Pilates in Manchester and Cheshire…

There’s a large selection of Pilates Instructors in Manchester and Cheshire. I’m not one of them, but coming to see me can improve your Pilates – before you start, after you start, whichever. How? Quite simply by making your Pilates exercises more effective.
Many people go to Pilates in and around Manchester or Cheshire to improve their posture. You like the idea of highly targeted exercise and strengthening routines, often in a class and sometimes with a personal trainer, working one-on-one with you.
A quality Pilates instructor will place a lot of emphasis on working accurately with very specific muscles. A bad Pilates instructor will focus on the quantity, rather than the quality, of your workout. It’s a fact that Joseph’s Pilates books focused on the quality of movements designed to challenge your coordination, rather than on their quantity and strength.

The Alexander Technique teaches you the things you need to do, to gain that improved coordination. It teaches you to become more conscious of how you are moving, it makes you more aware, and results in less pain and better posture. Think of it as “Modern Mindful Movement”. Alexander Technique teachers show you how the relationship of your head, neck and spine is vital to your ability to function and exercise correctly.

Many of us have really tense necks, and our tight, tense necks are trying to do some of what the abdominals should be doing in the exercises.
Lengthening through the spine, through the crown of the head, is just one of the things learned during Alexander Technique classes. This really helps (for example during the Pilates roll-up exercises) – to release neck tension as much as possible, which mean the abdominals can really do their work. Alexander Technique adds some ease into your Pilates movements, so they are much more efficient exercises.
Think of Pilates as being on the physical end, with a dash of conscious awareness (including mindfulness and whole-body), whereas Alexander Technique is on the other end, the mental side, with a dash of physical strengthening. So they really complement each other well!

Consider any sport: it’s ‘how’ you play the sport that really infuses it with pleasure, not ‘how hard’ you play the sport.

Pilates Instructors themselves can also benefit from learning a little Alexander Technique, to help them see better (what their clients are doing) and understanding how they move. And by the same token, Alexander Technique teachers can benefit from a little Pilates.

Alexander Technique really helps you to learn Pilates more easily – and to make it more effective. That’s because you can learn to think and control your movements in the way your Pilates Instructor is asking for. Just for example, think of how often you’re thinking you’re walking with great posture, then you see your reflection in a shop window hunching back at you. We think we’re doing one thing, but the truth is that often we’re doing something completely different.

Whether you want to improve your existing Pilates skills, or if you’re just beginning to think about Pilates, learning the Alexander Technique can help take you to a whole new level. So whether you’re a Pilates-pro or just thinking about beginning, try out Alexander Technique for yourself.

Get in touch to book a session or class of Alexander Technique, and let me show you the benefits. Call me on 0161 4316977 or use the contact form.