Maggie Schlegel
Last updated September 9, 2024

The 6 Principles of Pilates – Workout Smarter Not Harder.

Pilates is all about being self-aware throughout your workout. So there’s no better way to maximize your Pilates workout benefits than to know what you should be mindful of…

Learning the 6 principles of Pilates could be the key to your perfect workout.

At Sultivate, our class environments are designed to give you a great workout and a place to build towards your perfect lifestyle.

So today we’re going back to the basics so you can maximize the time you spend here with us.

What Are the 6 Principles of Pilates?

To get the perfect Pilates workout you should focus on these 6 aspects throughout your workout:

Breath
Concentration
Center
Control
Precision
Flow

Let’s really dig into what each one means for your Pilates workout.

1. Breathing – the foundation of life.

If you’re not breathing… you’re not living.

Breathing may seem like a pretty basic thing to concentrate on throughout your workout – but it’s one of the first basic functions to be disrupted when you’re concentrating on physical exercise.

Breathing affects your ability to push oxygen to your muscles as they work. It affects your heart rate and the tension you hold in your body.¹

Breathing deeply is a key part of a Pilates class and something our Pilates instructors often cue for. But if we haven’t in a minute, it’s a good thing to cue yourself to do.

The next principle goes hand in hand with Breath.

“Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it.”

– Joseph Pilates (the founder of Pilates)

2. Concentration – be present as you workout.

If you’ve ever suddenly become aware of your environment and had no idea and no memory of completing a task, then you’ll understand this one better.

Zoning out is completely normal for us as human beings. If we didn’t occasionally zone out we’d live in a state of constant hyper-awareness.

But to maximize the benefits of Pilates concentration is key.

We’re not talking about concentrating on what is going on around you. We’re talking about concentrating on yourself and your movements.

Concentration ensures you activate the right muscles for each exercise. It’s balanced with relaxing the muscles that aren’t supposed to be working.

But it’s also linked to so many mental benefits as well. It falls in line with the theme of meditation and mindfulness. Studies even show that this level of concentration can reduce stress, manage pain, and even reduce blood pressure.²

Hard to compete with those benefits…

3. Center – build your strength from your core.

If you’ve already taken a Pilates class you know that your abs and core muscles will be sore after.

This is an important aspect of a Pilates workout though. Your core is the meeting point for your upper body and your lower body. It affects every aspect of your daily living as a weak core can lead to:

Pain
Injuries
Reduced capabilities

Your core affects whether you can:

Lift your (grand)child.
Easily walk across uneven ground.
How many groceries you can carry into the house at a time.
If you can use your full range of motion to reach the top shelf in your kitchen.

Building a solid core for the rest of your muscles to meet at is key to an easier life.

That’s why strengthening your core is a priority in a Pilates workout.

Core strength has a direct impact on our next Pilates principle.

4. Control – your movement consciously.

The more you build your center and the more consciously you workout, the more control you’ll exert over your own movement.

If you don’t think deeply about this principle it may feel a bit silly.

Of course, you control your movements… you’re the one making them.

But the principle of control goes deeper than that.

It’s about being mindful of every movement you make. Building your center so that you decide when to quit… not your body.³

Maybe one of these resonates with you:

Your age… is starting to affect your control.
Years of inactivity… take away your control.
You’re overweight… takes away your control.
You have an injury… takes away your control.
You have an illness… takes away your control.
You are (or have been) pregnant… lost your control.

Pilates was originally called Contrology – because Joseph Pilates believed that you should have mindful control over every movement you make.

So by building your strength and fitness with Pilates – you’re taking control of your muscles, your movements, and even your life.

Control also leads us to our next Pilates principle.

6 Principles of Pilates by MWC

5. Precision – for maximum exercise benefits.

When you have control of your movements and your body in your Pilates workout, it allows you to be more precise with your movements.

Precision is a continuation of the mindful movements we talked about earlier. And it’s incredibly important for maximizing your Pilates workout.

Using precision in your movements will target the right muscles leading to more strength training benefits of your Pilates workout.

Quality over quantity matters when you’re trying to reach your goals.⁴ While doing a lot of something can be beneficial at times, in Pilates, it’s better to make every movement count.

This leads to:

Fewer injuries
More strength gains
A more mindful and connected workout

If you finish up with your Pilates class thinking that it was too easy… it’s likely because you weren’t precise with your movements and you didn’t actually work the muscles you were aiming for.

Finally, we move to the last principle.

6. Flow – the principle that sets Pilates apart.

While many other workout practices focus on some of the above principles flow is fairly unique.

Flow is when you move your body from one position to another. Unlike Yoga, which focuses more on static poses, Pilates is all about movement to get there.⁵

How you get somewhere matters just as much as the end result. I.e. the journey is just as important as the destination.

Flow is the principle that builds on the other 5 principles of Pilates. When you think of the word flow, what comes to mind?

Some that come to ours are:

Ease
Grace
Fluidity
Rhythm
Movement

Without core strength (center), precision, control, concentration, and breathing… flow just isn’t possible.

So now you know all 6 principles of Pilates, but how do you achieve them.

Incorporating the 6 Pilates Principles in Your Pilates Movements

If you’re feeling overwhelmed after reading all these, don’t! Remember how we talked about the journey being just as important as the destination?

These 6 Pilates principles are part of that. You won’t enter a Pilates class for the first, or even the tenth, time and be a Pilates expert.

These Pilates principles are things to work towards.

Our recommendation is to start by focusing on one principle at a time. As an example, lets use breathing.

Once you feel like you are able to keep breathing deeply and effectively throughout your workout add in a second: concentration. Now you’re beginning to concentrate on more than just your breathing but also your body.

Use the principles as building blocks for your Pilates journey.

Cottonwood and Sedona Pilates – Mindful Movement

The biggest thing to remember… you aren’t in this alone. When you come to one of our Pilates classes in Sedona or Cottonwood – you have our full support.

This means you don’t just have to rely on yourself to work on these 6 Pilates principles. We’re a Pilates community that believes – no matter who you are, or what your goals we can create “Positivity in Motion”™ together.

Come take your first class with us and let’s work on them together!