What is Pilates?
HISTORY
Pilates (pronounced puh-la-tees) is a method of exercise named and developed over ninety years ago by European fitness guru, Joseph Hubertus Pilates.
Joesph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. As a child he was very sick with asthma, rheumatic fever and rickets. He was determined to strengthen his frail and unhealthy body, so early on he devoted himself to health and fitness. He taught himself gymnastics, diving, skiing, and boxing. He then began developing his exercise system in the early 1900s. He named his method "The Art of Contrology," or muscle control, to highlight his approach of using the mind to master the muscles.
Interned during the First World War, he taught his method to some of the other internees and amazingly maintained their health through the deadly influenza epidemic of 1918. Towards the end of the war, Joseph Pilates served as an orderly in a hospital on the Isle of Man. He began working with some of the patients. He attached springs to their beds to support their ailing limbs and he and the doctors noticed that the patients were improving much faster. These spring-based exercises became the foundation for the equipment Joseph Pilates would later design to be used along with the matwork. That is why the Pilates name is often associated with the specialized equipment/machines, but the matwork is the original movement system that he created and it has been said that it is just as effective as the work done on the machines.
Returning after the war a legend, he soon became disenchanted with the task of training the German military and took off for America. Opening up the first official studio in New York, he and his wife Clara introduced this revolutionary style of fitness to the US in 1926. An ingenious inventor, he created machines and various pieces of equipment, most notably the Reformer. Joseph Pilates attracted many famous dancers and performers who needed to rehabilitate from work related injuries. Among his clients were George Balanchine and Martha Graham.
PRESENT DAY
Since his death in 1968, this technique has expanded with the master instructors who continue his highly specific methods. Modern research has confirmed the validity of his insights, which is one of the reasons it has become so popular. Since its introduction to American culture, Pilates has maintained a steady and devoted following. Pilates will improve flexibility of the spine and strengthen the core better than any exercise ever invented. As with the complementary sports of gymnastics, dancing and diving, Pilates requires focus of control of the whole body all the time. Key elements include the placement of the breath in the ribs, articulating the spine, and stabilizing the pelvis and shoulders for better balance. Another key element of Pilates is the emphasis on linking the movements together in a graceful and flowing way. This develops coordination and concentration and calls on the practitioner to be actively thinking about what and how they are exercising.
BALANCE
Whether on the specialized equipment or on a mat, one is always trying to work from their center or core - a term that refers to your abdominals, back, hips and buttocks. Unlike other methods, the emphasis is not on multiple repetitions or duration. The goal is to create a balanced body that is agile and structurally sound. One is encouraged to work with the body, not against it and achieve more from less effort. Top athletes train in Pilates to improve performance and rehabilitate from injury. Actors and models use it to attain longer, leaner bodies. Every one who trains in Pilates will improve their posture, breathing, and alignment. The mind as well as the body will greatly benefit and you will feel lifted and stronger from the inside out.
"Beginning with the introductory lesson, each succeeding exercise should be mastered before proceeding progressively with the following exercises."
Joseph Pilates (Creator of the Pilates Method)