about pilates
Pilates was developed in the early part of the 20th Century by German-born Joseph Pilates.
As a child, Pilates suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. Initially, it was Pilates determination to improve his own personal physique and, later, his belief that 1950s modern living and incorrect posture were the fundamental cause of ill health that inspired his method. However, it was during his stint in two British internment camps during WW1 that Pilates began to refine his method. With a focus on neuromuscular retraining, and an emphasis on control and form, Pilates modified his routine to rehabilitate injured soldiers too infirmed to perform the exercises on the floor.
These exercises, which formed the basis of the Pilates method were all performed lying on the floor, and would later become mat-work. Pilates coined the term 'Contrology' to describe his unique series of strengthening and stretching exercises, the amalgamation of his observations of the way animals move with the classical Greek ideal of the Whole Man. During the 1920s and up until the 1950s, the Pilates method was studied primarily by dancers for deep body conditioning and injury rehabilitation.
Although some of Pilates' original 34 mat-based exercises have been modified in-line with current research, the essence of his pioneering method as a complete and thorough program of mental and physical conditioning is alive today. Nearly a century on from its conception, many sports professionals, celebrities, and the global fitness community swear by his series of precise poses to aid postural realignment.
"...in 10 sessions you'll feel a difference, in 20 sessions you'll see the difference,
after 30 sessions you'll have a whole new body..."
Joseph Pilates
