A Deep Dive Into Pilates Part One: History
“I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They’d be happier.”
~ Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965, age 86
One of our clients recently said, “I have done all forms of exercise and activity; yoga, sport specific strength training, skiing, running, and biking. Nothing makes me feel like Pilates does and nothing activates my core as deeply.” I happen to agree, which is why Pilates and physical therapy work so well together. I have been a physical therapist for 21 years and the Pilates system of exercise has been the perfect method to rehabilitate the body and bring it back into balance. Not just for rehab but as a lifelong adjunct to anyone’s wellness program.
It’s important to know that what makes Pilates so unique and different goes far beyond just strengthening, stretching, and flexibility. Pilates is a multi-dimensional approach that influences and heals the cognitive, physical, and spiritual/energetic body. Improvement in all of these areas is why clients find that Pilates not only makes them feel stronger and more flexible, but also allows them to alleviate chronic pain, improve energy levels, enhance concentration and focus, reduce stress, and renew their quality of living.
Over the next 8-10 months we will cover each of the foundations and underlying principles of the work in these monthly “A Moment to Share” emails. I invite you to take the time to reflect on each of these topics and think about how they are embedded in your daily life. As you do, you will start to understand why Pilates is an essential adjunct to everyone’s wellness regimen regardless of age or activity level. Think about how you felt at 20, 40, 60 years of age. Think about your goals; maybe you’d like to see 100? With life expectancy increasing we will all most likely see later years of living but that also means that our bodies will need to last longer. We can’t expect to feel good unless we put some “skin in the game”. We can’t keep ignoring that low level of pain or discomfort. We need to invest in our bodies, and learn how to properly care for them in order to ensure that we can enjoy those later years without pain, limitations, and loss of quality living.
For today, we will review the history of the work so that you can better understand the man behind it and the influences that led him to develop it. If you would like a more in-depth review of the history of Pilates I have included a few resources at the end of this email for you to explore and enjoy.
The method of exercise that we now call “Pilates” was first created over 100 years ago by a man who suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever as a child. Joseph Pilates was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany on December 9, 1883. Determined to improve his own health, he made the choice to become a lifelong learner, studying the human body and the movement system at a very early age. He studied human anatomy, the movements of animals, Eastern and Western forms of exercise including yoga, Zen, and ancient Greek and Roman regimens, holistic and naturopathic therapies, and meditation.
He integrated these concepts and ideas and began to work on his own physical well being. By the time he was 14 he had developed his body to the point that he was modeling for anatomy charts and his drive and determination to overcome his own physical limitations later led him to become a competent gymnast, diver and skier.
In 1914, during WWI, Pilates was taken into custody as an enemy alien and interned on the Isle of Man. Considered a “physical culturist” he led the camp’s daily exercise routines for more than 24,000 inmates housed there. In 1919, he returned to Germany where he continued to learn and develop his ideas. During his time in Germany he trained boxer Max Schmeling, who later became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1930. Pilates immigrated to America in April of 1926. At this time he further developed his equipment, met Anna “Clara” Zeuner (his partner in business and life), and opened his own studio space in NYC in 1929. At that time, NYC was a popular area for performing artists and it didn’t take long for Pilates to develop a reputation for training and rehabilitating this population. While certain populations were drawn to Pilates’ work, he himself saw a much bigger purpose for it. Pilates worked diligently to share his ideas about the body, health, and well-being with the broader population. He wanted to see his work embraced by the medical and educational systems and incorporated into everyone’s daily life.
Joseph Pilates’ experiences taught him that the modern life-style, bad posture, and inefficient breathing were the roots of poor health. He was frustrated with an inadequate medical system that did not support normal health. His answer to these problems was to create an advanced system of corrective exercises and unique apparatus that could be used by everyone both rehabilitatively and preventatively.
Joseph Pilates named his work, “contrology”, a system that “develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.” Joseph Pilates died in October 1967 at the age of 83 but his work has been carried on by his students. Generations have continued to pass on his teachings and many lives have been positively influenced with the discovery and application of his great work.
A major turning point for public awareness of Joseph Pilates’ work was the Pilates trademark lawsuit in 2000. It was decided that the word “Pilates” could no longer be trademarked. For almost two decades prior to this lawsuit the trademark limited the use of the word Pilates to only those who had gone through a specific training program. Following this lawsuit, independent practitioners, studios, and gyms could finally give the work the recognition it deserved and public awareness of mind-body disciplines and intelligent exercise flourished.
Joseph Pilates said, “My work is 50 years ahead of its time”. He was right. It is so relevant to where we are now and I believe that we are ready to embark on a mind/body/spirit approach to our well-being. Both intuitively and scientifically. One that not only heals our physical body but one that also improves our cognitive health and our energetic being. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into all of the Pilates principles over the coming months. I invite you to enhance your understanding of the work. In doing so, come to realize how amazingly complex but also beautiful the human body is and how important it is to give it the care that it deserves. Next month we will talk about breath and all of the amazing health benefits that can be achieved by breathing well.
Expect nothing less than feeling your best.
Sincerely,
Shellie