Pilates Magic - The Magic Circle
Why are the Pilates Magic Circles just so magical?!
These small pieces of apparatus are fantastic to add into your matwork to bring a little bit of the resistance and connection element that working on the studio apparatus brings you.
These can be used in a few different ways as stand alone exercises or integrated into your regular mat exercises.
I brought them to my classes here in Norwich this week, and we had so much fun exploring and challenging the Pilates repertoire that I thought I’d share my top 5 reasons why they are just so magical!
Below are a few of the ways in which they help to deepen your understanding of not only the Pilates repertoire but also your own body…
They help you to get a deeper connection to your powerhouse.
The powerhouse is a term used to reference the deep intrinsic muscles that act to bring about strong stable movement. When we learn to move from these deeper muscles instead of the superficial ones then we can gain mastery over our movement. Creating strength, power and stability in every move.
They provide challenge and resistance for the finer muscles.
As the circles are quite difficult to fully compress it means we have strong resistance to work against, when used correctly they can encourage us to use our finer muscles as opposed to the larger more dominant muscles. Rather than actioning completely squash the circle we can lightly press against it to recruit the correct muscle groups.
They strengthen the connection to our midline.
The midline is a term used for the central line of the body. When we move we can draw into or reach away from our midline. This helps us to create better alignment and connection. The circle can be used in between the legs or arms to help connect into the midline correctly.
They can be used to find opposition and abdominal recruitment.
You will hear me say ‘in and up’ often in classes when referring to the abdominals. This action helps us to find strength AND length whilst engaging, as opposed to simply bracing to contract the muscles. The use of the magic circles can help us to find more ‘lift’ & more of the ‘up’ action in opposition to pressing down or into the circle.
They add something different to your practice!
Simply put they can make your practice feel different. Using the magic circles within your normal repertoire can have a huge impact on how it feels within your body. You may discover a different sensation, or perhaps stronger connection within a challenging exercise that you simply couldn’t find on your own.
These are just a few of the ways in which the Magic Circles are so Magical!
If you fancy giving them a try then why not book into a class and let me help you experience the magic! Click here to find out more.
Pilates really is magical!
“The Pilates Method teaches you to be in control of your body and not at its mercy.”