What do you think about an at home Pilates practice?

What do you think about doing Pilates at home on your own?  Do you have any recommendations if someone wants to Pilates at home?

At home Pilates practice

After most people’s first experience and hour of Pilates it’s common to hear, “There’s so much to think about!” And it is true. There are so many details to the Pilates method of exercises. It does take practice and no one expects you to be able to pick it up all after one hour. It takes many hours and many more still, to incorporate all the little details and finer points of Pilates. It’s common for those that have been practicing Pilates for some time to say that “It never gets easier!” And this is also quite true for most. As you start incorporating more of the finer details of the Pilates method of exercise, you will be challenging yourself more and as a result it will feel like it’s getting harder, but in a good way! This is all takes practice, repetition of the exercises and in a manner of speaking “getting the movement into your body” so that you can start thinking about the finer details, such as when to breathe, firing patterns of the muscles involved in the movement, which muscles are the prime movers used to perform the movement all details that can escape our mind when we’re doing the same thing over and over again. Even the slightest change, can get the mind involved in our workouts which in turn results in greater benefits for your body. Individual practice is a great way of “getting the movements into your body” so that when you come to class you can focus more of your attention to the suggestions and recommendations of your instructor rather than on how to set up your machine for each exercise and perform the exercise. Learning from others is a great way to improve. While your instructor may have all the knowledge of the exercises and repertoire, many may have forgotten what it’s like to be at the starting gates and being new to Pilates. Your fellow clients are in the same boat as you, learning new exercises and trying to take in and incorporate as much as possible. Your fellow clients may have tricks and techniques that they have seen work for particular exercises or for remembering which muscles to engage etc. Meeting new people and having a chance to chat and talk about exercises and each other’s experiences with Pilates can go a long way to helping to remember all the many details in the Pilates method of exercises. Now it’s no longer an exercise taught by this instructor in this class, it’s the exercise that “Jane showed me during practice….” and becomes easier to remember and enjoy. Pilates is not just a form of exercise to strengthen your core, or something you do on Tuesday evenings after work it’s part of your lifestyle, something you can do alone but also something you can do with others that share your interest and enjoyment.