Pilates is an innovative system of exercises that seeks to build strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination of the body. Pilates transforms the way your body feels and acts, building strength without having to build bulky muscle. In this way, and thanks to Pilates exercises, a slender body is achieved, muscles are toned, circulation is improved (which prevents the formation of varicose veins, for example) and helps the formation of a flat stomach.
Pilates is based on the fusion of different disciplines, such as yoga and Chinese martial arts to create movement techniques. Pilate’s classes teach awareness of the body and good posture through easy and graceful movements… Pilate’s exercises improve flexibility, agility and posture and can even help relieve back pain.
The origin of the Pilates method
- Pilate’s exercises evolved from the rehabilitation techniques of Joseph Pilates, a German nurse. Joseph Pilates had been a sickly child, which stimulated him to study the human body in depth. Thanks to this knowledge, during the First World War he designed rehabilitation methods and equipment for immobilized patients and soldiers. He believed that our physical and mental health were intertwined, and he designed an exercise program around principles that supported this philosophy, including concentration, precision, control, breathing, and fluid movement.
- Over time, Pilates and his wife discovered that the exercise techniques they had designed for rehabilitation could also help tone the body. In addition to the equipment, Pilates developed a series of exercises to be performed on mats that focused on core work. They began teaching private classes in New York, and classical dancers became the main followers of Pilates, due to the ability of these exercises to create long, lean muscles and a strong, streamlined physique.
- Soon enough, students of Joseph Pilates began opening their own studios, subtly adapting the method, and the term Pilates spread rapidly. However, Pilates’ big time took off in the 1990s… Women began to search for techniques that combined health and wellness, and ancient techniques such as yoga and Tai Chi became very popular in the West.
- The Pilates method grew thanks to this interest and Hollywood celebrities and great athletes publicized its good results. Soon the neighborhood gyms began to teach the Pilates method between their classes. Video infomercials explained how to practice the exercises at home, making the method available to everyone. The results achieved through the Pilates method suggest that the method is more than a passing fad workout. Joseph Pilates always understood that he was ahead of his time, and time has come to prove him right.