There are many benefits to practising Pilates in Bristol. Bristol is an amazing city full of activity and natural beauty. Our studio is located in the heart of the south of the city, where we are lucky enough to still have plenty of greenery and trees! It’s in the middle of a very community driven area, which allows everyone to feel like they belong here.
Combined with the great outdoors, Pilates has many benefits. These include strengthening your muscles and bones, it improves posture, balance, coordination, and it can also help with mental health. Pilates will give you the time and space to concentrate on you and what your body can do. Because you need to concentrate, it will allow your brain to switch off and truly become at one with your body and mind. But that doesn’t mean you have to work in silence, we encourage chat and sometimes you just need to offload!
Along with the exercises, you will also concentrate on your breathing. The purpose of this is to help keep contraction with the abdominal muscles, and assist with the movements. This is one reason why Pilates is so beneficial in the pregnancy and post natal periods. Another added benefit is that the breathing will slow down which in turn will lower your heart rate and even your blood pressure! Pilates can be a great way of de-stressing and relaxing.
That being said, it can also be super challenging and some of the movements are not easy! However, the advantage of our strength based classes is that they are low impact, which will not damage your joints but instead strengthen the muscles around them. If you need more of a challenge the movements can be made trickier by adding things such as bands, rings, and balls.
One of the biggest benefits to Pilates is that it enables you to work your smaller muscles alongside the bigger ones. What this means is that instead of over working your big shoulder muscles, you will learn to use the smaller ones as well. This is what can be a huge advantage if your taking part in other sports or activities. This is also very beneficial for those recovering from injury or surgery. When we are in pain the body will naturally compensate, leading to some of the muscles not working as effectively as they should. Pilates can re-balance this and help them to work more effectively and efficiently.
Probably the best benefit of all is that Pilates is inclusive! Regardless of fitness level, size, shape, sex or ability, Pilates is for everyone. You don’t need to be flexible or fit or even be able to get on and off the mat! With careful consideration most of the movements can be modified to suit your body, no what you may have going on. We have successfully had pregnant clients, older clients, clients with vertigo or MS in our classes. We are always happy to adapt and help you find what is best for your body.
