Do Pilates

Pilates is a body conditioning regimen founded by Joseph Pilates over ninety years ago. Its long lasting popularity is a true indication of how eective Pilates is for all body types, conditions and all ages. Pilates will help you look and feel at your very best, and most importantly, at your healthiest Here are ten good reasons to do Pilates; 1. Mind/Body workout; Pilates uses breath to help you move through the workout, concentrating on smooth and uid movements. Correct breathing technique is essential so your movements can be done powerfully as your mind concentrates on how your body feels and moves. 2. Strong, lean muscles; Pilates works on lengthening and toning your muscles as they get stronger, which results in your muscles looking lean as opposed to bulky. Muscle elasticity means your body is less prone to injury, and joints feel uid and mobile. 3. Strong Core; Pilates concentrates on building a strong core, or powerhouse. This means working on the deepest abdominal muscles and muscles closest to the spine for a healthy and strong back and shoulder girdle. 4. Sports; Pilates is a wonderful way of conditioning and strengthening your body for other sports, and helps to prevent sports related injuries. Doing the same sport over and over can weaken muscles that are not used enough, and keep over using the same muscles until they are strained and sore. Pilates balances the musculature of your body, letting you enjoy other sports and daily activities with greater ease and less chance of injury. 5. Smooth Moves; Pilates helps you to learn how to move in a safer and more ecient manner, as muscles learn to work together to do the required mat work in Pilates. This is important for better posture, grace in movement, and sports performance. 6. Condence and Self Assurance; Pilates is a challenging workout, and while gentle in its movements, there is a great feeling of accomplishment when a workout is over. As you feel your body responding to the conditioning, you cant help but let that feeling of accomplishment overow in to your every day life and attitude. 7. Safety; Pilates is a safe workout, and you are always encouraged to work at your level without causing any pain or discomfort to the body. Intensity can increase as your body becomes more exible and strength improves. 8. Youthful Spine; Flexibility in our spine is very important, and as we age the stier it seems to get. The spine should be able to move forward, backward, sideways and twist to the left and right, and if it is restricted in any of these movements the surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments can become frozen. At that point functioning normally becomes very dicult. 9. No strain on the joints; In Pilates you use your own body weight to create resistance, and so muscles are built up without undue stress, especially on your elbows and wrists. Many of the exercises are performed in a sitting or reclining position, resulting in a low impact on the joints of the body. 10. A Flat Belly; Pilates focuses on the abdominals and so these muscles are worked in almost every exercise. They cannot help but get smaller over time which of course results in a tighter stomach. Most importantly, its the deep abdominal muscles that help to support your spine that benet from Pilates and so help keep us standing tall as we age. Please feel free to contact the studio to discuss any questions you may have about Pilates and the above mentioned benets. We would be pleased to help!

The Arkell Schoolhouse 843 Watson Rd. South, Arkell, Ontario N0B 1C0 519.767.5554

Inspire. Challenge. Transform.

Dedicated to your personal growth.

www.santoshayogaandpilates.com

Ten Good Reasons To Do Yoga

Yoga is an ancient tradition, deeply rooted in Hindu and Indian philosophy. It is about the union of body, mind and spirit through the practice of asanas (postures) and breathing exercises. Yoga is not a religion, and yet it is so much more than an exercise. Give it a try and discover what it can do for you. Here are the ten top reasons to try Yoga; 1. Stress Relief: Yoga can help reduce the eects of stress on your body and mind. It encourages relaxation, and helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Other benets include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system. Anxiety, depression, fatigue and insomnia are all symptoms of stress that yoga can help to ease. 2. Pain Relief: Yoga does help ease pain. Practicing Yoga postures and meditation reduces the pain for people with medical conditions such as cancer, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, as well as hypertension and back and neck pain. Even emotional pain can be eased by practicing Yoga. 3. Better Breathing: Yoga teaches you to take deeper and slower breaths which helps improve the functions of your lungs as well as generate your relaxation response. This also provides more oxygen for your body. Pranayama, or breath control is a very important part of yoga practice. By controlling the breath we learn how to use it to help us move in and out of a pose and bring more energy into the body. This creates a feeling of well-being that we can take with us into our everyday activities. 4. Flexibility: Yoga increases your range of movement to make you more exible and mobile while decreasing your aches and pains. Although you might not be able to touch your toes during your rst yoga class, gradually your muscles, ligaments and tendons lengthen and increase their elasticity. This can also help you improve your bodys alignment which will resolve in better posture and relieve bone and muscle pains. 5. Increased Strength: Yoga postures allow you to use every muscle in your body. It will help you increase strength and help relieve your muscular tension. Unlike many sports and other exercise regimens yoga avoids overworking any particular muscle group, and so lessens the chances of strain and injury. The body moves through whole ranges of motion. 6. Weight Management: Yoga reduces the cortisol levels as well as burn excess calories and reduces stress which can assist with your weight control eorts. Yoga encourages healthy eating and provides your mind with a keen sense of well being. 7. Improved Circulation: Yoga eciently moves oxygenated blood to your bodys cells as a result of a variety of poses. Yoga also cleans and conditions internal systems and enhances bodily functions, such as digestion. 8. Cardiovascular Conditioning: Yoga can provide cardiovascular benets by lowering the resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen levels in the body. Also, by doing more challenging yoga routines such a Sun Salutation, we can increase the challenge of the yoga practice and feel like we are getting more of a cardio style workout. 9. Focus on the Present: Yoga helps you to become more conscious of the present and create mind and body health. It puts you on the path to enhanced concentration, coordination, memory and reaction time. Yogas unique relevance to you will continue to reveal itself as you practice, keeping you on a personal path of discovery. 10. Inner Peace: You will reach a deeper and more spiritual place in your life from the meditative aspects of Yoga. Many times yoga is begun for the exercise, but it is the meditation that keeps people coming back! The benets of meditation may appear more slowly as you cultivate a new awareness of your self, but may be the most long lasting.
The Arkell Schoolhouse 843 Watson Rd. South Arkell, Ontario N0B 1C0 519.767.5554

Inspire. Challenge. Transform.

Dedicated to your personal growth.