These days, relaxation and prioritising wellbeing isn’t something that people make time for and is often either forgotten about or put at the bottom of to do lists. I find this so sad and is why I always include relaxation in my Pilates classes to allow people to incorporate relaxation into their weeks and really feel the benefit of this.
So, how do I incorporate relaxation into my Pilates classes?
1. Relaxing environment - I use low lighting like fairy lights or light boxes to create a warm and cosy vibe, perfect for relaxation
2. Calming music - I often get comments on how relaxing my playlist is, I stumbled across it when looking for music when I started teaching and haven’t stopped using it since!
3. Relaxed voice - I always keep my voice calm and gentle to ensure no one feels rushed or put under pressure to keep up with the exercises.
4. Relaxation reminders - I use the word relaxation multiple times throughout my classes, whether that’s reminding people to relax their shoulders or talking about the importance of relaxing the muscles as well as strengthening them.
5. Breathing - I encourage everyone to sync their breathing to their movements which can help with relaxation. For example, using an exhale to further relax down into the mat.
6. Pilates posture - I always start my classes by talking everyone through coming into the Pilates posture, even if they’ve been coming for months. I find this helps to get into the mindset of relaxation and movement and sends the body a message it’s time to relax.
7. Relaxation to end the class - if a class has been particularly tough movement-wise, I will always give 5mins at the end to allow everyone to really relax, encouraging them to melt down into the mat, clearing their mind and letting any tension go (this is always my favourite part of the classes!)
Take a moment to think about the last time you allowed yourself to relax - if you can’t remember I’d encourage you to prioritise relaxation this week and see if you notice a difference in how you feel.🩷
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