Core Goals: Pilates

Are you looking for a strong core, enhanced mental awareness and whole body health? Well read on to learn more about how Pilates can help achieve your goals.

What is Pilates? A mind-body exercise created by Joseph Pilates that provides daily conditioning, promotes whole body health and develops mental awareness to optimize your personal performance.

“Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit. Through Pilates, you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises, you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your mental and subconscious activities.” – Joseph Pilates, 1945

Who is Joseph Pilates? Joseph Pilates is the creator of the original Pilates method, formerly known as “Contrology.” He was born in 1880 near Dusseldorf, Germany. He suffered from illness and physical limitations but overcame them by developing his own program of exercise and bodybuilding. Joe left Germany in the 1920s and immigrated to New York City, where he opened his own fitness studio across the street from The New York City Ballet and Martha Graham Dance Company. First, he created mat work to help dancers strengthen their bodies and overcome injuries. However, he noticed that not all could do his mat work, so he set out to invent workout equipment to help them progress in an assistive manner. Joe often referred his equipment studio as his “playground.” The equipment is known today as the reformer, trapeze table, wunda chair, ladder barrel, and the spine corrector. When Joe passed away in 1967, his legacy lived on through his students, which led to the Pilates Method we know and love today.

Why Pilates? Pilates guiding principles are Whole Body Health, Whole Body Commitment, and Breath. Each Pilates session is designed specifically for your body and needs. At One on One PT, our Pilates instructors have direct access to your Physical Therapist, so they can work together to create an effective, safe, and progressive Pilates workout program to suit your individual needs. Each session begins with initiation and engagement of the core to work segments of the body leading up to full body integration. You leave each session with movement of the spine in each direction, an increase in body awareness and motor control, and more space within your ribcage to fill your lungs with more oxygen to mentally and physically invigorate and rejuvenate. Pilates is suitable for all ages and body types and can be done while pregnant and post-partum. Whether you are in need for a new cross-training routine, overcoming an injury, or are just getting back into exercising, Pilates is for YOU!  

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind, fully capable of naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.” – Joseph Pilates, Return to Life

When can you try Pilates? You can try a private Pilates session or duet session (with a partner) with our newest Pilates instructor, Francesca, on Tuesdays from 7am-12pm and Thursdays from 9am-2pm. Or, with any of our other incredible Pilates instructors Monday through Friday from 7am-5pm.

Where? To book a Pilates session at One on One Physical Therapy call (770) 500-3848.  

Francesca Mokry brings over 15 years of dance and Pilates experience to One on One PT, and holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance from University of Georgia and will begin Physical Therapy school at Georgia State University in June 2019. For more information visit www.onetherapy.com or email Francesca at francesca@onetherapy.com.