Menopausal Symptom Relief & The Six Principles of Pilates: How Do They Relate? Part III

Hey Hey Hey! Welcome back!! Are you ready for part III??? Last week was principles 3 & 4, Concentration and Flow! This week are the last two principles 5 - Centering, & 6 - Precision. I consider these the most powerful principles because once they are mastered it is smooth sailing!

Principle 5 – Centering

This principle is a reversed parallel for women going through menopause. I say that because everything that we go through physically, this principle addresses it. The movements in the Pilates method all stem from the core (the center and foundation) of the body. Called the “Powerhouse” by Joseph Pilates, this area covers the abdominals, lower back muscles, hips and buttocks. All areas where menopausal women have physical issues with the most. (Weight gain, stiffness, pain) This principle is, in my opinion, the reason that Pilates works so well for us. Each exercise starts at the core and flows out to the outer parts of the body (legs, arms, neck, upper back, head, fingers and toes).

Because we are using our “Powerhouse” to perform the Pilates movement, we can get back our tone and strength in those areas that suffer the most. We can get back our shapes because the Pilates exercises focuses on those areas that change the most for menopausal women. Every aspect is addressed. The stiffness in the hips, the pain in the lower back or neck, and most of all weight gain and loss of tone and body shape. Hoooooooooooooray!!!!! Go ahead and do the happy dance!

Principle 6 – Precision

I like to call this principle the Bonus Principle. You’ve mastered control over your movements and body, your breathing is on point. You’ve learned how to stay in the moment by concentrating and you are flowing through each movement like a well seasoned dancer! You have identified with your center, your “Powerhouse” and Joseph Pilates would be PROUD! And now…with all of that being second nature you can now focus on Precision. Getting the movements precise and perfect! Joseph Pilates had a saying that he always used and it was “Honor every movement”.

I connect this principle with menopause because when we enter into menopause we learn really quick to Honor our Bodies. We do this by making sure we nourish it in a healthy way, exercise it in a way that is beneficial for us and causes us no injury, and make sure we give it the rest it requires. And if we don't our bodies let us know that we need to step it up by increasing the intensity of our menopausal symptoms.

With Pilates we honor our bodies by doing the movements correctly to avoid injury, and to keep our bodies in perfect alignment with our spine. For a menopausal woman this is an important step. The last thing we want is to have our bodies out of alignment causing us more pain, stiffness and discomfort.

The thing about Pilates is there are no high repetitions; most of the movements require low repetition (between 3 - 8 reps). That means you have to focus on doing perfectly defined repetitions as opposed to many lackadaisical ones. With Pilates you commit to the movement with full extensions, complete breath work, and total concentration, with the focus always on your “Powerhouse”. Honor your body by Honoring Every Movement....and Menopause will Honor YOU!

Come back next week to read about the moment I realized that Pilates was the way for me to relieve the physical aspects of menopause. Until then…

Stay Blessed and Stay WELL!