Thinking about trying Pilates?
At North East Exercise Solutions, we offer Pilates classes as both a group or private session and incorporate Pilates movements into many of our programs. For those unfamiliar with Pilates, here’s a little information about the principles of Pilates and its history.
Pilates is a low impact, highly beneficial form of exercise that is suitable for men and women in a wide range of physical conditions. With an emphasis on correct body alignment, core strength, flexibility and balance, Pilates offers advantages to everyone from professional athletes to out of shape individuals who are looking to improve the quality of their life.
We have clients from Wangaratta, Benalla, Yarrawonga and surrounding areas who enjoy Pilates as a way to increase their mobility and strength along with reducing pain, stiffness and unwanted kilos.
The History of Pilates:
The Pilates method was first developed in Germany by Joseph Pilates, whose father was a gymnast and mother was a naturopath. Joseph Pilates spent years studying yoga, body building and a range of martial arts before developing the Pilates method, which incorporated stretching, strengthening and correct body alignment. 
In addition to the fundamental mat-based work, a range of specialised equipment was developed to advance the benefits of the Pilates method. In 1925, Pilates moved to the United States and opened a Pilates studio, where he and his wife taught for several decades, gaining international recognition in the professional ballet world as a valuable training centre. The wide-ranging benefits of the Pilates method became understood by many and is today embraced by tens of millions of people worldwide.
Pilates at North East Exercise Solutions:
Already an accredited Exercise Physiologist, Shelly Harper became a certified Pilates instructor in 2002 and was Director of Wollongong Pilates Studio, the leading pilates and exercise physiology clinic in the Illawarra for over ten years. She has worked with professional dancers, Olympic level athletes and assisted hundreds of individuals with unique and complex health conditions including multiple sclerosis, debilitating spinal injuries and chronic pain. Shelly is proud to bring her expertise in the Pilates method to her clinic at North East Exercise Solutions in Wangaratta.
There are six “Principles of Pilates”, that form an important part of Shelly’s Pilates training:
1. Concentration:
In Pilates exercise, technique is extremely important and clients are assisted to perform each exercise correctly, rather than simply completing high repetitions of poor quality movements. Each exercise requires the practitioner to “tune in” to what is going on in their body and become aware of imbalances and correct body alignment.
Control:
Essentially, Pilates is about you being in control of your own body. It is actually much harder to perform an exercise slowly and smoothly and requires a higher level of strength and balance.
Centering:
Pilates has a great emphasis on the area encompassing the pelvic floor, abdominals, lower back, hips, buttocks and inner thighs. Before any movement in Pilates, one should start by engaging this area, which is referred to as “centering”.
Flow:
Pilates movements are intended to flow in to one another to create a complete workout that requires both stamina and strength. As a beginner to Pilates, an individual may learn individual exercises, but as they develop experience, they may begin to transition from one exercise to another with more economy of movement.
Precision:
Technique is everything. Pilates aims for precise movement and beginners may find that what appears outwardly to be a relatively simple movement, can in fact require a great deal of concentration and effort to perform correctly. With regular practise, this attention to detail often transfers in to everyday movement in life and results in improved posture and gait.
Breathing:
The relationship between breath control and movement is an important part of Pilates and helps with engaging your core properly during exercises. At North East Exercise Solutions, out Pilates instructors will constantly be reminding clients on when to breathe in and out during exercises.
Because of its low impact and effectiveness, Pilates is able to be continued throughout many types of recovery periods after injury or illness. It can be modified to suit all ability levels from beginner through to advanced and is safe to practise (in fact, highly beneficial) during pregnancy and after pregnancy. Once you have learned the correct technique, Pilates exercises can be carried out with minimal equipment at home and easily incorporated in to your life style.
If you would like to learn more about Pilates or are interested in coming along to try it out at our Wangaratta clinic, contact North East Exercise Solutions today.