One delightful day in Germany in 1883 a child named Joseph Pilates was born. His father was a successful gymnast and his mother was a naturopath. However this strong parental duo did not prevent Joseph from being a sickly child suffering from asthma, rheumatic fever and rickets.
From a very young age Joseph decided that he was not going to sit down and accept sickness, instead he was going to discover and adapt methods to increase health and prevent diseases.
From a very young age Joseph decided that he was not going to sit down and accept sickness, instead he was going to discover and adapt methods to increase health and prevent diseases.
In 1912, Joseph went to England where he worked as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. However when World War I began, Joe was interned as an "enemy alien" with other German nationals.
During his internment, Joseph developed his ideas and trained other internees in his system of exercise. 'He rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance, an innovation that led to his later equipment designs' (image below). In 1918 an influenza epidemic struck England, killing thousands of people, but not a single one of Joe's trainees died and this, he claimed, testified to the effectiveness of his system.
During his internment, Joseph developed his ideas and trained other internees in his system of exercise. 'He rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance, an innovation that led to his later equipment designs' (image below). In 1918 an influenza epidemic struck England, killing thousands of people, but not a single one of Joe's trainees died and this, he claimed, testified to the effectiveness of his system.
After WWI, Joseph Pilates briefly returned to Germany where his reputation as a physical trainer/healer preceded him. While in Germany, he worked briefly for the Hamburg Military Police in self-defense and physical training and in 1925 he was asked to train the German army. However Joseph had a much greater plan and instead, he packed his bags and took a boat to New York City. During the voyage 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 called his work, contrology. He defined Contrology as “the comprehensive integration of body mind and spirit.” This philosophy is brilliantly explained in his book, Return to Life Through Contrology. This book is an excellent read and is surprisingly short in text while the bulk of the book focuses on the individual movements that create the full Classical Mat routine.
Joseph Pilates called his work, contrology. He defined Contrology as “the comprehensive integration of body mind and spirit.” This philosophy is brilliantly explained in his book, Return to Life Through Contrology. This book is an excellent read and is surprisingly short in text while the bulk of the book focuses on the individual movements that create the full Classical Mat routine.