 |
 |
 |
|
click to view larger image |
|||
What is "Innovations in Pilates?"
"Innovations in Pilates" is the name that we give to our particular way of practicing the Pilates Method. In fact, we practice a hybrid of Pilates and another technique known for about 15 years as "Posture and Flexibility" or P&F, and recently renamed "Stretch Therapy." Our approach is innovative because it blends these two methods.
 |
 |
 |
|
click to view larger image |
|||
The Pilates method is well known for increasing core strength, dynamic stability, and full and functional athletic movement. It can also be used in a clinical context, to isolate and strengthen injured regions of the body, and to help in the reprogramming of motor control deficits. P&F has as its explicit goal the safe and efficient acquisition of flexibility, and also spans rehabilitation to performance enhancement. Combining the two methods means that we are able to offer clients a broader set of challenges and outcomes, and where one method is lacking, the other can compensate. We feel that the combination offers a very complete set of tools for achieving physical health and well-being.
 |
 |
 |
|
click to view larger image |
|||
What happens in a Pilates session?
In a "mat" or "Reformer" session, the content is a blend of both systems and the mix is determined by what the client needs most. If, for example, a client wanted to improve their flexibility rather dramatically the session would be tailored to consist mostly of P&F work. A client experiencing neck and back pain might be taught a series of neck and back stretches from the P&F work to reduce muscular tension and joint immobility, and also a series of core strength exercises from the Pilates body of work to provide postural support. In time, both the P&F and Pilates work that this client is exposed to would become more dynamic and functionally oriented.
 |
 |
 |
|
click to view larger image |
|||
As well as integrating the two methods in the sense of using them side-by-side, our other "Innovation" is the use of the Pilates Reformer as a tool to perform P&F stretches on. We have found that the reformer is an outstanding piece of equipment to stretch on, in addition to all the other uses that Joseph Pilates created for it. The Reformer helps to maintain correct form, ensuring safe and effective stretching, two principal tenets of P&F work. Another advantage of Reformer stretching is that because you are supported when stretching, your body is able to relax much more than when stretching for example on your own, where one part of you works extremely hard to hold the stretch, while the other part attempts to relax. Relaxation of the entire neuromuscular system is therefore more likely. The sliding carriage also enables a stretchee to explore, through fractional and effortless movement, subtle variations in position that help to find particularly tight spots, and therefore to make the stretch most effective for each individual.
 |
 |
 |
|
click to view larger image |
|||
Our work is documented in the DVD’s titled "Innovations In Pilates" and in the forthcoming book of the same name. Information on P&F and Stretch Therapy can be found in our links section.
Please enjoy these photographs of us performing both Pilates and P&F work.