As we approach World Alzheimer’s Month in September, the obvious choice for my blog this week is Pilates and Mental Health.

If you have read my blog before you will know that I feel very passionate about mental illness and its link with physical fitness, mainly because of my personal experience with mental health and the fact that my father died whilst suffering from Alzheimer’s. If this topic interests you, then please read Let’s talk about depression: Is it Real? where I explain that Depression, Positive Thinking, and Exercise is only one part of Total Fitness.

My concept of Total Fitness is an integral part of my PilatesEVO system; we cannot truely achieve health and wellness unless we consider and nourish all parts of our physical and mental states.

Mental health is still widely misunderstood, despite recent advances in public awareness. I still hear people giving totally ignorant or misguided advice and opinions. Of course I understand that most people are just trying to help in their own way, but this is no excuse. These people should go educate themselves about depression and think before they make totally ignorant statements. I am serious. If there is even 10% of your mind that when reading this is thinking people with depression “should pull themselves together” then please go educate yourself because you are misinformed.

 

Pilates and mental health

Today whilst thinkg about Pilates and mental health, I want to ask you to please share your opinions and experience with clients who suffer from depression. Pilates without doubt helps to relax the mind and energise the body, gives body awareness, can improve self-image and has meditative qualities if taught in the correct way. I found mediation after my own personal experience with depression, and this is why I travelled to Bangkok to study meditation in a Buddhist monastery. This is also why in PilatesEVO I integrated mindfulness meditation. When I am travelling the world to train new PilatesEVO teachers, this is one of my favourite parts of the education because most teachers have little or no experience of meditation, and at first some find it difficult to grasp.

I hope that everyone who reads this blog thinks about mental health, and how they represent this to themselves. Please go research and learn as much as you can. As all my students will testify, I am always saying that we should never stop learning or questioning long-held beliefs, because we are not always right.

You can read more about World Alzheimer’s Day by clicking on this link.

As always I love to hear from you with your thoughts and ccomments about this article, PilatesEVO or any other topic.

Chris Hunt
Creator of PilatesEVO