Tag: pilates to relax

Pilates to Detox

Priya Tew

 It’s that time of year when people have over eaten, drunk too much and not been as active as they usually are. Plus there are still a pile of treats hanging around tempting you. I know as there are choccies and cake in my house looking at me.

 Detox is one of those buzz words each New Year.
“a period when you stop taking unhealthy or harmful foods/drinks, or drugs into your body for a period of time, in order to improve your health”
Which got me thinking as to how Pilates can be seen as a detox, cleansing the body of things we don’t want, improving health.
Pilates with Priya: Detox with Pilates
1. It releases tight muscles. A tight muscle is going to cause a restriction in your movement patterns and may cause pain.
2. It stretches you. Those muscles that are shortened will love you for it. One of the common ones being the hamstrings which are shortened if you sit down a lot.
3. It relaxes and calms you. No one goes out of our classes feeling more stressed or anxious than when they walked in.
So for me, Pilates is the ultimate detox. It leaves my mind and body feeling decluttered, destressed and detoxed.
So in 2015, step away from the fad diets, the juices, those resolutions that won’t last. Embrace a healthy lifestyle, eating a balanced intake of food you enjoy and that is good for you. Keeping active in the best way for your body.

Pilates for Posture

Priya Tew

It’s amazing. The more I do Pilates, the more I learn and the more I learn, the more I fall in love with it all over again.

This week I’ve been tired. Toddler is teething and waking in the night. My health isn’t in the best of places. Teaching 10 Pilates classes plus 2 Step and some one to one sessions has felt like it should be too much. You know what – it has actually refreshed me and held me together.

My aches, pains, clicks and gripes usually get soothed and sorted by Pilates. Some of that is down to working hard, but a lot of that is down to the posture and poise I automatically adopt in class and when thinking about Pilates.

How many of you hunch over a desk, walk around with your pelvis/bum stuck out or cross your legs a lot? It all leads to tightness in some areas and lengthened, weak muscles in other areas. As an instructor I’m quite in tune with my body….most of the time. But at the end of a busy day when I’m tired my weaknesses slip through – I know I stick my pelvis out, am slightly lordotic and tense my shoulders. It’s a continual work in progress to counteract it all, but when I do, the results are noticeable. I feel more relaxed, less stressed and habe no back pain!

Think about your poise…..how do you sit…..how do you walk…..how do you stand…..? Is your body aligned (a plumb line from ear, through shoulder, through knee to ankle), is your pelvis in neutral, are your hips level, your shoulders relaxed? Release that tension.