Current research shows that neuromuscular facilitation and training can train and change your body as much as anything else. Most elite athletes do as much time visualizing, and seeing themselves executing the place as part of their training regime as physical training. Current research and Nuro positivity proves that you can actually change the shape and grow muscles just by visualizing doing the act of a bicep curl to create biceps strength. This research has proven that the power of the mind can change the body, during Pilates, we integrate how we use the mind to activate the body often through neuromuscular facilitation, including balance, and proprioceptive feedback that creates neural pathways to integrate mine and Bodywork. What happens when you execute movements with eyes closed is the optic nerve is no longer responsible for activating the brain to execute the proper firing to the muscle. Instead, the brain has to use the environment in sense, the surroundings to create a feedback loop. When this happens, the brain in the body create neural pathways that become stronger and help promote overall mind body coherence. This is one of the ways and reasons that Pilates can be so effective in integrating balance, mindfulness, breathing and brain training. I like to call it brain gym work. Although I have worked with a number of clients healing from a stroke or other nervous system diseases, you don’t have to have an injury to benefit from this kind of work. This is the kind of work that really helps alleviate stress and integrate the parts of mindfulness and holistic health, that we know heals the body from the inside out, one of my favorite things to say to students is when the mine goes, the body shows and tells on you. Pilates is great for those who need to be challenged with staying present in the moment and training the brain to feel and not just do.
Not only does Pilates alleviate stress it teaches you how to integrate proper breathing for the most effective use. This is one of the areas that can differentiate Pilates from yoga as well. In yoga, and the breath is designed to calm the sympathetic and activate the parasympathetic nervous system the whole purpose of the breath in yoga is to void the mind, and to breathe deeply in an out through the belly for complete relaxation of the muscles in Pilates, it is completely opposite. The broth is designed to activate the muscles to stabilize the pelvis in order to create a framework of balance, and Co. activation of the absent bag for stabilization and safety during movement. Likewise, Pilates is very precise with form and function of movement to activate the deepest layer of muscle integration. Whereas Yoga is specifically targeted towards flexibility. Pilates is more balance between strength and flexibility. Do you have the resistance of the tension springs the ropes and precise fluid movements that require control and connection, this is one of the reasons why Pilates is very effective in yielding those strong, toned and lean muscles. While they can be similar in the goal of mindfulness and flexibility, the results of Pilates and yoga are much different.
