As an exercise physiologist I am often trying to facilitate body awareness in my clients and help them become conscious of their posture. Pilates is a powerful tool to implement this process, as alignment is a defining principle of this alternative therapy. The exercises can improve awareness, as they require acute concentration in challenging movements with constant attention on body alignment. This attention to alignment then overflows into daily life when sitting, working, commuting and even playing sport and other recreational activities. Furthermore, Pilates often works on our weaknesses while many gym programs will work towards our strengths. This includes exercises that activate muscle groups that are often dormant such as the gluteals and deep abdominals. It is no coincidence that imbalances and inactivity of these muscle groups are often linked to lower back pain as well as problems at the hips and knees. As well as strengthening our weaknesses Pilates also exposes our weaknesses, and in this way as a practitioner, it is an effective diagnostic tool for identifying faults in biomechanics during challenging exercises. This also means that Pilates requires close attention especially early on as instruction and manual adjustment is pivotal to protect against injury from incorrect technique. I believe that performing Pilates exercises in a controlled environment has a profound effect on an individual’s body awareness. In my experience as a rehabilitation practitioner in the CBD and South Melbourne, it has been an invaluable tool for posture retraining and muscle activation in taming pain, improving function and rehabilitating injuries.
