A vision on personal development
(and the Pilates Method)
Basic Knowledge
All human wisdom and religious revelations diverge in their perceptions of the world, the creation, metaphysics, the nature of man and supernatural entities. And yet, they seem to converge in some basic aspects of human behavior. Obviously, they all tend to preserve a viable society, otherwise they would have perished. That aspect is parallel to 'law', which states what should not be done. But virtue is something else and the odd thing is that being a goal to be achieved using different paths, there is a common view on virtue: it is elusive.
You must do things. You must do things that are right, in order to be synchronized with God / Spiritual entities / Universe. But that (righteous) action has a number of terrible dangers. Let's name just a few, ordered by ascending level of difficulty
you get public appraisal, your action has been paid, you get even
your 'self' looks proudly at 'yourself', your action has been paid, you get even, or worst, you turn to be a bit self-conceited and you loose
you expect a reward from God, now or in the future; bargaining with The Almighty means there is something to be traded, is God in need of something that you can provide ?
On the other hand, if your behavior is not meant to be guided by your beliefs, there is no point in being a believer.
The obvious, though difficult, solution is to act spontaneously. This means a higher conscience and a mind void of trouble, expectations and duality. This construction lies on a body marked by physiology, led by homeostasis and that surely means duality. When the body is not only able to feel but also to have feelings then fear is about to claim a place in the mind. When an individual is aware of feelings, that consciousness brings about expectations. Homeostasis, fear and expectations build a wall against virtue. A wall woven in body, mind and soul.
Basic Know-How
We know what to do to be happy: follow our personal path to our individual-fitted image of virtue. We know the dangers awaiting us. We need a method to help us. Most oriental religions and philosophies have integrated the body and the mind in spiritual development, but in the western world quite the opposite is to be found. Even the Roman motto 'mente sana in corpus sanus' is historically bound to rising good citizens / soldiers in an expanding empire.
Merging multicultural traditions that use an integrated vision on personal development with up-to-date scientific research on physiology and biomechanics and state-of-the-art neurological-founded concepts of body-mind relationship should be the sound foundation of basic know-how to help everyone who is seeking to be virtuous.
The Pilates Method, as I see it, is an excellent way to, as Joseph Pilates himself put it, build a strong, flexible body, a sound mind and an elevated spirit. The bottom-up approach is very effective for people who are not familiar with body-mind integration. As exercises stimulate proprioception and generate satisfaction out of an all-winning game of control, everyone gets a vivid experience of the beauty of body-mind continuum. Everything goes in a play-like flow, satisfying all kinds of participants with all sort of physical conditioning.
Pilates is not a self-contained package able to give everything to everyone. It does not cover cardio-vascular training or routines to gain muscle mass or improve speed on ballistic sport-like movements. It is not intended to be a meditation-in-motion technique. There are no suggestions on how to improve your life. There is no room to elaborate on religious guidelines to be followed. There is no commitment to any particular philosophy. No specific set of ethical values are to be favored by the instructor. However, these limits that help define the Method are not a limitation. Yes, you can use posture, breathing, concentration, balance when you are running 5K. Yes, you should use a neutral vertebral column while squatting or doing lunges. Yes, you should preserve your core stability in strong and fast movements in your favorite sport. Yes you can meditate using body movements inspired in Pilates. Yes, body-mind fitness is essential to your health, which is essential to your well-being. Yes, a robust body and a sound mind will boost your spiritual and religious awareness. Yes, a self-confident person is bound to be more friendly and ready to help others. Yes, a higher self-esteem improves the ability to feel compassion and act accordingly.
About this text
Author Zpaulo CarracaE-mail: zpaulo_carraca@yahoo.com
Language: English (which is not the author’s mother tongue; but English, even if poorly used, is a ‘de facto’ standard for communication in our global world)
First version 2005-02-13
This version 2005-02-22