Classes withNIKKi
Whether you roll out a mat for Pilates or move through a Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi practice, both methods bring movement, breath and awareness together to support the body and mind.
They come from very different traditions, yet they share several practical benefits. Both can support strength, posture, balance, mobility, coordination and stress management, while offering adaptable, low-impact ways to keep the body moving.
Regular movement plays an important part in maintaining how comfortably and confidently the body functions over time. Strength, mobility, coordination and balance all respond to consistent practice, and even relatively small amounts of movement can contribute to everyday wellbeing.
Neither Pilates nor Shibashi is simply a matter of going through physical movements.
Pilates asks for concentration, control and awareness of how the body is organised and moving. Alignment, stability, precision and coordination all play an important part in the practice.
Shibashi combines slow, flowing movements with breathing and focused attention. The movements encourage awareness of posture, balance, weight transfer and the relationship between different parts of the body.
This attention to movement can also create a quieter mental space. Many people find that both practices help them feel clearer, calmer and more aware of their body by the end of a session.
The role of breathing
Breathing is central to both methods.
In Pilates, breath works alongside movement and can support trunk control, coordination and movement quality.
In Shibashi, slow abdominal breathing is coordinated with the movements, supporting relaxation, body awareness and the natural rhythm of the practice.
Paying closer attention to breathing can also help us notice how stress, concentration, posture and movement influence the way we breathe throughout the day.
For people who spend long periods sitting, working at a screen or moving through a busy schedule, this return to conscious breathing can become a useful form of awareness in its own right.
Strength and mobility without high impact
One of the strengths of both Pilates and Shibashi is their ability to develop the body through controlled, low-impact movement.
Pilates uses bodyweight, resistance and carefully organised exercises to develop strength, stability, mobility and coordination.
Shibashi uses flowing movement, controlled weight transfer and coordinated patterns through the arms, legs and torso. These movements can support mobility, balance, posture, coordination and circulation.
Both practices can be adapted to suit different bodies, abilities and levels of experience. This makes them useful forms of movement across many stages of life.
Posture, feet and balance
Posture and balance are also important within both practices.
Posture influences breathing, muscle activity, joint loading, balance and the way movement travels through the body.
Pilates often places particular attention on spinal organisation, pelvic stability and the support provided by the trunk.
Within Pilates withNIKKi, I also place strong emphasis on the feet and their relationship with the rest of the body. The way the feet meet the ground affects balance, weight distribution and movement further up through the ankles, knees, hips and spine.
Shibashi develops similar awareness through standing posture and controlled weight transfer. As the body moves from one side to the other, attention naturally comes to the feet, legs, centre of gravity and the relationship between stability and movement.
This is where both practices connect particularly well with the Dragon Compass principles of alignment and awareness.
Alignment here means understanding how different parts of the body relate to one another during movement.
Awareness means noticing what the body is doing, how the movement feels and how breath, balance and attention affect the experience.
Supporting everyday movement
The value of Pilates and Shibashi reaches beyond the class itself.
Strength, mobility, balance and coordination support many ordinary activities, including walking, reaching, lifting, climbing stairs, getting up and down from the floor and moving confidently through different environments.
Regular practice can also help us become more familiar with our own movement patterns.
We begin to notice where movement feels easy, where we use unnecessary tension, where balance changes and how our breathing responds.
That growing body awareness gives us useful information.
Two practices with shared foundations
Pilates and Shibashi complement each other particularly well because they share several foundations: breath, posture, concentration, alignment, control, coordination and conscious movement.
Pilates offers structured strengthening and detailed body conditioning.
Shibashi offers flowing, meditative movement with a strong emphasis on breathing, balance and whole-body coordination.
Some people naturally connect more strongly with one approach, while others enjoy practising both.
Together, they offer two different ways of developing a closer relationship with the body through movement.
Both encourage us to pay attention, move with purpose and support the strength, mobility and awareness that help us navigate everyday life.
Interested in trying a class?
Please note: Pilates classes involve both standing and floor-based exercises, so you will need a mat. Shibashi classes are practised standing throughout, although alternatives can always be provided where needed.
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