Mental Health & Pilates

Never has it been so urgent for us to prioritise mental health. The triple impact of COVID-19, climate change concerns and ongoing wars and conflicts is creating an enormous toll on us all — consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly.

It is estimated by WHO (The world health organization), that 1 in 4 people around the world suffer from a mental health condition, with a treatment gap of up to 90 per cent in some countries. To make things worse, stigma and misunderstanding prevent people from identifying mental health conditions in themselves and others and consequently in asking for help.

We know first hand at PurePurpose™ that our clients have no question that practicing Pilates is good for their physical health, helping muscle strength, length and tone; and improving flexibility, posture and alignment. However, have you considered the mental benefits of Pilates? Many of our clients have experienced, burn-out, stress, trauma, adrenal fatigue and turned to the practice of pilates as part of their personal recovery plan with great success.

The pilates practice emphasises focus, breathing, and therefore mindfulness to help strengthen the connection between mind and body, quietening the mind and reducing stress. Here are just a few of the mental health benefits that PurePurpose™ Pilates clients benefit from.

Brain Health

As we age most of us start to lose volume in our frontal lobe and hippocampus, which are the parts of the brain responsible for cognitive function and memory. In Medical News Today Daniel Murrell MD explains that depression, stress and Alzheimer’s disease seem to be linked to a smaller-sized hippocampus.

Pilates exercises increase the size of the hippocampus and increases the connections between nerve cells in the brain thus improving memory and protecting the brain against injury and disease. The Journal of Physical Activity & Health, found that people have significantly superior brain function after a mindful movement practice like Pilates in comparison to doing aerobic exercise. Basically, automated exercise like running on a treadmill won’t activate the brain in the same way that Pilates can. The focus, attention and precision needed to perform Pilates exercises uses the brain in a more active way by challenging the mind and body simultaneously.

Breathing

Breath creates a physiological response that naturally reduces stress and anxiety in the body. Breathing is one of the main Principles of Pilates and is a crucial element of all Pilates exercises. The breath pattern helps to increase the effectiveness of the exercise, oxygenates the blood and stops people holding their breath. Joseph Pilates believed “It is tragically deplorable to contemplate the millions who have never mastered the art of correct breathing”.

Better sleep

A lack of sleep raises the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the bloodstream, which can impact not only your mental well being but also your physical health.

During the pilates practice, emphasis on the breathing technique and mindful thinking, can help to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance concentration, and even improve sleeping habits.

Practicing Pilates each day can help to relax the mind and the body, making it easier to fall asleep at night. With a longer night and a deeper sleep, you can focus better during the daytime without mental fatigue creeping in.

Energy

Low energy is a common symptom that accompanies mental health issues. As well as increasing mood, the pilates practice boosts energy through the specific breathing technique used. The focus on breath helps to oxygenate the blood flow and keep energy flowing around the body during the various exercises, in turn having an impact on the quality and length of your sleep.

Routine

Research clearly underpins that having a routine can play an important role in mental health.

A study reported in WebMD, found that implementing a routine can help people better manage stress.

When we don’t have a routine and try to randomly fit tasks in to our day, life feels chaotic and messy, which in turn correlates to the state of our mind. By attending regular scheduled pilates classes our minds can be kept in check as we know what we a re doing at a given time so don’t need to overthink and create unnecessary or additional stress.

Confidence

Pilates facilitates good posture and proper body alignment. As well as being important for us physically, a healthy posture is good for our mental health. Various studies have pointed to the importance of posture and its positive effect on our sense of self, building confidence and positive thinking, reducing anxiety and enabling us to deal better with stress.

As Joseph Pilates said: “Through the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning this unique trinity of a balanced body, mind and spirit can ever be attained. Self-confidence follows.”

Sense of achievement & belonging

People suffering with conditions like depression and anxiety generally feel out of control, isolated and don’t feel good about themselves. The smallest task can feel completely overwhelming. By creating and sticking to a weekly exercise routine clients feel a sense of achievement and belonging which helps in building a sense of self-worth and important social connections.

Mood Enhancement

Pilates can be used to manage stress and depression as the various exercises reduce stress hormones like cortisol. It also releases endorphins which are feel-good chemicals that create a natural high and act as painkillers.

Conclusion

The highlights of a 2018 study carried out on the effects of Pilates on mental health, concluded that by regularly practising Pilates, depressive and anxiety symptoms can be greatly reduced. It also found a statistically large reduction in feelings of fatigue and a large increase in feelings of energy.

Pilates may assist in the treatment of depression and anxiety by changing the levels of chemicals in the brain (serotonin, cortisol and endorphins), providing a distraction from negative thoughts, releasing stress, enhancing mindfulness and helping to create a self-care routine and a sense of achievement and belonging. Or as the man himself said: “A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind, fully capable of successfully meeting all the complex problems of modern living” Joseph Pilates.

Try for yourself. At PurePurpose™ you are always welcome to try a class free of charge without any obligations.

See how it feels for you, after all, you’re the one that matters.