Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany
in 1880. A frail child who was committed to becoming stronger, he dedicated
his life to the study of body conditioning.
As a child he would watch animals, studying them in
their movements. He later became an accomplished skier, gymnast, diver
and boxer and it was in this capacity that he was in England when World
War I broke out.
While interned in Lancaster, during
World War I for his German citizenship, Joseph became a nurse.
Here
he began
sharing with his fellow camp members the concepts and exercises
developed over 20 years of self-study and apprenticeship in yoga,
Zen, and
ancient Greek and Roman physical regimens. As a result, the system
of original exercises known today as "matwork" began
to take shape. Some years later, he was transferred to another
camp,
where he was caretaker to the many internees struck with wartime
disease and physical injury.
Here, he began devising equipment to rehabilitate his "patients," taking
springs from the beds and rigging them to create spring resistance
and "movement" for the bedridden. This system formed the
foundation for his style of body conditioning and specialized exercise
apparatus which he brought to New York City when he opened the first
New York Pilates Studio® in 1926. So advanced were his ideas that
today’s apparatus is not so different from the original designs.
 |
"I invented all these
machines. Began back in Germany, was there until 1925 - used
to exercise rheumatic patients. Look, you see
it resists your movements in just the right way so those innermusclesd
really have to work against it. That way you can concentrate
on movement. You must always do it slowly and smoothly. Then
your
whole body is in it." |
The United States, Canada & much of Europe are
now experiencing the explosion in demand for Pilates, a method of exercise
and physical
movement designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body. With
regular practice of specific exercises coupled with focused breathing
patterns, Pilates has proven itself invaluable not only as a fitness
endeavor itself, but also as an important adjunct to professional sports
training and physical rehabilitation of all kinds.
Pilates exercises
have been widely embraced among dancers for years and with the aging
of our population along with the increasing trend toward mindful,
moderate health practices, Pilates like yoga is becoming more and more
popular - shaping
the fitness ideals of our next generation. |
