Body language is a form of non-verbal communication that plays an integral role in our social interactions. People make judgments based on their perception of others’ body language. For example, slouched shoulders are often perceived as a sign of lack of confidence. The judgments we make, positive or negative, influence the quality of our future interactions.
Social psychologist and associate professor at Harvard Business School, Amy Cuddy and her colleagues, Dana R. Carney and Andy J. Yap from Columbia University, set out to answer the question: Does posture have an affect on how an individual’s strength and power is perceived? To do this, they tested how specific poses affected testosterone and cortisol levels in the body and risk tolerance. The results were published in the article Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance in Psychological Science in 2010.
For the research, two sets of poses were used. High-power poses similar to the Hundred or Leg Pull Front from the mat work produced assertive, confident and comfortable feelings. Low-power poses similar to Seated Leg Pumps or Single Leg Pumps with Crossover on the chair produced stress reactive behaviors and feelings of being shut down. Their research concluded that by assuming expansive and open poses, testosterone levels increase and cortisol levels decrease, allowing for increased feelings of power and tolerance for risk.
So what does this mean for Pilates and other movement practitioners? When designing movement programs, we can use this understanding of how neuroendocrine levels are affected by specific positions of the body. Of course, we should not focus only on the expansive, open high-power poses. Our priority is our clients and their needs, and in many instances, they will require the more contracted, closed limb positions found in low-power poses. We should, however, consider starting and ending clients’ sessions with a high-power movement and balance their programs with a combination of the two.
At our Pilates studio, we have an 88 year-old practitioner with osteoporosis and scoliosis. She began using a walker for safety when she moved into an apartment at an assisted living home 3 years ago. We end every session in what the authors would call a high-power pose, standing, with an emphasis on postural awareness and optimal alignment. Joyce Hardin, 88 years old, has been practicing Pilates for 15 years. (Pictured above)
The authors discuss embodying the concept of power, as opposed to merely thinking about being powerful. This is important for many reasons. According to the research, “Power determines greater access to resources; higher levels of agency and control over a person’s own body, mind and positive feelings; and enhanced cognitive function. Powerful individuals demonstrate greater willingness to engage in action.”
In 2010, one of my clients showed up to her session with two ceramic sculptures, pictured above, that she had made. The sculptures expressed how she perceived herself over the year. The first was a hippopotamus: it represented the lethargic lifestyle that she was living and how she felt in her body prior to Pilates. The second was a beautiful female torso. She insisted that it was Pilates that changed her perception about her life and her body, and she was grateful that it had strengthened her core identity.
How we move in our bodies has an affect on our perception of our strength and power. Positive perceptions enable us to function at a high level in all aspects of our lives. In reading the article, I was reminded of Joseph H. Pilates’ 1945 book, Return to Life. Both publications make reference to posture and its relationship to strength and power with humans and animals. Pilates believed that “self confidence, poise, and consciousness of possessing the power to accomplish our desires with renewed lively interest in life” is a natural result of a good Pilates practice. Furthermore, he believed that this can only be achieved when physical well-being and mental calmness are acquired. According to the research, spending just two minutes in a high-power pose can immediately improve our physiological, mental and feeling states. So, let’s strike a high-power pose and do the Pilates exercise, Leg Pull Front!
Mirea Sharifi has been teaching for over 20 years. She served as Assistant Director and Choreographer for the internationally acclaimed group, Up with People and on the dance faculty of Ballet Arts in Tucson, Arizona. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona School of Dance and founded BodyQuest Pilates in 2002. Mirea is a Pilates Method Alliance® Certified Pilates Teacher. A student of Pilates since 1999, Mirea has studied with Pilates Master Teachers Ron Fletcher, Michele Larsson, John White, Madeline Black and Ruth Alpert. She is a Mentor for the Polestar Pilates Teacher Training Program and an American Bone Health Peer Educator. She has completed Body Reading/Posture and Movement, and Anatomy Trains for the Movement Therapist with Tom Myers, author of Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists.
BodyQuest Pilates