Almost any Pilates course you will attend in the present day will have a focus on what are agreed to be the six principles of Pilates. These were not explicitly set down by Joseph Pilates when he designed the method, and so there is some difference between the weight given to each principle by different practitioners and instructors. However, there is extremely broad agreement on the identity of the six principles. Nonetheless, to avoid giving any one principle a biased weight, the principles are given here in alphabetical order: Breath, Centering, Concentration, Control, Flow and Precision.

Taking the principles in this order, it is on breath that we wil focus first. Joseph Pilates was very specific in advocating that a full breath was taken by those who wished to benefit from what he called “Contrology”. He stated that you should “squeeze out the lungs as you would squeeze a wet towel dry”. As well as using the lungs to their fullest, breath can also be a key element of timing in Pilates exercises.

Centering means pretty much what it says. The power and impetus of all Pilates exercises comes from the center of the body, in your midriff. Many people call this zone the “center of gravity”. Watch a rugby or football player trying to break through tackles – shrugging off an opponent depends on using this area for momentum.

Concentration is important in any endeavour if you want to get the best out of it. Just as often dubbed “focus”, concentration will allow you to recognise when an exercise is doing what it is supposed to do, and gain the maximum efficiency.

Control applies to the muscles used to do the exercises involved in Pilates – it is important to apply full muscular control because this is how the exercises work. This also gives the lie to anyone who claims that Pilates is an “easy” exercise regime. It really is anything but – just try it without muscular control.

Flow essentially relates to the importance of fluidity in any method of exercise – not just Pilates. Try doing ten push-ups one after the other. Now try taking fifteen seconds between each push-up. Losing the momentum takes a lot of the benefit and the ease out of an exercise. Putting it back makes it work better.

Finally, precision benefits an exercise regime for obvious reasons. If you are doing a designed exercise regime and you either miss out or only half commit to some of it, you will find it doesn’t do what it was claimed to. But then, if you use a knife to stir coffee, you’ll find that doesn’t work so well either. Use the right thing in the right way, and it will work.