03/01/2024
“ORIGINS OF YOGALATES™
Yogalates™ developed by Louise Solomon, can best be described as a melting pot of the beliefs and practices of Yoga and Pilates embodied by both the east and west, effectively merging the ancient practice of Yoga from the east with posture enhancing dynamics of Pilates from the west.
Working from the inside out, Yogalates™ improves body awareness and alignment to help develop proper movement patterns that we use in our daily lives, and focuses on a practice designed for “Western” bodies. Designed to awaken and strengthen the subtle and structural core muscles through Pilates based exercises while incorporating the asana (postures), philosophy and wisdom of Yoga.
The importance of breath is the ultimate focus in each and every class; the ease of breath, ease of pose and ease of mind enhances a mindful practice. Each session is started with body breath awareness “Savasana” as you discover what Louise terms as your functional resting breath “ a resting core”. The class is then layered to deepen core awareness recruitment and strength as the complexity of poses are built and explored through the many levers and loads applied.
The use of resistance bands are functionally used in an array of exercises that stretch every section of the feet, ankles, legs and hips with rotations and resistance (which replicate some of the exercises on the Pilates machines).
These help open the hip joints as well as warm the thigh muscles. The use of the bands also creates a suction effect deep inside the joint that enhances the secretion of synovial fluid and is a great preparation for the complex standing poses of Asana.
Through guided cues that aid the recruitment of core strength in static holds, slow flow movements, inspirational vini sequencing, foundational standing and balancing postures, you learn to balance from your core with ease and efficiency of breath as you fine-tune the core of body.
The understanding of the common body types is bought to the forefront of every pose blended through the class structures unique to Yogalates. This supports the individual’s nervous system and alignment of diaphragm in practise. Finally the climax of the class explores a soothing heartfelt Savasana.
The method supports a safe and functional approach. It embodies all levels of fitness by offering progressions and an array of modifications for participants. That encourages them to listen to the wisdom of their own bodies in order to find their own personal footprint in practise making the Yoga mat even more access-able to the greater demographic. Both mind and body are primed for deep immersion into self through the journey of life on and off the Yoga Mat cultivating a mindful state of awareness.
The method fuses functional applied anatomy and physiology to holistic stability encompassing all of the musculo-skeletal body. The evolution of the method is to broaden the growth of knowledge or our teaching practices to aid the benefits of the individual needs in the practice of posture, movement and breath.
Yogalates supports the health of the human mind body and spirit in a safe working environment. And the unique approach combines the best of Yoga and Pilates, striving to answer the question:
How can our clients feel more comfortable, functional and connected within their minds and bodies in daily life?
Yogalates embodies Yoga Therapy & the Eight Limbs of Yoga laying a solid foundation for safe and ethical working practices.
The philosophy strongly focuses on the needs of the individual placing them at the forefront rather than the performance of the poses.
Yoga poses are complex, whole body movements that feel great, but require an understanding of pelvic and spinal stability to be practised safely. Pilates emphasises pelvic and spinal stability through a series of simple foundation practices. Those trained in the Yogalates method teach a range of foundation principles to safely support the individual. Then we build the complexity of asana/yoga poses to then challenge clients. Clients are encouraged to choose the layer or foundation of the posture that best suits their needs.”
-Louise Soloman founder of the yogalates method.
