Our ability to function within our day to day life is dependent upon our individual and ideal freedom of movement. Time and physical duress from our routines cause wear, fatigue and the general imbalance of our bodies. As a discipline, Pilates remains focused on restoring the range and freedom of movement of its practitioners to the proximate level for which we were innately born, a goal for which every person struggles and hopes best to achieve.
It’s difficult to find a modality of movement that every age, every body type, and literally every person may actively participate in, but Pilates is the perfect way to reteach and retool our bodies in the art of movement. German-born Joseph Pilates was residing in an internment camp during WWI when he developed the basis for the movement program that the world knows today. Seeking to therapeutically aid the wounded and bedridden soldiers with whom he was assigned, and with limited tools at his disposal, Joseph innovatively transformed salvaged barrels and bedsprings to create resistance based exercise routines.
Nearly 100 years later, both Pilates equipment and training has revolutionized and evolved in form. But Pilates principles, roots, and heritage remain vibrantly alive and well. Pure Movement has been located at 526 Jefferson Blvd. in downtown Fort Wayne since 2008. Pure Movement has six instructors with more than 600 hours of initial Pilates training, not including numerous years of continuing education. Each instructor is professionally instructed to flexibly handle every age and body type, including those with injuries, those six months into a pregnancy, or simply a person looking to improve his or her posture and figure.
Depending on your particular desire or need, Pure Movement offers a wide array of class and session options. The most popular option is the group apparatus classes which incorporate the equipment that Joseph Pilates innovated as well as a contemporary approach to teaching. These classes are intimately designed to meet the tailored needs of the individual, with no more than five individuals in a class. Some classes provide an all-around comprehensive workout, while others focus more on one section of the body than the other. In addition, mat classes (which utilize one’s own body weight to provide resistance) are taught in a format that incorporates principle focuses of strengthening, stretching, and release work techniques. Most recently, Pure Movement has incorporated barre classes to its client offerings – a combination of traditional ballet barre, Pilates mat work, and cardio training – for a fun, and calorie burning workout.
You can learn more about Pure Movement and its various class offerings at puremovementstudio.com/classes, or on their facebook page, facebook.com/fortwaynepilates. Questions or requests for more information may be e-mailed to: info@puremovementstudio.com.
