Classical Pilates for Modern Life
(A Harmonious Pilates, Inc. Original Publication)
by Joanna Telacka
Classical Pilates Teacher
Business Owner
Triathlete
April 6th, 2024
Shining light on Pilates truths, honoring Joseph Pilates,
and supporting you in your Pilates journey.
What To Do When We Are Strapped for Time
Is Pilates only effective when done in the form of a 45–60-minute session? Perhaps shorter workouts can still be beneficial?
The truth is that the length of the workout is not as important as its frequency.
Not only you will remember the choreography and key corrections of the exercises you practice frequently, but most of all, you will feel in your body the effects of being consistent.
Pilates addresses aching backs, tight hips, general stiffness, and lack of mobility very well. When we do Pilates infrequently, we miss out on these long-term positive benefits.
“[Pilates] develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong posture, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit”.
- Joseph Pilates
So learn the first 5-10 exercises from the classical Pilates Mat repertoire and do them 3-4 times a week. Do them at home, at your own pace, any time of the day. Because it is better to do less more often than to do something infrequently. The worst is to do nothing at all.
Use the included below videos for inspiration.
Joseph Pilates's Own Observation of the Modern Human in the Year 1945
“.. as we mature, we find ourselves in bodies not always complimentary to our ego. Our bodies are slumped, our shoulders are stooped, our eyes are hollow, our muscles are flabby and our vitality extremely lowered, if not vanished. This is but the natural result of not having uniformly developed all the muscles of our spine, trunk, arms, and legs in the course of pursuing our daily labors and office activities”.
- Joseph Pilates
The above observations are as accurate today as they were in the last century. Sadly, not much has improved. The aging process and the changes that happen to the body come as a surprise to many people—and many are not prepared.
Speaking from my experience of practicing and teaching classical Pilates, I can attest to the fact that:
Just adding a few movements to your day now can make a big difference later.
That's rather obvious, and most of us know about that. What we often fail to think about is that if we wait too long to start making even the smallest changes, one day it may be too late.
So start your day with a few minutes of classical Pilates. Sprinkle it throughout the day if you tend to sit in one place for prolonged periods, or make Pilates part of your "end-the-day ritual."
Since I have always been strapped for time, I can confidently say that it is not the number of exercises but how often I do them (even just a handful) that matters.
Start your Pilates journey today!
Look inside my Facebook group: "Classical Pilates for Modern Life" and on the Instagram page "Pilates Knowhow" where I explain and demonstrate one Pilates exercise at a time.
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Please reach out if you need more guidance or encouragement!
Let's share our Pilates journey together 😊
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Sincerely,
Joanna 😊
