Flexibility + Control

To have flexibility and control is vital in all aspects of life. Without both flexibility and control, life can seem a little out of balance. The same thing goes within your Pilates practice. Without flexibility and control many of the exercises are not accessible. Control is one of the official six Pilates principles and refers to completing each exercise with musical control. No part of the body is left out; every movement is a conscious and deliberate action. It creates a sense of purpose within the practice and helps maintain proper alignment and form.

While flexibility is not found on the "official" list of the six Pilates principles, I like to refer to it as the unofficial seventh principle. I believe that you must have flexibility both physically and mentality to have a strong practice. Now, don't get me wrong, you don't have to be able to touch your toes, you don't have to go straight into a split- I'm talking the kind of flexibility where you work to find the two way stretch, where you don't give up when your leg or arm doesn't go straight. You know that you're laying the foundation for a bigger stretch, a deeper backbend, a smoother Russian split on the reformer.

Mentally, you'll also have to remain flexible. Some days you can't wait to get in the studio and work out and other days you'd rather skip to lay in bed or to get a coffee. Our bodies are constantly in flux, some days exercises come easily and other days the same exercises can feel nearly impossible. Remember that we call it a Pilates practice for a reason, it's not a Pilates perfect.

See what happens this week as you keep in mind that flexibility and control are important in all areas of life and see that you can be flexible with yourself and your practice and see see what happens when you make conscious and deliberate decisions! I think you'll like what you find.