The classical mat sequence - the benefits of mat Pilates.
We are halfway through March and that means we are well and truly into MarchMatness. A month long dedication and celebration by Pilates studios and Pilates lovers the world over of the original mat sequence as designed and taught by Joseph Pilates.
There are 34 exercises and the sequence is organised in a way that warms up the whole body and then focuses on individual movements. As Joseph Pilates says in his book “Return to Life” Pilates, previously called Contrology, “develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.” Pilates “is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will unmistakably be reflected in the way you walk, in the way you play, and in the way you work.”
The mat sequence can be done anywhere at anytime. You just need enough space to lay down a mat. For some people some of the exercises can seem a bit daunting and perhaps difficult to achieve but the wonderful thing about Pilates is that even the mat series is so customisable and can be broken down into smaller components. The goal being to eventually perform the exercises as instructed. If this is something you need help with, finding a qualified comprehensive Pilates studio like Central Pilates can help demystify the sequence.
Here is an introduction to the mat repertoire and you can follow us on Instagram or Facebook to see what these look like.
“Contrology is not a system of haphazard exercises designed to produce only bulging muscles. Just to the contrary, it was conceived and tested (over 43 years) with the idea of properly and scientifically exercising every muscle in your body in order to improve circulation of the blood so that the bloodstream can and will carry more and better blood to feed every fibre and tissue of your body.
Nor does Contrology err either by overdeveloping a few muscles at the expense of all others with resulting loss of grace, suppleness, or at a sacrifice to the heart and lungs. Rather it was conceived to limber and stretch muscles and ligaments so that your body will be supple as that of a cat and not muscular like that of a body of a brewery-truck horse, or the muscle-bound body of a professional weight lifter you so much admire in the circus.” Joseph Pilates, explaining the concepts of his exercises in the book, Return To Life Through Contrology.
Joseph explains the reason for lying down is because this causes less stress on the joints and puts the body into an alignment where it can work to it’s fullest potential while allowing the spine to elongate. The exercises are designed to not only work the larger muscle groups but also strengthen the smaller ones allowing the supporting muscles to work in synergy with global muscles to achieve strength, flexibility and joint support.
The body awareness that is gained through the mindful execution of the exercises also gives a deeper understanding of how we move throughout the day. If we encounter any aches and pains, we have an understanding and a knowledge base to help alleviate issues as they arise.
If you are excited to discover the 34 exercise and more sign up for our lunchtime classes starting in April and get better acquainted with the mat. Open to anyone without injuries or special requirements.