January 31, 2003 Student
News
Stretching
Your Limits for Peace and Relaxation
From the Utah
Statesman (1/29/03)
 Relax
- (r -lks ) v. re·laxed, re·lax·ing, re·lax·es
v. tr. - (1) To relieve from tension or strain or (2) To take
one's ease; rest.
School can be very demanding, but two of America's fastest-growing
exercising techniques, yoga and pilates, offer a promising solution
for stressed lives.
The word yoga means union. Linguistically, it is related to
the old English "yoke." Traditionally, the goal of
yoga is union with the absolute, the true self.
Gaby Lebeau has been teaching yoga for four and one-half years.
She explained yoga as a system of poses that help increase strength,
balance, flexibility andmental awareness.
"Yoga was developed to get body situated and prepared
for meditation and to energize and benefit the body's focus
on refining the mind," Lebeau said.
According to yogasite.com, most western yoga focuses on the
physical postures called "asanas," breathing exercises
called "pranayama" and meditation. The focus of yoga
today is often on the more down-to-earth benefits of yoga, including
improved physical fitness, mental clarity, greater self-understanding,
stress control and general well being.
There are four paths or types of yoga with different bases:
1 -- Jnana, the path of knowledge or wisdom
2 -- Bhakti, the path of devotion
3 -- Karma, the path of action
4 -- Raja, the path of self-control
Hatha yoga, which includes postures and breathing and is the
form most popular in the West, is actually part of raja yoga,
the path of self-control.
These yogas all share a common lineage back to Patanjali's
"Yoga Sutras," a text outlining the basic philosophy
and practices of Classical yoga. It was written sometime between
the second century B.C. and the first century A.D.
Angie Griswold, pilates teacher at The Sports Academy said
pilates was invented by Joseph pilates. Pilates moved from Germany
in 1912 to England as a boxer but then became a nurse during
World War I. He developed a rehab method that evolved into pilates
taught today.
After the war he immigrated to the U.S. and started his studio
in NYC, which still exists today.
"Pilates does not work on meditation, it's more about
strengthening," Griswold said.
She said pilates focuses on strengthening the core system.
It is used to improve flexibility and posture.
"Every muscle in your body is so compressed. Pilates works
to lengthen and relax them," she said.
Pilates enhances daily life and its quality and assists in
almost all athletic activity, Griswold said.
Pilates works the transperse abdominus, rectus abdominus, internal
and external obliques, erectrospinae, glutes and hamstrings
by a pulley-like system. Pilates works on teaching you control,
breathing, flowing movement, centering, isolation and routine.
"[The response to yoga and pilates and other] mind and
body classes is wonderful and they do exceptionally well in
the gym. Pilates has had a really good response from the participants,"
Griswold said.
The Sports Academy is working on bringing more mind and body
classes to their facilities because of the positive response.
They are training several new instructors and purchasing allegro
reformers, or pulley machines, used in pilates.
By Kassie Robison; kassrobison@cc.usu.edu
Photos by K'Leena Murphy
utah
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