Mat or Equipment Pilates?
Matwork Pilates
Pilates mat exercises are more widely known to people due to their accessibility. All you need is a quality Pilates mat to provide good joint support and a few cushions to use as props.
A range of small apparatus such as resistance bands or overballs are often incorporated in Pilates mat exercises. They can be used to facilitate more precise body movement, provide proprioceptive feedback and/or add further challenges.
Pilates mat exercises can be learnt in a group class or in a private session. One thing to consider is that you will need to have a certain amount of joint stability and muscular strength to perform mat exercises, as you use your own body weight as resistance during the exercise.
Anyone who wants to start Pilates to address their chronic pain is advised to start with private sessions (mat or equipment) to learn exercises catering to their needs and build up good joint stability before joining a group class.
Equipment Pilates
Joseph Pilates invented several pieces of equipment and each has a name, such as the Reformer, the Cadillac, or the Wundachair. In a Pilates studio, you'll also find some auxiliary equipment to cater for the different needs of individuals.
Using spring resistance, the Pilates equipment provides greater joint support to perform each exercise correctly and help us recruit the deeper, underused muscles. Equipment Pilates sessions are most effective when taught in private sessions.
Pilates equipment sessions are ideal for complete beginners, pre/post natal, or post injury rehabilitation,
and can cater for a variety of other needs ranging from neuro-muscular conditions all the way to the training of athletes.
You will leave each session with a sense of well-being and better connected with your body.