In today's busy world many of us can spend hours at a desk, driving, running kids to and from school, and so on. Over time the muscles that we tend to use the most get stronger and those that we do not use much get weaker. In time this results in the body being pulled out of balance by the strong muscles, resulting in joints getting pulled out of their proper position, e.g. shoulders or the pelvis. This can put undue pressure on the spine and an individual's overall posture can deteriorate.
There could be a visual affect of someone stooping, rounded shoulders and rounded lower back. Or for some people it can be an exaggerated curve in the lower back, making their derriere stick out behind them. The body was not designed to be carried in this manner, so a deterioration in posture can result in an increase in discomfort and / or lack of movement.
Pilates sessions are a two way communication between the Instructor and the client. The Instructor gives an individual the awareness of how their body moves and how they can improve it. There are many tools the Instructor uses to get the information across to clients and every client is different. Some respond to hands on assistance, for example drop the shoulders whilst the Instructor gently presses the shoulders down. Some respond to more verbal cueing gently squeeze your shoulder blades together thus helping to improve the shoulder position and stretch the chest.
The different ways of addressing posture, both by using the Pilates movements and the Instructors knowledge, are endless. No one session will be the same as the next. An individual should see a steady progression to each session, with more challenging moves being offered as they continue to improve. With continued improvement, the client will see their posture change for the better.
The result is a taller and slimmer silhouette
