Pilates? What is Pilates?
To begin with, Pilates is pronounced "Puh-la-tees". Fancy French or
German accents are not needed.
Pilates is not just a fashionable exercise class for celebrities or some
passing fad of the new
century. Pilates is an innovative form of fitness designed by Joseph Pilates.
The principles are based on postural alignment, breathing and
strengthening while stretching for optimal symmetry and coordination of the body
and of the mind. Resistance is created by
springs, the apparatus, one's own body weight, and the structure of the
exercises. The idea is to create a balanced and sound body and
mind to house a sound spirit--one that can is ready and recovered from life’s struggles.
In doing so, discrepancies within the body and the ability to control the
placement of the body are continually addressed and challenged.
There are several pieces of equipment
originally designed and constructed by Joseph Pilates. The largest
equipment is the Cadillac with its bed framed by a metal tower where the entire
body can be worked in endless movements in endless positions whether standing
upright, lying down or even hanging upside down. The most commonly used is
the Reformer (as seen below) whose bed slides up/down or in/out within the frame
and utilizes straps, springs, and a bar to create even more exercises for the
entire body lying down, sitting, kneeling, and standing. The challenge to
maintain good form and proper execution is increased while the carriage moves
back and forth with each movement. However, it can be even more effective
for those with physical inabilities or upright challenges because it has the bed
and springs to help support the body while doing leg, arm, abdominal and back
work. This gives range of motion to those who otherwise would not be able
to strengthen or stretch those parts of their body properly. The smallest
is the Wunda Chair, originally designed for the dual purpose of an ergonomic yet
beautiful piece of home furnishing that turns into an effective piece of Pilates
exercise equipment. Though smaller in size, it has some of the most
challenging exercises for the whole body especially that integrating the entire
body working together to execute a movement.
The History of Pilates
 Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880.
As a child, his physicality was challenged by many illness including
asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. He
overcame his disadvantages by educating himself in bodybuilding, yoga,
wrestling, gymnastics and martial arts.
After becoming an accomplished boxer, diver and skier Pilates became a circus performer with a
physique known as one to resemble a statue of a Greek god.
During WWI, Joseph was sent to an internment camp in England.
It is said he was teaching self-defense to the Scotland Yard police force
when the war broke out and then became targeted as an enemy alien.
In the internment camps he taught other internees how to stay healthy by doing the
exercises and applying the concepts he had developed.
(This was the birth of “Pilates matwork”).
He later became a caretaker for wounded soldiers and others bedridden by
war and disease. In order to get them
moving again, Pilates rigged bed springs to their head and foot
boards to give them necessary resistance and assistance, enabling their
otherwise bedridden bodies. Inspiring.
And that was the
birth of the present day apparatus, the “Reformer” and the “Cadillac”.
After the war, Joseph immigrated to the United States where he met and
married his wife Clara. Together,
they opened the first Pilates studio in Manhattan, NY which is still flourishing today.
The method of Pilates has endured its own struggles.
There are a little over a handful of instructors who were fortunate enough to
train with Joe Pilates. Scattered
across the globe are those who were fortunate enough to train with such first
generation Pilates instructors as Kathy Grant, Romana Kryzanowska, Carola Trier,
Eve Gentry, Bruce King and Ron Fletcher. Many incredible instructors have put their own mark on the
Pilates method presenting an array of different Pilates certifications taught by
many latter generations. Some of these certifications are grueling and intense and others
are completed within
days. Only until recently have many
of today’s Pilates leaders come together to form a standardized test that
could officially qualify all Pilates instructors.
There was the struggle that took Pilates to the US Courts.
A trademark lawsuit threatened the entire community of Pilates
instructors, manufacturers and studios. Rightfully
so, victory prevailed deeming Pilates generic as any other form of fitness like
yoga or karate.
There is also the ongoing divide between the “Purist” who teaches the
exercises exactly as they were developed over 70 year ago, and those who teach
Pilates with modifications and more functional postural alignment based on scientific
research, and the physical abilities and limitations of the clients.
“To define, maintain, and
support the commitment to training and education of Pilates instructors, the
Pilates Method Alliance® (PMA) was formed in 2000 as the international
professional organization for the Pilates method of exercise.”¹ The PMA strives to protect and enhance the Pilates method so
that the Pilates taught today will continue to provide proper instruction
returning balance to the body,
mind, and soul.
Pilates improves your health
and well being whether it be as an exercise class to keep you active, in
physical therapy to rehabilitate an injury and/or faulty body alignment, or the
meditative activity that keeps you connected and less stressed.
“Physical fitness is the
first requisite of happiness. Our
interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a
uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily,
and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous
zest and pleasure.” Joseph H.
Pilates
Read his book
Return to Life Through Contrology and Your Health
by Joseph H. Pilates
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¹ Pilates Method Alliance
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