History of Pilates
have you ever considered the history of pilates? And how it started?
Pilates has become very popular in the last twenty years and most people do not realize that Pilates is a methodology that was developed by a German born man named Joseph Pilates.
Joseph Pilates was considered a frail and sickly child suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever and he dedicated his entire life to improving his health. He became obsessed by the classical Greek idea of a man balanced in body, mind and spirit and he began to develop his own exercise system based on this concept.
Joseph Pilates the boxer and circus performer
Joseph Pilates’ father was a gymnast and introduced Joseph to gymnastics, boxing, bodybuilding and martial arts like jui jitsu. Pilates was born in Monchengladbach near Dusseldorf and moved to England in 1912 where he earned a living as a boxer, a circus performer, boxer and instructor of self-defence at the police school at Scotland Yard.
His research and persistence to overturn his ailments led him to become a competent gymnast, diver, boxer and skier. Pilates was in an internment camp in the Isle of Man during WWI with other German nationals and to many people’s surprise, Pilates said these were the best years of his life. He used these four years to research physical therapy, yoga, physical fitness, breathing, gymnastics and further develop his methodology. Over the years, Pilates believed that modern lifestyle, poor posture and inefficient breathing are the roots of all poor health issues. He had very stern views on this topic.
He taught fellow internees wrestling and self-defence at Lancaster Castle and he claimed that his students would come out of the internment camp stronger than when they arrived. Pilates studied the movement and agility of animals, mainly cats, as well as yoga. He continued to develop his movement methodology on the mat which was called Contrology.
Pilates can help you:
The principles that Pilates taught include: Breath, whole-body health, whole-body commitment working with the whole-body encompassing mind, body and spirit. These principles are now referred to as:
Breath
Concentration
Balance
Control
Precision
Flow
THE HISTORY OF PILATES
At the internment camp he worked with severely injured veterans who were unable to walk. He supported the patients’ legs with bed springs rigged to the hospital beds to help support the patients with movement and stability. This contraption led to the first piece of equipment that he developed called the Cadillac (also called the Trapeze Table) which is still used in many Pilates studios today. The Spanish flu struck England in 1918 and not one of Pilates internees became ill. Seems like Joe was onto something here.
The Contrology method
The Contrology method focused on total body conditioning as well as a mind – body connection. Contrology encouraged the use of the mind to control muscles, focusing attention on core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and provide support for the spine. Pilates is considered a form of a moving meditation. Pilates exercises teach alignment of the spine, awareness of breath and strengthen the deeper abdominal and torso muscles.
Pilates for training and rehabilitation
In 1926, Pilates and his wife Clara emigrated to the USA and opened a studio in New York on 939 8th Avenue. Word soon spread that professional injured dancers and Broadway performers were having more success working with Pilates than using tradition physical therapy. His methods became known as a way to improve technique and recover from injury much quicker and many celebrities and socialites in New York frequented the studio. Dance legends such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine became devotees and regularly sent their dancers to Pilates for training and rehabilitation. His regimen was known to build strength, flexibility and stamina. Other well-known performers included Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Jerome Robbins as well as actor Jose Ferrer and author Christopher Isherwood.
Originally, over sixty percent of the clientele were very successful men who liked to do Pilates before or after work or on during their lunch breaks. The ladies then followed suite.
Pilates published his first book called ‘Your Health’ in 1932 and ‘Return to Life Through Contrology in 1945. It was only after Pilates death at the age of 83 in 1967 that his work became known as the Pilates Method. Clara worked very closely in the studio with Joseph and after he died, she continued running the studio and working with Joseph’s apprentices who later became known as the original Pilates Elders.
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