Absolutely! Massage helps to relieve the tension that’s accumulated in your body. This may happen due to a number of reasons – physical activity, stress, injuries or repetitive holding patterns. Massage brings awareness to areas within your body that are in need of attention.

Trigger points are tiny areas of irritation in stressed muscles. They refer weakness, pain or numbness to the surrounding areas or areas of muscle tissue that are more distant. When you apply pressure to a trigger point you will feel pain or some other sensation in another area. Trigger points are a result of trauma, exposure to infections or colds. They can also result from infection, muscle misalignment or muscle overuse, and muscles that are chronically contracted.

Because tension inhibits the circulation, your muscles don’t receive the nutrition that they need. As a result waste products don’t get removed. As the body lacks nutrition and the waste build up irritates nerve endings it causes a feeling of weakness and also pain. The toxicity in turn taxes your body’s immune system.

Chronic muscle tension inhibits your movement. and causes a disruption in the symmetry of balancing forces that act on the skeletal frame. This causes the bones to be held out of position and become misaligned.

Chronic muscle tension can also cause you to tire more easily as it uses up a lot more energy than usual.

The lasting effects of a massage can vary and depends on how fit you are, your healing power, lifestyle, and even your emotional condition. If your massage treatment is for the purpose of healing an injury or getting relief from chronic pain, you will generally need ongoing weekly massages until reaching your goal.

On the other hand if the purpose of your massage is just to feel better or for maintaining your health, a fortnightly or monthly massage can create a big difference in the way you feel. Regular massage should be part of your wellness routine along with exercise and good nutrition.

You certainly can. These stretches decompress the lower back discs and help improve posture. This increases the energy and reduces stress.

While there are many opinions on this, many experts believe that it is best to stretch after your workout when the muscles are warm. Stretching before you exercise could even decrease your performance. The safest method of stretching for most people is to move towards a full motion range of the muscles being stretched and then holding for 20 to 60 seconds.

The best way for beginners to start on a Pilates exercise program is to join a mat based class. A group setting will get you motivated, so that you can do the exercises at home. This way you will also appreciate the principle that’s behind Pilates.

Once you feel comfortable with the mat based exercises, you can try using some props such as resistance bands, Swiss Balls and circles. These add variety to your routine. If you feel uncomfortable in a group setting you can try out our personal program where an instructor can work with you individually or with a friend.

To start with try working out 1 to 2 times a week. Taking time off in between sessions to give your muscles some rest. You can participate in running, walking, cycling or other cardiovascular activity in between your Pilates routine and should begin to see some real results in 10 – 15 sessions.

The main focus of Pilates is not to burn calories. In saying that, if you combine Pilates with a healthy diet and cardio activities such as cycling, brisk walking, aerobics or swimming, Pilates can help you lose weight.

Pilates exercises are helpful in strengthening the body, body sculpting and building lean muscles in the long run. Even if you are not at your ideal weight, you will feel and look better through continued Pilates exercises.