{"id":2159,"date":"2017-04-24T11:57:39","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T11:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2159"},"modified":"2017-04-24T11:57:39","modified_gmt":"2017-04-24T11:57:39","slug":"can-pilates-help-with-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2159","title":{"rendered":"Can pilates help with mental health?"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

People normally start doing pilates with us because they have a bad back, want to gain more core strength or are pregnant. However Pilates has more benefits than just the physical ones. Joseph Pilates believed mental and physical health were closely connected and I think this is one area we need to explore further in this busy world where levels of depression are high.<\/p>\n

I know for myself, teaching Pilates is the best job. After a stressful time in my other work as a dietitian or as a mummy, I get to chill out in a relaxed, beautiful space and teach a calm, mindful class. Focusing on your breathing, your body movements and your muscles is part of mindfulness so you can instantly see why Pilates has more benefits than just the physical ones. One statement I heard this week was \u201cI always sleep best on a Thursday after Pilates\u201d. I can see why that is. Pilates helps you slow down your pace of life, move your thoughts from work, home and stress to your body and draw plenty of oxygen into your muscles, using deep, thoracic breathing.<\/p>\n

\"Breathing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mindfulness is a therapy that is being used for all kinds of mental health conditions now. A definition of it is: \u201ca mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.\u201d It uses compassion and breathing to help you to let go of negative thoughts, stress and even pain. The similarities to Pilates are easy to spot. Even if you went to a Pilates class and did nothing except lie on the mat and breath you would feel some benefits for your mood and stress relief.<\/p>\n

So there seems to be an obvious link between Pilates and mental health. One thing I always want to know is what is the evidence? Has there been any actual research done? There is actually quite a lot that shows a link between Pilates improving your mood, lowering stress and helping with cognitive function.<\/p>\n

Look out for my next blog post that looks at the research.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  People normally start doing pilates with us because they have a bad back, want to gain more core strength …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[964,1,6],"tags":[946,1275,1270,1269,1271,1276,172,1278,1279,252,175,1273,1274,1272,1277,153,118],"class_list":["post-2159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-core","category-uncategorized","category-exercises","tag-mindfulness-and-pilates","tag-pilates-and-breathing","tag-pilates-and-depression","tag-pilates-and-mental-health","tag-pilates-and-mood","tag-pilates-and-self-esteem","tag-pilates-and-stress","tag-pilates-and-stress-relief","tag-pilates-and-the-mind","tag-pilates-bitterne","tag-pilates-hampshire","tag-pilates-helps-depression","tag-pilates-helps-low-mood","tag-pilates-helps-mental-health","tag-pilates-helps-sleep","tag-pilates-southampton","tag-pilates-with-priya"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3FIsx-yP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2162,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2162","url_meta":{"origin":2159,"position":0},"title":"The research into Pilates and Mental Health.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"27 April, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There seems to be an obvious link between Pilates helping people wind down, relax, sleep better and reduce their stress levels. Just the act of slowing down your breathing, movements and bringing more awareness into your body is such a helpful principle. I love checking out the actual science on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"pilate and depression\"","block_context":{"text":"pilate and depression","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?tag=pilate-and-depression"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilates with Priya: Pilates and mental health 2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_0036-300x225.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":791,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=791","url_meta":{"origin":2159,"position":1},"title":"Why do Pilates?","author":"Priya Tew","date":"17 October, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"What are the advantages of taking up pilates?\u00a0 Pilates is an excellent form of gentle exercise which has many physical and mental health benefits. Not only does it help to keep you strong and supple, but it is a great way to relax after a hectic or busy day. With\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1983,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=1983","url_meta":{"origin":2159,"position":2},"title":"Pilates : the overspill","author":"Priya Tew","date":"7 September, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Pilates isn\u2019t just for the studio, the practise is meant to overspill into everyday life. If all you get out of it is a class that leaves you feeling you have worked hard, released tight areas, exhaled your stress and shifted your focus from life\u2019s stress to your body, then\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Alignment"","block_context":{"text":"Alignment","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=616"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilates with Priya: pilates-the-overspill","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Pilates-the-overspill-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2733,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=2733","url_meta":{"origin":2159,"position":3},"title":"Pilates and Self-Care","author":"Priya Tew","date":"23 July, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Self care is the new buzz word. Personally I love it. It is something I know I need to do more of. I work my body hard in the week running from clients to classes to clinics. I don't always build in enough time to relax, never mind time to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"breathing\"","block_context":{"text":"breathing","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?tag=breathing"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/zack-minor-15099-unsplash.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/zack-minor-15099-unsplash.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/zack-minor-15099-unsplash.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/zack-minor-15099-unsplash.jpg?fit=800%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":851,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=851","url_meta":{"origin":2159,"position":4},"title":"Pilates helps in Sport.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"10 August, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Currently we are getting a few more sporting types coming through the studio who are looking to use Pilates to improve their performance. Pilates is especially effective in building core stability, improving focus and injury prevention. All sports have their own key patterns of movement and repeated use of these\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pilates and Sport"","block_context":{"text":"Pilates and Sport","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=144"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cricket","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Cricket-199x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":782,"url":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?p=782","url_meta":{"origin":2159,"position":5},"title":"Pilates IS for Men, Olympics, Diving and WaterSkiing.","author":"Priya Tew","date":"6 October, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Why do people do Pilates with me? It can be for all kinds of reasons, but one of the most common is back ache or being told to by an osteopath\/chiropracter\/physiotherapist. I find the men tend to creep into classes looking slightly embarassed about it, but after a few weeks\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Back pain"","block_context":{"text":"Back pain","link":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pilates with Priya: Pilates helps Waterskiing","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Matt-skiing-spain.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Matt-skiing-spain.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Matt-skiing-spain.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Matt-skiing-spain.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Matt-skiing-spain.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2159"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2169,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2159\/revisions\/2169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pilateswithpriya.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}