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Gentle Pilates is a therapeutic Method of exercise that is individualized to fit the needs and abilities of the practitioner; it is a less vigorous workout than a traditional Pilates session, yet it is still challenging. For an athletic person, a rigorous exercise program may be appropriate, but not for someone dealing with physical or neurological challenges. For optimal therapeutic value, such a person would benefit from personalized care. Being a whole body exercise, Gentle Pilates brings an aching body into better alignment.
Gentle Pilates helps to loosen the joints throughout the body, and to increase coordination and balance. The core-strength that is developed enables the participant to maintain better posture. The exercises consist of flexion, extension, side-bending and rotation, thus causing flexibility and interior strengthening. Breathing is used in a new way to enhance the act of strengthening and letting go. All of this is conducted in an invigorating and relieving tempo. When the core is tapped in this way, and strengthened, the spine is snuggly gripped and lengthened, resulting in more space between the spinal vertebrae. This leads to better postural health, bringing about a newly felt freedom in the joints. Participants walk out of a session feeling relaxed and energized, with a freshened approach to the day.
Joseph Pilates was an innovator in the field of exercise. As a child, he suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever and was always seeking a means to remedy himself from these ailments. Pilates fortified himself with various forms of exercise, ranging from yoga, boxing, acrobatics and ancient Zen, Greek and Roman physical regimens. In World War I, Pilates served as a nurse/caretaker; it was here that he began developing equipment to work with injured soldiers. Please notice in the picture above, that Joseph Pilates was not a young man himself when he developed his system of exercise. If taught gently, Pilates can have a wonderful influence in the lives of senior citizens.
Heidi Lerner is a certified Pilates instructor who teaches for fitness and rehabilitative purposes. She has been teaching Mat for five years and does private sessions on the Pilates equipment in her studio. Heidi additionally has her Masters degree in Special Education and works with people with disabilities. It is in this profession, she came to specialize her teaching to work with people’s individual needs and abilities.
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