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| Having
a great looking body means nothing if the internal
or energetic state of the body is not well. For
information on healing remedies check out the
following sites. |
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Spiritual
Advisor |
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Detailed insight into the authentic self. One to one coaching and connection to your guiding purpose. Your point of reference in relationships, career, family and values are clarified and expanded leaving you with a new experience of yourself. Adrienne Martin, with 25 years of practice and experience is your guide. She is on the Board of Directors for the Spiritualistic Church in Portland, Maine. Please contact
adrienneme@earthlink.net
for more information. |
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| DEEPER
THAN THE SILHOUETTE |
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| According to Rachel Segal, co-owner of The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado, "Contrology is very much about control. Mind-body-spirit, in fact, is what he had a vision for. It is about owning your entire self, down to every part of your armpit." |
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| As you get to know your body, you learn how to use it properly. Because Pilates moves emulate the motions of everyday life, this awareness can change your life, as you bring new grace and presence to simple daily activities. |
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| Today, Pilates is credited as the shaper of many a coveted body on stage and screen. The reason? Anatomical logic, pure and simple. |
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According to British Pilates pioneer Alan
Herdman: |
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"Most forms of sport and exercise concentrate on the larger stronger muscles and, as these get stronger and bulkier, the smaller weaker muscles are forgotten. In Pilates technique, however, these weaker muscles... are strengthened, while the larger muscles become increasingly toned and sleek." |
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| Pilates is not the newest exercise fad; it's been around since the 1920's, when physical trainer Joseph H. Pilates developed his "Pilates Method" as an exercise system focused on improving flexibility and strength for the total body without building bulk. Pilates is now a favorite workout routine for Hollywood stars and professional athletes, but for decades it's been a foundation of physical regimen for dancers. Because your mind is required to engage with your body to perform Pilates movements correctly, working out brings a new awareness of muscle function and control. |
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| It was to strengthen his own body that first led Joseph Pilates to search for the perfect exercise. "Pilates was a tremendous innovator," says Jillian Hessel, teacher to the stars at her Well-Tempered Workout in Los Angeles. He borrowed from Yoga, Feldenkreis, and Alexander Technique, even observation of animals, to define what he named
"Contrology." |
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| WHAT
MORE COULD YOU WISH FOR? |
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| "I
wish I felt better" |
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Joseph Pilates built his own body from that of a scrawny, sickly child to that of a powerful athlete who continued to train and experiment into his 80s. In the process, he learned how to stimulate the body's natural detoxification process. |
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Practicing his six principles produces what he called the "internal shower." According to Segal, this practice literally flushes your system: "You get highly oxygenated blood which is then pushed forcefully to the smallest capillaries of every part of you including your organs and flushes the toxins out." |
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Perhaps this is one of the reasons people leave Pilates sessions with such a sense of well-being. The entire body is nourished and energized with every breath. |
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| "I
wish my back didn't hurt." |
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According to Toni Bentley, former dancer with the New York City Ballet, "Most back problems result from weak abdominal muscles. Ballet, yoga and Pilates all emanate from your abdominals. Every Pilates exercise, whether it's a foot, leg or arm exercise, initiates in your abs and uses the entire body to move that part." |
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In
Pilates, control means safety, not only for back problems, but for many kinds of injuries. Unlike most gym workouts, Pilates works the body in an anatomically correct, linear way. It aligns and balances all the body's parts as it works them together. |
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When Bentley injured her hip dancing, she was carried to Pilates sessions, because she could not walk. "After my injury, while still dancing and since I've retired, it has been the only thing that I could do consistently to stay in great shape without hurting myself." |
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| "I
wish I were younger." "I wish I were
taller." |
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Pilates may not thin out your birthday candles, but it is an effective antidote against aging. "As people get older, the body gets weaker unless you do something about it," says Bentley. Gravity takes its toll; the body begins to shrink. Joseph Pilates used to say, "you're as young as your spine is flexible" as he taught students of all ages to articulate the spine, one vertebra at a time. |
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When Segal was studying Pilates in New York, men and women in their 80s were an everyday sight in the studio. "It was thrilling to see these older people be so plastic. Not just flexible but pliant, with great control but with great suppleness. And with a sense of freedom and bravery." |
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Pilates is the perfect anti-gravity, anti-aging program. Because it lengthens the body, it increases flexibility, balance and coordination as well as strength. |
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| "I
wish I were smarter." |
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While Pilates probably won't bulk up your IQ, it is commonly called the "thinking exercise" because of concentration it requires. Joseph Pilates often quoted the poet Schiller saying, "It is the mind itself that builds the body." |
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Segal notes, "Pilates is incredible for the central nervous system. One of the things Pilates talked about in his work was that he wanted to build brain cells, not just to make the body healthy." |
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| "I
wish I had
a better sex life." |
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In
Pilates, as in many ancient traditions, the belly is the source of the body's power. Because Pilates works the deep, subtle muscles of the lower abdomen, according to Ms. Bentley, "Not only does it give you a nice, flat tummy, it also pulls up and tightens your PC muscles. It's very good for your sex life." |
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Joseph
Pilates' ideal was the ancient Greek man - well tuned in body, mind and spirit - and he created his exercises to synchronize the three. His popular program produces a sense of wholeness and integration commonly associated with eastern meditative and movement practices. Perhaps the anatomical perfection of the Pilates body is only the beginning. |
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