Pilates (pronounced pih-lah’-tiz) is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates (1880-1967), a German gymnast, diver and body-builder. During his lifetime this method of exercise was called Contrology.
Joseph Pilates was perhaps the first influential figure to combine Western and Eastern ideas about health and physical fitness. He researched and practised every kind of exercise he could. This ranged from classical Roman and Greek exercise regimes to body-building and gymnastics. Additionally, he studied anatomy and animal movements. He set this alongside practising the Eastern disciplines of yoga, tai chi, martial arts and Zen meditation.
Pilates called his method “Contrology,” because he believed his method uses the mind to control the muscles.
PILATES AND THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION | Understanding the many benefits of this amazing exercise!
The program focuses on the core muscles, those that surround the spine and internal organs, which help keep the body balanced and which are essential to providing support. In particular, Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath and alignment of the spine and aim to strengthen the deep torso muscles.
From this description of Pilates exercises, there is nothing to alarm Christians or cause us to fear or mistrust Pilates. All Christians should be concerned with proper diet and exercise so that our bodies, which are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), are kept in as good condition as possible.
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All types of exercises are improved by controlled breathing, and strengthening the core muscles that support the spine, and therefore the entire body, is crucial to maintaining good health. All the Pilates principles mentioned above are commonly accepted methods of strengthening and conditioning the body.
Most Pilates programs focus entirely on the physical exercises. Some, however, attempt to incorporate aspects of Eastern religions or New Age thought: visualization, mind/spirit control, or the Taoist aspects of tai chi. These elements are usually introduced into a Pilates program by an overly zealous instructor who has himself or herself been indoctrinated into New Age philosophy and has brought it into all aspects of life, including exercise.
The wise thing for a Christian who is considering Pilates to do is first talk with the instructor to determine his or her philosophical inclinations. If the instructor teaches pure Pilates, there is nothing to stop Christians from participating.
Pilates is effective as it addresses underlying structural imbalances in the body which can create on-going pain and difficulty with movement. The whole body is considered. Regular practitioners of Pilates feel a heightened sense of awareness and ease in their bodies, experiencing less pain and increased mobility.
It is this holistic approach that sets Pilates apart from many other forms of exercise. It is in the honouring of the Pilates Principles that the depth of the work is achieved. Through the years the Pilates Method has gradually evolved and integrated current bio-mechanical thinking, including utilising modern pieces of equipment.
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However, the roots of the technique are steeped in the philosophy and movement patterns designed by Joseph Pilates over 90 years ago. Pilates is continuously evolving through the use of modern equipment, but the core of the technique is tied to the movement patterns designed by Joseph Pilates.
Pilates can be taught in a specialised Pilates studio or in an open area with mats and small equipment. The broad variety of exercises available allow for Pilates sessions to be tailored to each client's individual needs. Certain medical and rehabilitation conditions require studio apparatus sessions.
Working harder is often not the goal of a Pilates class. Apparatus sessions are particularly helpful in rehabilitating injury, aiding with specialised conditions and reaching specific training goals. Traditional studio apparatus are called: the Reformer, the Cadillac, the Wunda Chair and the Ladder Barrel.
Matwork can be taught on a one-to-one or small group basis, but it is the availability (and cheaper cost) of the larger Matwork classes that has helped Pilates gain in popularity around the world over the past 10 years. Little is known about his early life, but he appears to have been a frail child, suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever.
In 1912 Pilates lived in England working as a 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.
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During the latter part of the War, he served as an orderly in a hospital on the Isle of Man 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'.
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 of the day visited his studio.
These included dance legends such as Ruth St. Denis, Ted Shawn, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine and Martha Graham, as well as the actor Jose Ferrer and the author Christopher Isherwood.
In 1932 Pilates published a booklet called 'Your Health' and followed this with another called 'Return to Life Through Contrology' in 1945. Through these writings and his students, his method was passed on after his death in 1967 at the age of 83.
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.
The popularity of the Pilates Method has spread steadily since the day when Pilates first opened his studio.
As Pilates offers a new way of experiencing your body and movement, it can be difficult to understand, or even feel that anything is happening, at the beginning. It is important to find a teacher that you enjoy working with and a class that you can attend regularly (in terms of time, location, life demands and cost). Regular Pilates practice develops body awareness, helping clients identify and change daily movement patterns that contribute to on-going dysfunction.
PF Teacher Trainers believe in the integrated nature of the Studio Apparatus and teach it as a complete body of work. All PF training courses include extensive training in human anatomy and physiology, specialised conditions, classical and evolved approaches with respect for the history and principles of the method. PF Teachers are dedicated to continuing their learning. To maintain PF affiliation, members must undergo annual continued professional development and maintain first aid certification and liability insurance.
Pilates ( pil-AH-teez,[1][2] German: [piˈlaːtəs] ⓘ) is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named.
Pilates accompanied his method with a variety of equipment, which he called "apparatus". Each apparatus was designed to help accelerate the process of stretching, strengthening, body alignment and increased core strength started by mat work. This included the Reformer, originally called the Universal Reformer, named for "universally reforming the body".
According to The New York Times, Pilates "can be tailored to a spectrum of fitness goals, ages and abilities".[15] Pilates is not a cardiovascular workout, but rather a strength and flexibility workout.
There are various elements that contribute to distinguishing Pilates from other forms of resistance training. For example, Pilates places a heavy emphasis on breathwork and creating a mind-body connection. In his book Return to Life through Contrology,[3] Joseph Pilates presented his method as the art of controlled movements, which should look and feel like a workout (not a therapy) when properly done.
If practiced consistently, Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength, and develops control and endurance in the entire body.[16] It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, developing a strong core, and improving coordination and balance. The core, consisting of the muscles of the abdomen, low back and hips, is often called the "powerhouse" and is thought to be the key to a person's stability.
Pilates' system allows for exercises to be modified in difficulty, from beginner to advanced or any other level, and to accommodate the instructor's and practitioner's goals and/or limitations. A number of versions of Pilates are taught.
Pilates can be performed on both a mat or on specialized equipment. Pilates often incorporates spring-based resistance machines known as reformers,[25] which consists of a box-like frame, sliding platform, springs, straps/ropes, and pulleys that help support the spine and target different muscle groups.
For example, in order to target the upper back, a typical Pilates move on the reformer involves lying face-down on top of an accessory called a long box which is placed on top of the sliding platform. With mat Pilates, people sit or lie with their body weight as the main resistance, using gravity to stabilize their core.
For example, a common mat Pilates exercise is called "roll-up", where participants start by sitting on the floor with their legs straight out in front of them and their arms extended over their legs. Participants then slowly-using the breath to control the motion-uncurl their upper bodies backward toward a supinated lying down position, until they are indeed lying down on their backs with their arms out over their heads.
Modern yoga, like Pilates, is a mind-and-body discipline, though yoga classes are more likely to address spiritual aspects explicitly. Both yoga and Pilates incorporate elements of stretching and breathing.
Both are low-impact, low-intensity exercises, but there are key differences. When practicing yoga, individuals hold certain poses for longer periods of time and flow into others; when practicing Pilates, individuals move their arms or legs while in certain positions.
With yoga, breath is used for relaxation and to hold poses. With Pilates, breath is used to power the muscles with more energy. Some poses are similar in the two disciplines, for example, open leg balance closely resembles Navasana (boat pose), roll over is similar to Halasana (plough pose), and swan and push-up are essentially identical to Bhujangasana (cobra pose) and Chaturanga Dandasana (low plank pose).
Both disciplines develop strength, flexibility and fitness.
Joseph Humbertus Pilates was the creator, designer, and inventor behind “The Contrology Method”. He was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, near Dusseldorf, in 1883. His exact date of birth, cause of death, and origin of name are disputed and unclear.
His father, Heinrich Friedrich Pilates, was a mechanic and primarily known for his physical achievements as a champion gymnast. His mother Helena Pilates believed strongly in the healing abilities of naturopathy. This more than likely heavily influenced Joseph Pilates toward his rehabilitative exercises alongside self designed and built unique pieces of equipment.
There is uncertainty about the original pronunciation of his name. According to Pilates' niece Mary Pilates LaRiche, she remembers it pronounced Pi-LOTTS. According to other accounts, his father’s family spelled it as “Pilatu” and after migrating to Germany from Greece, changed it to Pilates. The story that the family name Pilates is "of Greek origin" is not confirmed by family members alive today, who state that he was thoroughly German.
As a child, Joseph suffered from several ailments such as asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever and sadly also from being bullied mostly for his last name. As a result of one episode at the age of 5 Joseph lost sight from his left eye. In efforts to restore his own health and spirit, he became enamored by the classical Greek ideal of a man balanced in body, mind, and spirit.
This drove him to rigorous physical exercise to learn self defense and found great interest with bodybuilding, gymnastics, and the practice of yoga. Joe began to believe that our modern lifestyle, bad posture, lack of exercise and shallow breathing were the cause and root of poor health, poor organ function, and fatigue.
As an adult, Pilates had overcome his sickly childhood and was so physically fit by the age of fourteen he was asked to pose for anatomical charts. While growing up in Germany, Joe worked in a brewery and achieved some success as a professional boxer, and gymnast. He married in 1905 and had a daughter. His wife Maria died in 1913.
In early 1912, leaving his wife and daughter behind in Germany for unknown reasons, Pilates moved to England to further his boxing career. Eventually he became recognized for his circus and gladiator performances and as a teacher for training self-defense programs to Scotland Yard's Law Enforcement.
As World War I erupted in 1914 and Britain entered the War, he was interned with other German citizens of England in a camp in Lancaster. Also during these years, many of his inspirations for his Mat exercises were derived through simple and countless observations of animals found at the camp. Joseph would watch their natural movements and responses, and incorporate them into his concepts.
Pilates was later transferred to another camp on The Isle of Man where he again continued to help his fellow man wherever needed and insisted they practice his exercises and at one point found himself assisting patients in the infirmary. This led him to develop his first innovative and rehabilitative mechanical devices to help those who were injured and bed-ridden by using the under springs from the camp bunk beds and reconfiguring them to the bed frame (today recognized as the Cadillac and Reformer).
This gave the injured that were forced to stay in bed an opportunity for movement. To Joe, movement was key to a more speedy recovery from physical injury, the well being of mind and body, and was also important for those who with poor overall health. During the influenza epidemic of 1918 that plagued millions, Joe's fitness regimen was widely credited with the fact that not a single man under his care became sick.
Following his release, Joseph returned to Germany at the war’s end and continued his livelihood in personal training in Hamburg. His newly created fitness program gained notice with the city and he was hired to train its policeman. Word of his success with clients began to spread quickly, many took notice, and his exercise program quickly gained interest among dancers, entertainers, performers, actors, and athletes.
In 1923 even German officials took notice and asked Joseph to teach his method to the New German Army. Worsening economic and political conditions led Pilates to emigrate once again in 1926 and sailed for the United States. Between 1925 and 1926, he journeyed once prior to America to visit friends and family before his decision to leave Germany in 1926.
During his second trip, Pilates met a woman by the name of Anna Clara Zener. In 1926 they opened a fitness gym developing “Body Contrology” further evolving "The Method" in New York City. Clara was known to have good business sense and managed the studio well and was credited to have been the better teacher between the two.
His teachings and its effectiveness once again spread quickly among the community and the couple had local respected dancers, actors, and athletes regularly attending his studio. Joseph and Clara taught the "Contrology" method of activating the muscles of the body with intent and focus with conscience attention to proper breath execution, timing, and pattern.