Knebworth Pilates Studio

Knebworth Pilates Studio www.knebworthpilates.co.uk Pilates matwork one to ones and group classes for all levels, needs and ages. Now on Zoom too!

21/05/2026

Why is awareness of our breath so important

❤️We need to breathe to promote the circulation of oxygen around our body to the brain to ensure optimal brain and body function.

😣If we take short, rapid breaths we restrict the oxygen and blood supply to the brain, creating stress and panic.

🧠As we panic we restrict this supply even further, reducing the optimal state of our brain and imbalancing our hormones and emotions.

🫁Breathing is one of the principles of Pilates

😮‍💨So next time you get stressed or anxious try breathing with an abdominal focus:

Sit up tall and place your hands on the lower half of your ribcage with your finger tips from each hand lightly touching each other in the centre.
Take a breath in and feel your ribcage widening outwards and deepening.
Your finger tips will move apart from each other.
Exhale and imagine the sides of your ribcage sinking in towards each other.
You should feel your finger tips coming back towards each other.

20/05/2026

👃 Inhaling through the nose promotes breathing deep to the lower part of the lungs, where our parasympathetic nerves are stimulated.
😌 This promotes our calming hormones and reduces blood pressure, encouraging us to slow down and not over exert.

19/05/2026

This week we are all about the breathing!

💭How often do you think about how you breathe?

➕ Becoming familiar with your natural breathing pattern can have a positive effect on
🧠Mental health,
😊Emotions,
😩Reactions to stress and anxiety,
🧘‍♂️Muscle tension

💪🏻Breathing more efficiently during exercise can improve muscle activation

⛓️ We will talk this week of how Pilates and breathing link

14/05/2026

🧠How does Pilates help the body and brain adapt?

🤓Controlling breathing and being mindful in movement acts as learning for the brain

😮‍💨 Breathing can really affect how we move.

😫Fast shallow breaths make us feel more stressed and sensitive to our environment

🥱Slow deep breaths enable us to relax

🫁Using our breathing while we move slowly in a deliberate way can enable us to reframe how we feel and teach brain and body we are not in danger

🚶‍♂️Deliberate breathing combined with careful controlled planned movement can help some people to start to move more easily again

💡 And this is exactly the concept Joseph Pilates developed!

13/05/2026

“Change happens through movement, and movement heals”. Joseph Pilates

12/05/2026

🚶‍♂️Moving and feeling better are drivers when people want to start Pilates

😣Commonly experiencing pain is a motivation for change and it is hoped that Pilates will help escape this

👥Living with chronic pain leads people to disconnect with their body

😞 Living in a body consumed with pain is not pleasurable

⚡️Pain is usually a signal to the brain of danger

🛑Pain is a protective mechanism, but sometimes it can become overprotective and an automatic response to some situations and triggers – seeing a piece of lego on the floor triggers the memory of the day you stood on a piece!

🚗Chronic pain can be thought of like an overly sensitive car alarm. Sounding the alert when someone just walks by

🧠The brain can constantly adapt in both a positive and negative way.

🧘‍♂️Many hope that coming to Pilates will enable them to improve their movement pattern and help the brain to adapt in a positive way to learn that not all movement causes pain.

🗣️We will talk more later in the week!

07/05/2026

🚶‍♂️Walking is a whole body exercise using everything from head to toe in a synchronised order.
🏋🏻‍♀️Many people though lack stamina and as a result their walk causes them aches and pains?
🧠Learning to connect mind and body to utilise the right muscles can really help improve our stamina
🤹In Pilates we work to strengthen and coordinate muscles to ensure efficient movement

🧘‍♂️Some great exercises to improve core stamina and help walking pattern include
• Scissors
• Single leg reach
• Leg pull in prone prep
• Shoulder bridge
• One leg kick

😎As the weather improves get out and enjoy the countryside!

☎️If you feel you need to improve your stamina and would like to try Pilates get in touch.

06/05/2026

⏰I haven’t got time! How about trying to include it by making small changes and creating a habit

💻Make it part of your journey to work
🏪walk to the shops
🗼use the stairs instead of the lift
📚walk the kids to school
🥪Join with a friend for a walk rather than sit for lunch
🥘go for a stroll with family or friends after dinner

05/05/2026

🚶‍♀️May is Walking Month!

🤑 Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active

❤️ Sometimes it’s overlooked as a form of exercise however walking briskly can help you build stamina and make your heart healthier.

⏱️You do not have to walk for hours. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise

🏃A brisk walk is about 3 miles an hour, which is faster than a stroll.

🎶You can tell you're walking briskly if you can still talk but cannot sing the words to a song.

📱 You could also try using the free Active 10 app it tells you when you're walking fast enough and suggests ways to fit in some more brisk walking.

30/04/2026

👨As Pilates teachers we’re looking at the whole-body: standing and seated posture, movement and daily life habits, to notice each client’s strengths and weaknesses.

🦶We also exercise without shoes! The whole foot gets to play an important role, and participate in each exercise.

👣So some exercises to benefit feet …..
Walk bare foot
Calf raises
Massage your feet
Spread your toes wide on the floor
Roll a tennis ball or prickle ball under your foot
Flex toes towards you, pull the ankle towards you. Next, curl your toes. Keeping the ankle pulled up, then point the foot, trying to curl the toes even more.

📚 ‘The Fantastic Feet’ book has very simple exercises for foot fitness the illustrations and instructions are easy to follow and there are lots of exercises to choose from!

29/04/2026

🥾A typical first fix when feet start hurting is an arch support for our shoes.

👨‍⚕️If this doesn’t solve the problem, medication and surgery seem to be the next logical step.

👟A lot of athletic shoes are now designed to hold our feet from rolling in our out helping to rock the sole of the foot across the ground as we walk or run.

💪🏻Extra support from our shoes can be a benefit but we may be relying on our shoes to do all the work instead of the foot muscles.

🚶‍♂️The result of this is that the muscles of the feet get weaker.

🦶Taking time to exercise and strengthen our feet is even more important.

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9 Stevenage Road
Knebworth
SG36AN

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