8 Principles of Pilates

There are so many other things to think about when you first start to learn Pilates, but it’s good 

to constantly remind ourselves to practice with an awareness of the Principles. They will differ depending on 

which books you read, individual teachers interpretation, the websites you have looked at. Joseph Pilates 

did not invent these principles as they stand now: they have been taken from his writings and fashioned 

into what are now generally agreed as the 6 Principles - Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, 

Breath and Flow. I’ve added a couple of extras. The following are the principles which govern my 

practice and make it safe and effective:-

1. Relaxation

I know it sounds odd to start class with relaxation, but you need to let go of tension in the body. With the 

increasing awareness of the need to release stress from the muscles and avoid “gripping” during 

contraction, together with the need for all of us to learn to relax a little more, I have made Relaxation my 

first principle. 

With practice, you will find that once you get used to releasing the surface tension first, you will also 

gradually release the deeper layers. Once the body is relaxed, the mind will follow – perfect preparation 

for uniting mind with body for your Pilates practice. Most people aren’t even aware of just how much 

tension they are holding in their body. Neck and shoulders is a classic example, but tension in the 

abdomen and lower back are also common. One of the key benefits of Pilates is that it addresses muscle 

imbalances: you need to relax your shoulders, your neck, your face; you need to release the pelvic floor 

and abdomen. We need muscles to contract, not tense up, and we need them to be activated in the correct 

way and order. 

We don’t want tension and we don’t want some muscles doing more than their fair share of the work – or work when they should be performing a more stabilizing role. Classes may begin in any position –

standing, supine, seated – but you can still relax the muscles that are tense. The mind needs to become still and focused.

“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.”

According to Tom Myers (Anatomy Trains) it is vital that we keep the fascia hydrated. Taking regular, purposeful breaks between exercises or sections of the class can really help. You can think of it as the exercises squeezing the moisture from a sponge and the unwinding release and relaxation allows the fluid to be drawn back in. In a traditional Hatha yoga class Savasana is used frequently to release any tension 

2. Concentration

So with the mind still and focused, we can start to concentrate on our bodies. Pilates is a mind/body form 

of exercise and you must be present. Never just go through the motions. Think about how your body feels, 

be aware of areas of stiffness and tension, focus on every movement you make and how that affects the 

rest of the body. This will lead to quality and precision of movement, increase your body-awareness, and 

keep the practice safe and effective.

But modern research suggests that it’s actually a two way street with the body also shaping the mind. 

There are ten times more sensory receptors in the fascia as there are in the muscles. If we aren’t focused 

on the way we are moving the sensations we are feeling are not sufficiently communicated to the brain, 

leading to dysfunction and injury.

“It's the mind itself that shapes the body.”

3. Alignment

Alignment, neutral position, posture, core, centring: all part of the same thing. You’ve relaxed your body 

and released any tension, you’ve cleared your mind and your focus is on your body. Your body is sending 

messages back to your brain and now you need to check your alignment, depending on what position you 

are in: if you are supine with legs extended, you will be more or less in neutral. If you are standing, you 

need to pay a little more attention to your posture. If you are sitting or in box position, think about the 

alignment of the pelvis and the spine. 

Known as the lower dantian in martial arts, the centre of gravity lies in front of the sacrum which relates to 

that core area you feel when you lift the pelvic floor and draw back with the belly. From this strong centre 

we can safely perform whole body movements (think of Teaser, Twister, Boomerang) and with the ever 

growing knowledge of myofascial chains and trains, this type of movement is functional and intuitive in 

comparison with the traditional single muscle group approach of training and stretching.

4. Breathing

Breathe fully and wide. Pilates uses thoracic/lateral breathing, enabling you to breathe fully, but still 

maintain that all important core contraction to stabilise the pelvis, support the lower back and keep the neutral position. Efficient breathing actually contributes to core contraction and stability, so it’s a vital 

part of Pilate training. 

“As a heavy rainstorm freshens the water of a sluggish or stagnant 

stream and whips it into immediate action, so does the Pilates 

Methods purify the bloodstream.”

Efficient breathing serves several purposes:

• It is an integral part of core engagement and stability

• it will remove any toxins from the lungs

• the exhalations will relax you, the inhalations energise you

• it will help focus the mind

• it will dictate the speed and control of each exercise, leading to flowing movements

• it will release tension from the body and lead to a peaceful mind. 

5. Co-ordination

Trying to co-ordinate movement with breath and remember all the principles will seem like an 

impossibility at first, but it does come with practice. Beginner courses can sometimes appear slow and 

boring, but it enables you to gradually build, layer on layer, until you can do everything all at once. You 

will master the exercises and control the movements. Hence the original name: Contrology. Imagery, new 

possibilities with our bodies, how we can’t and then ever so gradually we can, neuronal changes.

“With body, mind and spirit functioning as a coordinated whole, what else could reasonably be expected other than an active, alert, disciplined person.”

6. Precision

Every movement has a purpose, every instruction vital to the success of the exercise. Perfect, precise 

movement is what you are trying to achieve rather than many poor, inadequate repetitions. This is 

important for you to achieve the results you are hoping for safely, efficiently and relatively quickly. It is this

precision that makes exercises like Roll Back seem easy to the beginner but challenging to the more 

advanced student. Weaknesses in the body are highlighted through precise muscle activation strategies so 

that other muscles aren’t used to compensate. In this way, we can address those weaknesses and rebalance 

the body.

“Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor.”

You need to understand the subtleties of the practice and be able to empathise with everyone’s journey.

Many people turn to Pilates for its corrective value and some of the most basic exercises can have

an enormous impact.

8. Fluidity

The human body is perfectly formed for movement, therefore every exercise in Pilates is dynamic (some 

modifications may hold a position, but the final form involves movement). They flow with the breath like 

a perfectly executed waltz, lengthening away from your strong centre, controlled, free from tension and 

stress, and rhythmic. You can tell when you are working at a inappropriate level in that the 

practice loses its flow and movements become jerky or tension starts to build. The skill of the individual 

should match the challenge of the exercise, hence the importance of having possible modifications and

variations. It’s also vital to allow each person to find their own flow.

9. Stamina

Your deep postural muscles need to be working gently, but constantly in order to keep your body correctly 

aligned. For this to be possible, they require stamina. All your supporting muscles need stamina so that 

your body can work as a whole: think of a car – a great gear box or new brakes are no good without the 

rest of the engine being in good condition. Some muscles will tire very quickly without the support of the 

others and with practice, an exercise that seemed difficult to perform one week will soon become 

manageable. For example, everyone complains about their arm, shoulder and neck when they perform a 

side plank the first few times. As you progress, you learn to use the torso muscles which become stronger 

with practice, you learn to engage the muscles of the legs which also have a role to play. 

“Pilates is not a system of haphazard exercises designed to produce only bulging muscles … Nor does Pilates err either by over - developing a few muscles at the expense of all others with resulting loss of grace and suppleness or a sacrifice of the heart or lungs. Rather, it was conceived to limber and stretch muscles and ligaments so that your body will be as supple as a cat ….”