Today's author is Lynley Eason. Lynley is a Clinic Director, Physiotherapist and lead Pilates Instructor. She also teaches Pilates to physiotherapists who want to be Pilates instructors on behalf of the APPI.
Garstang Physiotherapy Clinic is celebrating it's 3rd birthday this January and so we are sprucing up the clinic. We've got a coat of paint going onto the Pilates Room and we've updated the Pilates timetable to include 3 new classes; this includes a long awaited Saturday class.
If you're looking for a way to give yourself a spruce up then our Pilates classes are for you. Joseph Pilates was a great believer in physical exercise and the way that physical exercise can affect our minds. Here's a quote from him....
'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'
You can find more inspiring Pilates quotes here:
http://www.annabelkent.com/inspiring-quotes-by-joseph-pilates/
As Physiotherapists we are very aware of the complex physical problems of modern living. The human body wasn't really designed to sit for long periods of time. But modern life demands that we sit down to drive, we sit at computers and to relax? Of course, we sit down in front of the television. In fact, the majority of you will be sitting as you read this blog post. No matter how hard we all try it's just impossible to sit up straight all day long. Inevitably we slump in a chair with our upper back hunched and our chins poking forward. This position doesn't do our spines or our lungs any favours, nor does it help our mood.
Undoing these poor postures is a time consuming and arduous task for all of us in a world where we really don't have enough time to do everything. So the next time you catch yourself slumped forward in the car, or at your computer, give yourself a mini spruce up and try the following things:
1. Imagine your head is full of helium. Let if float up off your shoulders.
2. Let your shoulders glide back and down as if they are wafer thin chocolates melting down your back.
3. Take a deep breath into the base of your lungs
If you have a simple way of reminding yourself about your posture as you work or drive, please share it with us. It might help someone reading this post or give us another really useful tip to pass on to other people.
For a complete 'Spruce Up' book an appointment with one of our Physiotherapists and join one of our Pilates classes. They really do make you more aware of your posture and help to free your mind and body from the tension and fatigue of the modern world. The clinic has an extensive Pilates timetable with small classes and instructors who are all qualified Physiotherapists. Please see our website www.garstangphysio.co.uk for more information about Pilates and our classes.
