Mastering Mindfulness: How Pilates Can Help Women Over 60 Stay Present
It seems like life is stressful for just about everyone these days. But older women, who are often balancing various career and personal responsibilities, are especially prone to anxiety and stress.
Prolonged stress impacts mental and physical health, making it harder to relax, get enough sleep, and have energy for work and leisure activities.
What’s the key to reducing stress? You need to address the physical and mental aspects. Fortunately, Pilates can achieve both of those goals. Read on to learn more about how Pilates can help you increase mindfulness and effectively reduce stress in your daily life.
Pilates and the Mind-Body Connection
You need a strong connection between your brain and body if you want to practice mindfulness effectively. Pilates can help you build that connection:
Conscious movement: Pilates centers on conscious, controlled movement that requires you to pay attention to what your body is doing.
Core engagement: Many Pilates movements focus on strengthening the core muscles, which requires you to concentrate and be aware of your alignment and movement patterns.
Breathwork: Your Pilates instructor will probably encourage you to link your breathing with your movements (inhaling and exhaling during specific actions), which helps you stay in the moment.
Balance and alignment: Pilates encourages you to notice and improve your balance and spinal alignment, which can help you build a habit of checking in with your posture and movement patterns throughout the day.
Meditation: Some Pilates classes include meditation, giving you a chance to deepen your mind-body connection even more.
The longer you practice Pilates, the more awareness you’ll have of how your mind and body are connected.
Why Pilates Is Perfect for Older Women
Most types of exercise and physical activity can help you improve mindfulness. But Pilates can be a particularly good choice for women, especially women over 60. Unlike running and other forms of cardio, Pilates is low-impact and comfortable for sensitive joints. If you have arthritis, osteoporosis, or prior injuries, low-impact exercise is usually a safer choice.
Additionally, Pilates helps improve core strength, posture, and flexibility. You’ll probably experience challenges in some or all of these areas as you age, so it’s important to choose an exercise routine that helps you overcome those issues.
Improving Mindfulness With Pilates
Simply practicing Pilates can help you get better at staying in the moment and being aware of your body and surroundings. If you want to improve your mindfulness even more, however, try these techniques:
Breathe purposefully: Connect your breathing with each change in position. Think about drawing air all the way down into your abdomen and then exhaling completely. Diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing can help calm your nervous system and lower stress.
Focus on each movement: Think about your alignment and posture in each Pilates position, and focus on controlling every part of your body as you move. You’ll probably find it easier to feel each movement throughout your body.
Set an intention: Setting an intention before each Pilates session gives you a goal to focus on during class. If you find yourself getting distracted or experiencing wandering thoughts, you can use that intention to draw yourself back to the present moment.
Adding a few mindfulness techniques to your Pilates practice can help you gain even more benefits.
Reduce Stress and Improve Mindfulness With Pilates
Mindfulness and stress relief go hand in hand. The more you can tap into your mind-body connection, the easier it is to find ways to address physical and mental stress. Pilates also incorporates several movements and techniques that are known to help relieve stress:
Meditation
Breathwork
Stretching
Cardio
Strengthening
If you choose a group Pilates class, you also get to enjoy the social aspect. This can be especially beneficial for older women looking for opportunities to socialize with like minded peers.
If you find yourself having trouble staying present or tuning into your body as you age, don’t panic. Those experiences are normal. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to change them!
Many intentional activities can help improve mindfulness. But Pilates offers several unique benefits that make it ideal for older women. It’s a low-impact exercise that’s extremely effective, helping you build core strength, balance, and better posture. You’ll also get better at listening to your body and training your brain to stay focused on what’s happening in the moment.
Ready to try Pilates for yourself? Browse our class schedule and book your spot at our Coconut Grove or South Miami studio today!