Pilates - Common Mat Mistakes

Pilates is supposed to leave you feeling relaxed and in good shape

. However, you won't be able to achieve what you want from it if you are making these mistakes on your mat. Breathe with movements. With every Pilates pose, there is a breath pattern that goes with it. For example, some poses you will raise your arms and breath in, when you move your arms down again, you will breath out. Make the effort to ensure that all of your breathing connects to your movements. You'll find that you leave your class feeling relaxed and you'll improve your balance and are more likely to prevent injuries.

Keeping your tummy soft. Doing the proper Pilates breathing will expand your ribs on each inhale and deflate with every exhale. To do this properly, you will need to draw your belly button in to your spine and keep your abdomen muscles engaged. Apart from helping you breath properly and enjoy the benefits of more oxygen, you will also protect your lower back against strain.

Not relaxing. Tight muscles should be relaxed when they aren't being used. Shoulders can cause some challenges as they tend to want to stay taught, especially if you have a desk job and you are poring over your computer all day long. Some poses are particularly challenging and take a lot of energy, but get into the habit of looking for muscles that should be relaxed. Without making this conscious effort, you'll be more tired than you should be.

Don't push yourself if you hurt. If it doesn't feel like it should do, then you could be pushing yourself into a pulled muscle or other injury. Check that you are aligning yourself correctly for the position with your muscles feeling that they are working for you - not heading towards a serious accident.

Watching other people. We all love to people watch, but your Pilates class is not the place to do it. You won't be able to follow your breath, stay balanced or listen to your body and your muscles for signs. Keep your mind to yourself and the present moment. Movements should be done with mindfulness for best results.

Wearing socks. As with yoga, Pilates practitioners should not be wearing gloves and socks. They will be a barrier between you and mat and your gloves could even pick up and collect the bacteria and germs from the gym. If you practice at home, don't' use them either. If your mat is slippery then it's time to do some research to find one that you don't slide on.

Pilates provides many benefits, but only if it's practised properly. If you use a home DVD for your routine, then you should occasionally check with a tutor that you are doing your workout with alignment and the correct practices.

Copyright (c) 2012 Thomon Wardle

by: Thomon Wardle

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