Better Pilates than never

For every ‘where to find’ internet search for Pilates training in Kerala, our eyes are ‘guided’ to the countless Facebook pages of centres offering yoga courses.
Caution: Zip your baggage of expectations first. Each encounter may prove disappointing at the end. However the popular European fitness method is making slow inroads to this southern Indian state though it is still in its infancy.

Unlike the popular fitness methodologies, Pilates can’t be found in group training methods. It mostly works out in a demand-based system for individuals. Fitness expert Vaisakhan S. has been incorporating the method in corporate fitness training for some time.     
 

“Pilates is almost a yoga twin and people can very easily be misguided. And there is not much difference between the two,” says Vaisakhan, striking some poses to underscore his statement.

“The thing is that the dominant spiritual element in yoga does not surface in Pilates. It has not attained that much popularity among people. But those who know about Pilates are so keen to learn, for it helps to strip away unwanted fat quickly and stay in shape. For instance, I had clients who wanted to shed some extra kilos before wedding. In my classes, I teach both yoga and Pilates in sessions, say, four days a week for yoga and two for Pilates,” says Vaisakhan.

The absence of an independent existence posing a challenge, Pilates is present among the fitness packages on offer in gyms, mostly accompanying yoga. Originated in the early leg of 20th century, Pilates owes its credit to German physical trainer Joseph Hubertus Pilates. Now it is high on demand in western countries. The techniques are found to be useful to gain strength for abdominal muscles and alleviate lower back pain.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Hamstrings, a dedicated fitness centre for women, has been one of the oldest and pioneer institutes in the Pilates training scene. “This is mostly done as a weight reduction programme here. After training for a while, people can attain fitness and flexibility. As our centre is meant for only women, most are demanding it to have flexibility for body. We train them in batches. Before admitting somebody for Pilates, checking their body type is a pre-requisite. Then only suitable postures can be suggested and trained,” says Divya, a trainer in the centre. Hamstrings has been dealing with Pilates for the past seven years together with other fitness programmes.

Fine toning of body is one advantage that attracts women to Pilates. “I have been practising Pilates and yoga for two weeks now. For me, shedding weight was no big issue as my BMI is perfect. I wanted to tone specific areas. From that aspect, the training is satisfying,” says Hitha Vijayakumar, mediaperson-cum-model.

Vigi Muraly, a homemaker from Thiruvananthapuram, too has a similar experience to share. “Post childbirth, I had a laid back period. So I got into physical training and I am into Pilates and yoga for six months now. It helped me in a good deal for body toning and is a good stress-buster too,” she admits.

In the northern and central regions of India, Pilates is a preferred fitness method with devoted training studios and health clubs to draw fitness freaks. In expert’s lingo, absence of scientific evidences and proofs are a major reason why people shy away from Pilates in Kerala. “Every fitness method people practise here has well-researched grounding to prove its positives and negatives. In our terminology, we do a double blind control study to cite evidence. In Pilates, such a thing is absent.  Its efficacy is therefore a question,” says Dr P.K. Jayarus, former head of Holistic Medicine, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram.