Pilat-ee Me!!!
I have been a Pilates instructor for the past 15 years. My children have had lots of opportunity to see me teaching and doing Pilates, and to try it themselves.
I absolutely love it when they come to me and ask, “Will you Pilat-ee me?”
Even more endearing than their usage of the term as a verb, is their genuine optimism that Pilates will help them to feel better.
What is Pilates?
Devra Swiger, in a contributing piece on Pilates Pro, writes that,
“The Pilates method has been around for a very long time. It has lasted for many reasons, but not least of which is that it works.
By ‘works’ I mean it helps people develop a sense of grace, ease of movement, greater core strength and an overall sense of well being.
It works because Joseph Pilates was a genius and he knew what it took to make a body healthy in a way that didn’t involve injury.”
As an adult I know that a strong core is central to how we physically carry on with life. We use our cores for virtually every bodily movement.
The Pilates Method Alliance describes Pilates as a method that when, “Practiced faithfully, yields numerous benefits.
Increased lung capacity and circulation through deep, healthy breathing is a primary focus.
Strength and flexibility, particularly of the abdomen and back muscles, coordination – both muscular and mental, are key components in an effective Pilates program.
Posture, balance, and core strength are all heartily increased.
Bone density and joint health improve, and many experience positive body awareness for the first time.
Pilates teaches balance and control of the body, and that capacity spills over into other areas of one’s life.”
Why is it Important?
So one day while playing with my children, I noticed that some of them could not manage to lift their heads off of the floor when lying supine.
That made me start to ask some questions and do some research.
I wondered about how and when exactly the abdominals developed in children. I wondered how I could support this development in safe, fun ways.
Surely a strong core and a strong center should be important for kids too.
As an instructor, one of the things I love to witness is the evolvement of someone’s body awareness and control as they practice Pilates.
I knew that this was another important aspect of of the method, no matter the age of the participant.
Jay Apking in a piece on Pilates making children smarter writes,
“What if we can teach children to be more aware of their bodies and eliminate the normal adult pain and injuries as they get older?
It would allow them to be more active and more creative in whatever career they choose. That sounds smarter to me.”
So is Movement Connected to Learning?
I also began to make some connections between Pilates, and other Mind-Body work in which I have been involved.
When I was a school teacher back in New York, we did PerDev (Perceptual Development) work with children.
We saw a direct link between how children learned, how they organized sensory information, and how they organized their bodies.
For many children, there were often missing pieces of the learning puzzle that stemmed from lack of experience of certain types of movement, or lack of body awareness and control.
The mind-body connection was a key element.
PerDev, the Perceptual Development Center, describes their mission as, “to help children and adults increase their sense of control, improve their flexibility in performance settings, and to be more resilient in the face of their vulnerabilities.
The goal is to enhance the capacity to learn and to function in the world.”
My experiences in that PerDev work with children, combined with my love, appreciation, and enthusiasm for Pilates in general, solidified for me the importance of moving and developing body control with my children, especially as they approach about 5 years old.
And so that’s when we began Pilat-eeing together! We do a few exercises almost daily. They love to see the improvements that they are making and they have fun learning new things.
I love that I can see them moving differently, carrying themselves differently, and how their developing core strength carries over to other kinds of movement and activities.
Want to Pilat-ee Too?
Here is a short list of exercises to try – for you and your children!
I recommend working with a Pilates instructor to establish correct form. You want to be sure that the exercises are being executed well. There are modifications that can be made, if necessary, that a good instructor will also be able to provide.
Check with a health professional before beginning an exercise regimen to make sure it is right for your particular situation.
The Hundred (although the kids do the “Fifty”)
Lie on your mat, on your back with your legs in the air at a 90 degree angle (shins are parallel with the ceiling). Lift the head and shoulders while engaging your abdominal muscles. Pump the arms vigorously at your sides while breathing with a count of inhale-2-3-4-5, exhale 2-3-4-5. Do this 10 times for the full Hundred (5 times for the Fifty).
Single Leg Circles
Lie on your mat, on your back with your arms down at your sides and one leg straight up in the air. While keeping your hips and torso absolutely still, cross the leg over the body to circle the leg in the air, inhaling to bring it around and exhaling to bring it up. Pause at the top each time. Do this 5 times. Reverse the direction of the circle, again 5 times. Then repeat with the other leg. Start with a small range of motion, and increase only as you are able to maintain hip and trunk stability.
Swan Prep
Lie face down with your forehead on the mat. Place one hand on top of the other and rest your forehead on your hands. Imagine an army of ants crawling right across the floor underneath your belly button. Keep it lifted. Pressing your feet into the floor and engaging your glutes, try to float the upper body up, away from the mat. Keep hands attached to head the whole time. Hold. Float down with control. Repeat 5-8 times.
Bridge
Lie on your mat, on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor about hip distance apart. Exhaling, press your feet into the floor and engage your glutes in order to lift the hips off of the floor. Your body should form one long line from the shoulders to the knees while your hips are in the air. Try to keep your ribs pulling into your center. Hold the position, then slowly lower your hips back to the mat. Repeat 5-10 times.
How about you? Do you exercise or stretch with your kids?
