Who was Joseph Pilates?
He
was born in Germany in 1880 and died in New York in 1967. He
developed a fitness regime and successfully used it to overcome his
disabilities as a frail and sickly child. The system includes
elements of boxing, gymnastic, strength training and yoga.
Pilates was born in
Dusseldorf in 1880 and despite being a rather sickly child who suffered
from rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever, he lived to the grand age of
87.
Determined to overcome
his fragility and develop a strong healthy body, Joseph Pilates studied
body building, diving, skiing and gymnastics. Drawing from this athletic
training, he devised a series of exercises that enabled him not only to
improve his health, but to develop a body that was strong and fit enough
to pose for anatomical charts.
In 1912 Pilates
moved to England and began training detectives at Scotland Yard.
However, when the war broke out, because of his nationality, he was
interned in Lancashire and then on the Isle of Man. Pilates spent the
duration of the war helping out in the camp infirmary and further
developing his techniques. He devised makeshift exercise aids by
attaching bedsprings in various positions so that patients recovering
from injuries could exercise safely. Modern versions of this equipment
can be found in Pilates studios today and are known as reformers.
In the late 1920's Joseph
Pilates emigrated to the United States where he opened an exercise
studio that became popular with dancers, actors, gymnasts and athletes.
By the 1960's his clients included famous names such as George
Balanchine, The New York City Ballet and Martha Graham's Modern Dance
Company.
Pilates technique in the
21st Century is still firmly rooted in Joseph Pilates' original
teachings. But the advances of exercise science have enabled teachers to
adapt the technique into a safe effective form of exercise, that can be
practiced by almost everyone.
His goal was to create and maintain a
structurally fit body without building bulk. The basic principles
of Pilates conditioning are to make people more aware of their bodies as
single integrated units, to improve
alignment and breathing, and to increase efficiency of movement.
It is a movement technique engaging your body and mind, promoting
physical harmony and balance for people of all ages and physical
conditions.
2042 N.W. Eastes
Bend, Oregon 97701
(541) 322-0664
