Courses
UCHL1027 Mind and Body Exercises: Stretching and Pilates (2 units)
- Medium of Instruction:
- English
Flexibility is one of the essential components of health-related fitness; and a healthy lifestyle begins with an appraisal of a person’s current physical fitness status. This course begins with an evaluation of the student’s general fitness and flexibility in particular. It aims to provide students with an understanding of how flexibility and bodily control relates and contributes to the overall well-being of an individual. Students will be introduced the basic concepts and movements behind meditative stretching and Pilates as types of mind-body conditioning exercises. Stretching helps to align body joints and enhance flexibility, whereas Pilates improves posture, and keeps muscles supple and toned. Students will explore their own range of movements under guidance and develop heightened control in body alignment through practices in stretching and Pilates mat work. Adopting a meditative mindset in performing physical gestures and motions not only ensures movement flow and coherency, it also brings about a calmer state of mind and a soothing and stress reduction effect for the individual. Recommendations on how best to develop a regular exercise pattern and how to treat exercise as a sensible pathway to a healthier lifestyle will also be provided and discussed.