History of Pilates
JOSEPH PILATES
With its abundance of health and wellbeing benefits, it’s hardly surprising that pilates is the go-to exercise for millions of people worldwide. What might come as a surprise to many, though, is the remarkable story of how pilates was invented.
THE IMPACT OF WORLD WAR ONE:
Born in Germany in 1883, Joseph was a sickly child and worked hard as an adult to master his physical fitness. By 1912 he was living in England - and working as a circus performer and boxer - when he was placed in a forced internment camp at the outbreak of the first world war. Denied access to a gymnasium, and unable to work out in the way he was accustomed, he began to develop the floor exercises that later evolved into what we now know as pilates mat work.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE METHOD:
Joseph Pilates developed his work from a strong passion for health and fitness. Unhealthy as a child, he was fascinated by methods of self-improvement. Pilates takes inspiration from eastern practices and Zen Buddhism, and Joseph was inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of man perfected in development of body, mind and spirit. On his way to developing his method, Joseph studied anatomy and developed himself as a bodybuilder, a wrestler, a gymnast, a boxer, a skier and a diver.
BED SPRINGS AND BEER KEGS:
As the world outside the internment camp changed forever, Joseph Pilates kept busy supporting the rehabilitation of his fellow detainees, many of whom were suffering from diseases and injuries.
You’re probably familiar with the basic apparatus used in pilates but did you know that most of these items started out as bed springs, beer kegs and whatever else the ever-resourceful Joseph could get his hands on? It was invention born of necessity that inspired Joseph to use items that were readily available to him to create resistance exercise equipment for his patients. Much of the equipment we use today - including the reformer, the cadillac and the magic circle - were invented in this way.
A NEW START IN NEW YORK:
When the war ended, Joseph Pilates briefly returned to Germany where his reputation as a physical trainer and healer preceded him. Here, he took up a short contract with the military police, teaching self-defense and physical training. In 1925, he was asked to train the German army...
But Joseph had no intention of joining the military. Instead, he packed his case and took a boat to New York. On the voyage to America, he met Clara, a nurse, who would become his wife. Joseph went on to establish his studio in New York. He and Clara worked together to evolve the pilates method of exercise, invent new exercise equipment and - of course - to train students.
THE NEXT GENERATION
Joseph taught his method in New York for forty years. During that time, he trained a number of students who went on to become teachers of the pilates method themselves. This first generation of teachers (who trained directly with Joseph Pilates) are often referred to as ‘Pilates Elders’. Classical Pilates originated with these students, who passed on the pilates method exactly as they has been taught it. As time went on, many students also developed new versions of the method, integrating their own research into anatomy and exercise.
Joseph Pilates' New York studio put him in close proximity to a number of dance studios, which led to his discovery by the dance community. Pilates complements dance beautifully and many New York dancers depended on the pilates method to stay strong, graceful and recover from dance-induced injury. To this day, many professional dancers and elite athletes practise - and teach - pilates.
THE PILATES LEGACY
In the 1980s exercise science finally caught up with Joseph’s vision and pilates as we now know it became popularised as a mainstream exercise.
Joseph Pilates passed away in 1967 at the age of eighty-three. Through published writings (such as Your Health (1932) and 'Return to Life Through Contrology' (1945)) and the teachings of his students, Joseph Pilates’ method was passed on and remembered after his death. During his lifetime this method of exercise was called Contrology. It was only after his death that it became known as The Pilates Method. Clara Pilates continued to teach and run the studio for another decade until she also passed away in 1977.
Due to his passion for his method, Joseph had maintained an impressively fit physique throughout his life and many photos show that he was in remarkable physical condition in his older years. He is famously quoted as saying that “ A man is as young as his spinal column”.
It is said that Joseph was an intimidating, though deeply committed, instructor. According to those who knew him, he possessed a flamboyant personality; smoking cigars, partying often and insisting on wearing his exercise briefs wherever and whenever he wanted (even on the streets of New York)!
