Pilates is a form of exercise which works to align your posture, improving core stability and strengthening stabilising muscles. Pilates based exercises promotes healthy muscle development by increasing muscle activation and postural alignment, improving flexibility and reducing muscle tension and joint stiffness.
Your stabilising muscles are what hold you up and give your body structure. They work for long periods of time and are the foundation of our postural health. Pilates based exercises train stabilising muscles using control and precision, focusing on accurate form and aligned movement patterns. With consistency and time muscle imbalances will be reduced realigning posture and correcting movement patterns, preventing injury and improving sports and training performance.
An exercise programme based on Pilates principles, created to meet your body’s unique needs, will target your muscle imbalances working to activate and strengthen muscles, promoting postural alignment and training performance.
Pilates is for everyone…
Professionals
Pilates exercises are used by physiotherapists for injury rehabilitation as well as by dancers and athletes to improve mobility, prevent injury and enhance training performance.
Gym Enthusiasts
Healthy stabilising muscles are an essential component of an effective training regime and are paramount to the physical health of the muscles in their ability to repair, recover and strengthen from any type of exercise.
Everyday People
Pilates based exercises enables you to better manage everyday tasks and activities by improving your physical health and mobility. Pilates lengthens muscles and reduces overall muscular tightness and joint stiffness. Pilates is effective in managing physical conditions and difficulties that come with age.
Rehabilitating
Pilates focuses on the quality of movement of deep stabilising muscles which makes it perfect training for rehabilitation. Pilates exercises are non-impact and are effective without putting stress and strain on the joints. Pilates exercises can be modified to adapt to all levels of abilities and stages of rehabilitation.
What does it entail?
Whole Body Workout: Pilates targets all muscle groups challenging strength and stability with body weight exercises.
Benefits of Pilates
Promotes Spinal Health
Works to build strong core muscles supporting the spine in movement. Exercises mobilise and lengthen spinal muscles aiding correct movement patterns, preventing injury.
Increases Sports Performance
Aids sports training, increasing mobility and improving performance. Proper alignment for any sport is essential for performance, injury prevention and efficiency.
Creates Postural Alignment
Encourages correct spinal alignment by strengthening weak stabilising muscles and correcting muscle imbalances.
Corrects Movement Patterns
Focuses on correct technique using aligned and controlled movements.
Injury Prevention & Injury Recovery
Works to correct muscle imbalances, promotes spinal health and alignment, and improves core strength, building a stable foundation from which to move, preventing injury and enabling recovery.
Reduce Back & Postural Pain
Strengthening and promoting correct engagement of core muscle groups supporting the spine when stationary and in movement, creating a sufficient anchor of stability.
Safe Pre & Postnatal Training
Increase body awareness, strengthening core muscles and correcting posture, helping the body prepare for, and recover from, childbirth.
Reduce Muscular Pain
Reduction of muscle pain through spinal realignment and core muscle group strengthening.
Improve Overall Fitness
Muscle strengthening and alignment, reducing joint stiffness and increase mobility.
Improved Body Awareness
Increase insight and attunement to how the body moves in the most efficient way. Integrates breath, body and core focus in exercise.
Improve Breathing Control
Deep breathing to aid stability of the spine in and out of movement.
Aids Overall Physical & Mental Health
Improves circulation, decreases varicose veins and leg cramps. Provides stress relief and relaxation as well as promoting better sleep.
Increase energy
Aids breath and circulation synchronicity, nourishing and stimulating muscles.
Who will benefit?
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM PILATES
- Those suffering from Arthritic pain
- Those suffering from Back pain
- Those with Poor posture
- Those recovering from Injury
- Those wishing to prevent injury
- Those wishing to improve Sports and training performance
- Those who are Pregnant and wish to improve core stability and support their body in pregnancy
- Those who are Pregnant and wish to continue exercising
- Those who wish to return to exercising after childbirth
- Those wishing to reduce pain caused by poor posture
Meet Sophie Barrett MSc, BA (Hons), Dip, CertHE
I am a qualified Pilates instructor, Pre and Postnatal Pilates instructor, and Level 4 Sports Massage Therapist; specialising in Posture & Movement Correction, Core Conditioning, Muscular Activation & Strengthening and Soft Tissue Rehabilitation and Realignment.
With over ten years of training and experience, I have a thorough understanding of the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system in dysfunction and healthy functioning. I have worked with a range of individuals of varying abilities and needs, from rehabilitation to triathletes, to pre and postnatal.
Clients include:
- those rehabilitating from injury and wishing to get back to their previous level of fitness;
- those with postural misalignment and chronic muscular tension;
- those who are pregnant and wish to continue exercising safely and/or strengthen deep muscles in preparation for childbirth;
- those returning to exercise after childbirth wishing to build core strength safely and effectively;
- those in sports training or gym training wishing to include functional movement and mobility session into their training routine to improve performance and prevent injury;
- those wishing to develop their physical fitness and improve their general well-being.
I hold virtual Pilates classes and in person one-on-one sessions. Please get in touch for availability.