Joseph Pilates emphasized restoring the body to true balance. A person's ability to stand erect is caused by the musculo-skeletal system functioning in a state of balance. This means the elongation and strengthening of posterior muscles, which supports the frame and keeps all muscles balanced. When muscles are not balanced, weaknesses are created which can result in chronic injuries and bad habits. Pilates movements work to strike the perfect balance.
All movements promote strength, stability and increase range of motion of the joints.
The movements are unlike anything you've done before, as well as the results. The Pilates body is a body with intense awareness of the lift we can initiate in our core. A lifted body is a body that is able to feel a lift in the arches, hips and entire torso. The difference a person can feel in his or her body and health with this lift is dramatic. When we speak of a scoop in the abdominal area we are creating a length of the spine, not just the lumbar, but in the spinal column.