Pilates

Born 1880 in Düsseldorf Germany, Joseph H Pilates developed his work from a strong personal experience in fitness. Unhealthy as a child, Joseph Pilates studied many kinds of self-improvement systems. He drew from Eastern practices such as yoga and Zen Buddhism, and was inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of man perfected in development of body, mind and spirit. On his way to developing the Pilates Method, Joseph Pilates studied anatomy and developed himself as a body builder, a wrestler, gymnast, boxer, skier and diver.

After WWI, Joseph Pilates briefly returned to Germany where his reputation as a physical trainer/healer preceded him. In Germany, he worked briefly for the Hamburg Military Police in self-defense and physical training. In 1925, he was asked to train the German army. Instead, he packed his bags and took a boat to New York City. On the boat to America, Joseph met Clara, a nurse, who would become his wife. He went on to establish his studio in New York and Clara worked with him as he evolved the Pilates method of exercise, invented the Pilates exercise equipment, and of course, trained students.

Joseph Pilates taught in New York from 1926 to 1966. During that time, he trained a number of students who not only applied his work to their own lives but became teachers of the Pilates method themselves. This first generation of teachers who trained directly with Joseph Pilates is often referred to as the Pilates Elders. Some committed themselves to passing along Joseph Pilates work exactly as he taught it. This approach is referred to as "classical style" Pilates. Other students went on to integrate what they learned with their own research in anatomy and exercise sciences.

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. Many dancers and well-known persons of New York depended on Pilates method training for the strength and grace it developed in the practitioner, as well as for its rehabilitative effects. Until exercise science caught up with the Pilates exercise principles in the 1980s, and the surge of interest in Pilates that we have today got underway, it was chiefly dancers and elite athletes who kept Joseph Pilates' work alive. Joseph Pilates passed away in 1967 at age 87, he called his work, Contrology. He defined Contrology as "the comprehensive integration of body mind and spirit."

And what is ‘The Pilates Method'?

The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning is a system of physical exercise as developed and perfected by Joseph H. Pilates, which emphasizes the balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness in order to support efficient and graceful movement.

A regular Pilates practice reshapes your body by lengthening your body and strengthening your core muscles. You will stand with better posture, improve your circulation, realign your body, tone your muscles without bulking up and increase your strength and flexibility. Pilates is the ultimate mind/body exercise. It involves the disciplined use of custom apparatus, and 500 original exercises. Pilates is a mindful approach that demands centering, concentration, precise movement, and breath and control.

The Pilates Method is one of the most popular exercise systems in the country. It seems like everyone is either doing Pilates, or interested in starting a Pilates exercise program. Indeed, one of the best things about the Pilates method is that it works so well for a wide range of people. Athletes and dancers love it, as do seniors, women rebounding from pregnancy, and people who are at various stages of fitness levels.

The benefits of doing Pilates exercise that people report most are that they become stronger, longer, leaner, and more able to do anything with grace and ease.

At Cynthia Lochard's Pilates Method Studio, modification is the key to Pilates exercise success with a variety of populations. All exercises are developed with modifications that can make a workout safe and challenging for a person at any level. This is best done at first on a one on one basis.

As Joseph Pilates said, "Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness".