6 reasons why Pilates is good for your mental health

Have you ever tried pilates? We all know that exercise is good for you for many, many reasons. As well as walking I find that doing some pilates is really good for my mental health. Developer Joseph Pilates believed that physical and mental health were extrinsically linked. He developed this exercise believing that it was good for your physical as well as mental health. But I think somewhere along the line we’ve lost that. I started going to pilates classes on the advice of my doctor for sciatica. And while it was good for my back I found it was also good for my mental wellbeing.

Here’s 6 reasons why pilates is good for your mental health:

1. Exercise is good for you because it releases those happy inducing endorphins. These are even released during low intensity exercises like pilates.
2. Time practicing pilates is time just for you. You, your body and your breathing. It is the perfect opportunity to take some time away from your busy, stressful life.
3. For me I can’t think about anything else while I’m holding a pose. I’m concentrating on my breathing or where my foot is supposed to be that I can’t think about what I’ve got to do later or what happened earlier. I really find that Pilates is a form of meditation and mindfulness.