Pilates is not just as exercise, it’s a recalibration – for your body, posture, and even your mindset. Pilates is low-impact yet incredibly effective, gentle yet deeply powerful. Whether you’re looking to build core strength, ease chronic tension, or simply feel more at home in your body, the below five benefits reveal why Pilates is one of the most transformative practices you can adopt.
Pilates is a system of exercises cantered around six fundamental principles – control, centre, concentration, coordination, precision, flow and breath all working together in harmony. Yatta Studio primarily offers Reformer Pilates, the Pilates reformer is an adaptable machine full of variety that is perfect for beginners, challenging, and also suitable for those recovering from injury.
Improved core strength and stability
Pilates is known for its emphasis on core strength — the core is the centrecentre of the body from which all movement stems, it consists of the muscles that make up your trunk. When strengthened, the core helps support and stabilise the body. Pilates targets the deep core muscles – abdominals, hips, lower back and pelvis resulting in a stronger and more stable centre referred to as your “powerhouse”. The focus of Pilates is controlled, precise movements performed slowly and deliberately. Many Pilates movements involve holding positions or moving in ways that challenge core endurance and postural control. Pilates exercises also target the deeper abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor to both contract and release. These muscles work like a brace to lift and support the organs and protect and stabilise the back and regular participants report improvement in back pain.
Increased flexibility
Pilates includes a lot of eccentric movements (where muscles lengthen while under tension), which are particularly effective at increasing flexibility and strength simultaneously. At the same time Pilates emphasises deep, mindful breathing, which helps relax the nervous system and allows muscles to let go of tightness, making it easier to stretch further. By strengthening weaker muscles and stretching tighter ones, Pilates promotes muscular balance, reducing stiffness and allowing for a greater range of movement. Not only does Pilates support flexibility of the outer limbs, the spine will be moved through five shapes – flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation. A famous quote from Joseph Pilates is “you are only as young as your spine is flexible”.
Improved posture
Pilates improves posture through a combination of core strengthening, body awareness, and alignment-focused movement. By strengthening the deep abdominal muscles, back and pelvic floor we are strengthening the muscles that support the spine and pelvis. A strong core acts like a natural brace, keeping your torso upright and aligned without excess strain. Pilates can address postural imbalances by stretching tight muscles (e.g., hip flexors, chest) and strengthens weak ones (e.g., glutes, upper back), helping to bring the body into balance – creating better muscular symmetry and reducing compensation patterns like slouching. Regular Pilates can also greatly improve body awareness teaching you to consciously control your body’s position and helping you to recognise poor posture throughout the day.
Greater mind body connection
Pilates is widely recognised for enhancing the mind-body connection — the conscious awareness and control of movement, posture, and breath. By creating space for focused attention and control Pilates emphasises these elements in every movement, you are not just moving – you are thinking about how you move. You’re trained to actively recruit specific muscles, especially the deep core, rather than moving on autopilot. Breath is a principle in Pilates and the cornerstone of creating a deep mind body connection by enhancing oxygen flow and energy, keeping your present within your body, reducing stress and promoting activation the parasympathetic nervous system. With controlled and deliberate movement, coordinated breath and the use of verbal and tactile cues, Pilates creates a sense of alignment from head to toe – the more you practice the more refined your internal “body map” becomes. By integrating the whole body from the inside out, you will train your body to move efficiently with your mind fully involved. If you’re looking to build a stronger mind-body connection, Pilates is especially beneficial because it blends mental discipline, physical control, and breathwork into a single, focused practice.
Can enhance sport performance
Whether you’re a professional athlete or not Pilates can elevate your sport and hobby activities. Recent studies* published in the Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation that Pilates may help improve speed,
power, and range of motion, increase muscle mass and improve core and trunk strength.
Elevating Fitness with Precision and Care
YATTA Studio specialises in small group Reformer Pilates classes that focus on core-strengthening, muscle- lengthening, and body-sculpting workouts. Each studio is designed to offer a serene environment where clients can engage in fine tuned exercises for an effective full body workout.
The studio is currently situated in Amersham, Beaconsfield, Berkhamsted (and more opening soon!).
Words: Michelle D’Onofrio, Pilates Instructor at YATTA Studio
