Why Pilates?

Far more than a recent fitness craze, Pilates has been developed and practiced since the 1920's when Joseph and Clara Pilates taught "Contrology" in their "Body Conditioning Gym" in New York City.​

 

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. Having suffered many illnesses as a child, his drive and determination to overcome these ailments led him to become a competent gymnast, circus performer, boxer and self-defence instructor.

 

During the First World War, he was interned with other German nationals. During this time he developed his technique of physical fitness further, by teaching his fellow internees. During the latter part of the War, he served as an orderly in a hospital where he worked with patients unable to walk. He attached bed springs to the hospital beds to help support the patients' limbs, leading to the development of his famous piece of equipment known as the 'Cadillac'.

 

Much of his equipment, although slightly adapted, is still in use today in many Pilates Studios.

 

He emigrated to the USA in the early 1920s with his wife Clara, and together they developed and taught the method in their 'body-conditioning gym' in New York. The studio featured much of the Apparatus designed to enhance his rehabilitation work. It soon became very popular, particularly with the dance community, as it offered a chance to improve technique or recover from injury. Word spread quickly and many celebrities and dance legends visited his studio. 

 

Although originally names "Contrology" by Joseph, after his death it became known as the Pilates Method.

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While Joe is the man behind the method, it was his wife Clara that became the real teacher in the studio and allowed the method to be passed on to apprentices. The 'Pilates Elders' (the handful of people who trained directly in the first NY Studio) talk of Clara being the nurturing force behind the man; Clara established the tradition of evolving and adapting the Pilates method to suit the individual needs of clients. Not much was spoken in the original studio (English was not Joe's first language), so Joe and Clara relied heavily on hands-on corrections to teach the method.

 

"They wouldn't talk, they would sculpt you" is how Pilates Elder Mary Bowen describes being in the studio. Pilates continues to this day to be a hands-on teaching method to ensure correct form.

 

The students of Joseph Pilates later created the "Principals of Pilates" that are known and used today:

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• Breath

• Concentration

• Centring

• Control

• Precision

• Flow

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"Above all, learn how to breathe correctly" - Joseph Pilates

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