Yoga for the Dancer With Pilates Wisdom
As we transcend from summer to fall, our Pilates series continues. This month we will hear encouraging philosophy from the founder of Contrology, Joseph Pilates. Our references for these wonderful quotes are from the books The Complete Guide To Joseph Pilates' Techniques Of Physical Conditioning by Allan Menezes; The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler; The Complete Idiots Guide To The Pilates Method by Karon Karter; and The Pilates Method Of Body Conditioning by Sean P Gallagher and Romana Kryzanowska (who was chosen by Joseph and Clara Pilates to carry on his work).
"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness." Joseph Pilates lived by this statement, while believing that in order to achieve happiness it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. Pilates' development of his method evolved into a vision of an ideal lifestyle, attained only through balance of the physical, mental, and spiritual. Very early Joseph said, "People won t understand the brilliance of my work for 50 years." Through his visions we understand his beliefs, "It is the spirit which shapes the body." He meant it when he said, "I'm not concerned with body-building. I'm just trying to make people normal human beings".
In 1934 Joseph said, "What is balance of body and mind? It is the conscious control of all muscular movements of the body. We should recognize the mental functions of the mind and the physical limitations of the body so that complete coordination between them may be achieved. Not mind or body but mind and body! My method develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit."
When Joseph was developing a thinking body he said, "Contrology begins with mind control over muscles. For example, by exercising your stomach muscles you wring out the body, you don't catch colds, you don't get cancer, you don't get hernias. By reawakening thousands and thousands of otherwise ordinary dormant muscle cells, Contrology correspondingly reawakens thousands and thousands of dormant brain cells, thus activating new areas and stimulating further the functioning of the mind." Joseph said, "Each muscle may cooperatively and loyally aid in the uniform development of all our muscles. Contrology is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in all you do."
To understand Joseph's method, you need to understand the principles behind the technique and why they are so essential. His devotion to the rule or code of conduct applied to the exercise would make all the difference in the outcome. "Ideally our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably our will should not be dominated by the reflex actions of our muscles. Correctly executed and mastered to the point of subconscious reaction, these exercises will reflect grace and balance in your routine activities. Concentrate on the correct movements each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all the vital benefits of their value."
Joseph had this to say on the importance of incorporating the breath: "To breathe correctly you must completely exhale and inhale, always trying very hard to squeeze, every atom of impure air from your lungs in much the same manner that you would wring every drop of water from a wet cloth. Lazy breathing coverts the lungs, figuratively speaking, into a cemetery for the deposition of diseased dying and dead germs as well as supplying an ideal haven for the multiplication of other harmful germs."
He also offered this philosophy: "Man should bear in mind and ponder over the Greek admonition - not too much, not too little. Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor. Not only is health a normal condition, but it is a duty not only to attain but to maintain it."
Joseph says, "If you will faithfully perform your Contrology exercise regularly only 4 times a week for just 3 months, you will find your body development approaching the ideal, accompanied by a renewed vigor and spiritual enhancement. Contrology is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill. You will develop muscular power with corresponding endurance without undue body fatigue, or mental strain. Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong posture, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit."
And in conclusion Joseph offers this advice: "As a heavy rainstorm freshens the water of a sluggish or stagnant stream and whips it into immediate action, so the exercises purify the blood in the bloodstream and whip it into action with the result that the organs of the body, including the important sweat glands, receive the benefit of clean, fresh blood carried to them by the rejuvenated bloodstream. Contrology disproves that prevalent and all too trite saying You're only as old as you feel." Here's To Your Dancing Health!
Teaser III
Teaser III is the final exercise in the series and the most advanced. It is the combination of Teasers I and II and utilizes all the muscles of the body with an accent on the "powerhouse." Only when you are feeling confident and have mastered Teaser II do you advance to this exercise that really works the abdominal muscles. It also increases balance and control. You must be very careful not to strain your back; if it hurts, stop immediately and release your lower back by pulling your knees into your chest. You want to stretch your limbs as long as possible and fold up as fully as you can by using the control of your powerhouse. The movement is initiated from the powerhouse as your think of folding up around your center by pressing your navel firmly to your spine and squeezing your buttocks and the backs of your upper thighs to begin. Use the sensation of "floating" as you lift your body into the V position. Keep your shoulders pressing down and away from your ears to release the muscles in your neck and shoulders. Keep the range of leg movements small, they only go as far down as they can come back up. Keep the accent on while working the legs and hold the upper body in a stable position. Do not hold your breath or you will impede your progress. If you have trouble coming up, try reversing the breathing sequence.
1. Lie flat on your back with your arms by your ears resting on the floor.
2. Press your navel into your spine as you engage your "powerhouse" to energize from the tips of your fingers to your toes. Inhale as you glue your legs together and begin to lift your upper body and legs off the floor simultaneously until you come up to a point of balance on top of your "sit-bones"....V position. Your arms and legs are reaching just past your ears on parallel lines.
3. Stretch your arms up and back by your ears and exhale as you slowly begin rolling down your back and simultaneously lowering your legs. You want to press each vertebra in succession as you roll back down. To support your lower back, you must press your navel into the spine and squeeze your inner thighs and buttocks. Continue holding your arms by your ears. Repeat 3-5 times. Perform Yoga's Ejection Pose (hug your knees into your chest) to release the lower back.