Maria Putkisto has led a quiet revolution in fitness after devising her own programme
THE NAME Putkisto may not ring a bell in Irish health and fitness circles – but this is about to change, when Finnish movement and dance guru Marja Putkisto holds her first Dublin workshop this weekend.
Putkisto, who cured her own back problems by devising a system of targeted, deep stretching, now teaches the method to competitive athletes, dancers and singers, but also to people suffering due to limited mobility and back pain, and others who simply want to look and feel better and lose some weight.
A svelte and youthful 50 year old, she spent months as a child with her legs in traction to correct an underdeveloped hip.
Later, confounded by difficulties in ballet practice, she discovered that her body was misaligned. After taking several years out to devise her own method of literally straightening herself out, she transformed her own body – “ I don’t think there’s a single bone in the same position!” she says – and soon began teaching her technique at the National Opera and Sibelius Academy of Music in Finland.
She has since led a quiet revolution in fitness, becoming a household name in her native country and, since moving to London nearly 20 years ago, building a diverse client base at her Richmond studio.
“Stretch yourself slim” and achieve a healthy, supple body at any age is her trademark promise. She even claims to have mastered a technique for reshaping the face. Osteopaths, physiotherapists, sports therapists – and even dental surgeons – seek her out.
Method Putkisto shares many of the principles of Pilates – it marries well with Pilates, yoga and the Alexander Technique – but with the focus on elongating deep postural muscles.
Putkisto’s theory is that muscle length has a profound effect on the position and movement of our bodies, and that shortened muscles constrict bones and inner organs, causing pain, fitness problems and ill health.
The body’s shape also suffers: shortened hamstrings, for example, pull the buttocks down, which makes the stomach push outwards, she explains.
Unlike traditional post-workout stretching, which targets large muscles that have contracted during exercise, Putkisto’s remedy is to focus on those smaller muscles which, when stretched, help realign and ultimately reshape the body, relieving pain in the process.
- Marja Putkisto's Dublin workshop takes place on Saturday and Sunday, November 14th-15th, at the Elbow Room, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7. For details, log on to www.methodputkisto.com
