Don’t Overlook the Mat!
“Reformer Pilates” is very much on trend at the moment. Everyone is talking about it and trying it. And rightly so, the Reformer is AMAZING! As someone who started their Pilates journey with mat work alone, the moment I discovered the Reformer my mind was blown and I was completely hooked.
However, it is important to remember that Pilates is a system. It isn’t just one piece of apparatus - it is a system of exercises and apparatus that work together to help us get the best out of our bodies. And an important part of that system is the mat work.
In fact it is arguably one of the most important parts of the system. It is where you learn to work your body without springs and apparatus to help you. It is also the part of the system that you can most easily bring into your day to day life, as you can do it anywhere, any time. So here is a reminder not to overlook the mat - and incase you need more than a gentle reminder to convince you to bring mat work into your practice, here are a few reasons why you should…
Dispelling the myth - Mat is NOT the easy option!
I loose track of the amount of times I have heard Pilates Mat work being referred to as a “gentle, low impact option”, as “stretching”, or “relaxing”. Much of this, I believe, is due to how the mat work has been adapted over time to suit particular needs, or speak to a specific audience. There is often so much focus on ambient music, soft voices and slow movement that we can loose a lot of the essence of what Joseph Pilates’s mat work really was…a challenging full body workout! I’m not knocking the aesthetics - my goodness if you have seen the studios in which I teach you will know that we too love a beautiful and welcoming environment - BUT this should not take away from the work itself.
Classical Pilates Mat really is a workout that will challenge you to discover what your body is capable of doing when you work at it. Even at the beginner level you will be put through your paces as you work on exercises like your hundred, roll up, 1 leg circle, & abdominal series, and set the foundations for even more demanding exercises like corkscrew, leg pull and teaser. The exercises flow from one to the next, moving your body in all different directions and challenging your strength, mobility and control. With each exercise, challenging yourself to connect a little deeper, reach a little further, and squeeze every element out of the work. My clients have become so much stronger and more capable much more quickly with the Classical method and teaching.
There is just you and your mat. You have no springs, frames or bars to support you like you do in the apparatus studio. No fancy equipment. So you really need to be able to feel what your body is doing and get the exercises into your body. You will move, you will sweat and you will feel the “tremor of truth” shakes as your body works to move in new ways. Your teacher is there to guide you, assist you and give you that extra bit of hands on stretch that feels SO good!
Your Consistency Companion
If you are consistent in your Pilates practice you will feel the progress and the changes in your body so much more than if you are only doing it once a week or less. With our busy lives sometimes consistency is challenging…maybe you can’t always make it to your usual class, or perhaps your favourite time slot is full and you don’t have any other time that week that you can get to class.
This is where your mat work can step in to help you out. You might not have a spare hour or so to get to the studio, but at least you can probably find 15 minutes or so to get a mat out on the floor and practice your mat exercises. At least you have still got some movement and Pilates into your body, rather than skipping it altogether. Those small, consistent bits of practice really can make a difference.
Getting yourself to matwork classes will help you to learn the work, and discover all those little pointers that help you get the most from your body in each exercise. You can then take this to your own practice at home when needed to help keep your body moving well between classes. Just like on the Reformer, the Classical Mat work is learned in a set order and built upon progressively - making it easier to learn and understand the work, as well as progress safely and effectively. Get to class, learn the work and use it at home to help stay consistent.
The Perfect Partner
Classical Pilates is a system that includes Reformer, mat work and the studio system (such as Tower, Wunda Chair and Barrels). By missing out on mat work you are missing out on an important part of the method as a whole.
Ideally, I would love for all of my clients to combine both mat work classes and apparatus classes, as they complement and help each other. What you learn on the mat you will apply in your Reformer / apparatus work, and vice versa. There are many times in an apparatus class that I will draw parallels or comparisons between exercises on the reformer and on the mat. This is why we run both matwork and apparatus classes on our timetable, and why I made our Silver and Gold membership credits valid for both mat and apparatus classes. So you can combine both types of class into your practice.
You might well prefer the apparatus classes and want to focus most of your time on these classes, and that is fine. But why not come along to a mat class every so often to give your body a different challenge. If you can’t make your usual apparatus class that week, rather than miss out entirely because you can’t find another apparatus class at the right time for you or your class is fully booked why not come along to a mat class instead? I would say that mat classes are easier to dip in and out in this way than apparatus classes, and your body will thank you for staying consistent with some form of regular Pilates practice!
So whether you are new to Pilates and wondering where to start, or you are a regular studio attendee who perhaps doesn’t step into our mat studio very often, if at all, I urge you to give Classical Mat Pilates a go, and discover what an amazing workout it is!
Our Classical Pilates Mat Classes at Be:Posied Pilates
Mondays 11.40am Foundations
Tuesdays 8pm Intermediate
Wednesdays 11am All Levels
Thursdays 7pm All Levels
Saturdays - morning mat classes coming soon!
To join our mat classes you can simply book into a class and come along. An induction 1:1 is not necessary for mat classes, however if you feel you would prefer a 1:1 to get you started we do offer a Mat Only Induction Package that includes a 1:1 mat session plus a 6 class pass for our mat classes at a special new client rate.
We also offer 1:1 Classical Mat Sessions, and run specialist classes for pregnancy and postnatal.