« In ten classes, you will feel the difference.
In twenty classes, you will see the difference”
In thirty classes your whole body will be different. » Joseph H. Pilates
Pilates -Training plaisir:
Pleasurable training to regain muscular tone and strength, to improve posture through stimulating, pleasant and efficient training.
I have been practicing Pilates for 12 years. I am a Stott Pilates School graduate trainer and have been teaching the method since 2010. I also hold certifications for pre and post-natal Pilates as well as Pilates for specific needs or injuries since 2011.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a training method which combines movement, strength, flexibility, breathing and concentration. It is an excellent way to restore vitality, fluid movements. The training is precise, revitalizing, calming and efficient. Classes follow participants’ integration rythm. Effort is encouraged to stimulate pleasure, the enjoyment of movement and the satisfaction of always reaching a better physical and global condition, but never to reach a point of pain.
Through various exercises, this method aims at balancing muscle structure, while activating weaker muscles and releasing those which are too tense. It promotes an awareness of one’s body and the functionning of one’s muscles. Participants learn to use their muscles in an isolated manner.
Breathing plays a fundamental role in Pilates, in the execution of all movements in the same way as posture and body alignment. Exercises are mainly centered around the abdomen, buttock muscles and the pelvis.
The method includes over 500 exercises which can be done lying down. Eventually small instruments especially designed for the practice of Pilates such as the Ball, the Pilates Ring, and the Roll are introduced. It is also practiced on Cadillac, Reformer, Wunda Chair, Barril machines specific to Pilates.
In both of his books Joseph Pilates explains how breathing, proper posture and the emphasis on harmonious postural muscle development as well as doing the movements unhurriedly and with perfect precision constitute the specifics of his method.
* Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising that Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education, 1934
* Return to Life Through Contrology, 1945.
The Origins of Pilates
Joseph Humbertus Pilates who invented the Pilates Method was born on December 9, 1883 in Mönchengladbach near Düsseldorf in Germany. His father (Friedrich) was a top athlete and his mother (Hahn) was a naturopath, forerunner in the field of natural « alternative » healing. Joseph died in New York in 1967 at the age of 84 years old.
Joseph Pilates was a sickly child. He suffered from asthma, rickets, and articular rheumatism. In order to regain his health, he started to learn anatomy and observed wild animals. One day, as he was discussing physical training, he said : « If you want a horse to race, you train him so he will be as fit as possible. Why wouldn’t humans do their best to be fit? »
He soon realised that mental and physical health are related, so he studied yoga and martial arts, both of which were very exotic disciplines back then. He integrated these practices to occidental physical activities such as gymnastics and boxing, incorporting ancient greek and roman physical exercises. He was alternately a diver, a gymnast, a professional boxer, an acrobat and he also taught self-defense.
During World War I, Joseph Pilates became prisoner. It was in his tiny, narrow prison cell that he began to develop floor exercises, a form of gym demanding very little means. He also developped the concept of his « machines » to facilitate the rehabilitation of untrained as well as injured people, using bunk beds, and box springs. The effectiveness of his « holistic » approach regarding health became obvious during the Spanish flu world pandemic in 1918, whereas all those who followed the Pilates method survived.
« Physical health is the first condition to happiness. Our interpretation of « physical health » is the development and maintenance of a harmoniously shaped body, and healthy mind, enabling us to carry through many, various daily activities naturally with ease, pleasure and spontaneous zest, in a satisfactory manner. » Joseph Pilates, Return to live Through Contology, 1945
In 1926, he founded the Pilates School, where he taught with his wife along with many dancers, namely Martha Graham and Georges Balanchine. Pilates has expanded rapidly worldwide since the 80’s.
The benefits of Pilates
Pilates improves strength, flexibility, coordination and posture. It can be practiced as a complete sport, as a complementary activity to another sport, and even aim at rehabilitation. Pilates can efficiently correct postural problems. As it tones abdominal muscles, it can relieve back pain, namely, lower back pain and cervical tension. It also helps release muscular tension and consequently reduces stress.
Who can benefit from Pilates?
Everyone can benefit from the practice of Pilates, including sedentary persons who wish to regain fitness. Pilates is also a great way to get fit after childbirth. There is no contraindication regarding age or back pain. Joseph Pilates himself continued practicing his exercises well into his 80’s.