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What do you know about PILATES_

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48 views

What do you know about PILATES_

Uploaded by

Justyna Mazurek
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT PILATES?

“I invented all these machines... it resists your movements in just the right
way so those inner muscles 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." - Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. Little is known about his early
life, but he has been a sick and weak child, suffering from asthma, rickets
and rheumatic fever. His determination to overcome these conditions led
him to become a competent gymnast, diver and skier.
In 1912 Pilates lived in England working as a circus acrobat, boxer and self-
defense instructor to detectives. During the First World War, he was
imprisoned in a camp in England with other Germans because of their
nationality. During this time he developed his technique of physical fitness
by teaching his companions, who were very weak and could not get out of
bed due to limited activity in the camp. During the other part of the War,
he served in a hospital where he worked with patients unable to walk. He
created a lot of equipment to tone the muscles, and much of it, although
adapted, is still in use today in many Pilates Studios.
Pilates emigrated to the USA in the early 1920s with his wife Clara, and
together they developed and taught the method in their 'body-
conditioning gym' in New York in 1926. The studio had lots of machines
designed to help with the 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, such as dance legends and
actors. Originally 60% of the clientele
were men.

iSLCollective.com
Joseph died in 1967 at the age of 83. During his lifetime this method of
exercise was called Contrology. It was only after his death that it became
known as the Pilates Method. Pilates was perhaps the first influential figure
to combine Western and Eastern ideas about health and physical fitness.
He researched and practiced every kind of exercise he could: classical
Roman and Greek exercise regimes, bodybuilding, gymnastics, yoga, tai chi,
martial arts and Zen meditation. Additionally, he studied anatomy and
animal movements.

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. Clara
established the tradition of adapting the Pilates method to the individual
needs of clients.

Not much was spoken in the original studio (English was not Joe's first
language), so Joe and Clara used hands-on corrections to teach the method.
"They wouldn't talk, they would sculpt you".

Pilates has now become a worldwide phenomenon with over 12 million


people practicing.

iSLCollective.com
Sources:
https://www.pilatesfoundation.com/pilates/the-history-of-pilates/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilates
https://www.pilatescentral.co.uk/history-origins-pilates/

iSLCollective.com

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