The History of Pilates – It All Began With One Sickly Child

Written by Della Menechella


A look intorepparttar history of Pilates helps you understandrepparttar 150793 tremendous power that this form of exercise has to help strengthen and transform your body. Unlike yoga, which has a tradition that goes back thousands of years, one individual developedrepparttar 150794 Pilates Method atrepparttar 150795 beginning ofrepparttar 150796 twentieth century.

In 1880 in Dusseldorf, Germany, a sickly baby named Joseph Pilates was born. As a young child he watched as his friends ran, jumped and played games –activities that he could not do because of his frail, weak body. That is whenrepparttar 150797 Pilates Method really began. Pilates was determined to find a way to improve his health and physical strength and stamina. He set off on a lifelong quest for fitness and exercise. Pilates not only overcame his physical frailties – he mastered them. He became an accomplished yogi, boxer, gymnast, and skier.

During World War I, Pilates was interned in England where he worked as a nurse with injured war victims. Pilates was convinced that exercise could help rehabilitate their badly damaged bodies. Many of these patients were not able to move, but that did nothing to deter Pilates’ determination to help them gain strength and mobility. He rigged up their hospital beds with straps and springs and created a series of exercises to help move their joints through a greater range of motion. The exercises also helped his patients develop muscle strength, flexibility and endurance. Eventually, many of these people were able to get up and move around by themselves.

Meditation Supply Items – Can They Help Deepen Your Practice?

Written by Della Menechella


Can a meditation supply item help you go into a deeper state of inner awareness? If you chooserepparttar right item, there is a good chance that it can help you get more comfortable and allow you to become more relaxed.

A common problem with meditation is that many people are not flexible enough to sit in a position for a long time without starting to feel some discomfort in their bodies. If you are not comfortable inrepparttar 150792 traditional crossed legged or Lotus positions, you might benefit from one ofrepparttar 150793 following meditation supply items.

Meditation Chair - This can be a very useful accessory if you tend to experience pain in your lower back when you sit for long periods of time. Chairs support your upper back and some have lumbar cushions that you can adjust to providerepparttar 150794 maximum level of comfort for your lower back.

Meditation Bench - If your hips are not very flexible, this item can help you sit more comfortably by providing extra support for your legs and knees. Some of them tilt slightly forward to help you maintain good posture while meditating.

Meditation Cushion - This can be useful if your hips are relatively flexible but you still want to take some pressure off your legs. You can use one or more cushions so that your seat is raised high enough to allow you to sit comfortably, while still maintaining proper spinal alignment.

Other meditation supply items that might help you achieve a greater level of stillness include:

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