About Pilates:

The Pilates Method of body conditioning was originally designed to increase flexibility, strength, balance, control, and muscular symmetry for the entire body without building bulk. The focus is on strengthening the “powerhouse,” the abdomen, lower back, and buttocks, allowing the rest of the body to be properly supported and move freely.

There are more than 500 exercises in the Pilates Method, using five major and five minor pieces of equipment. This variety ensures that practitioners never will grow bored. The Method entails few repetitions with precise movements that require proper form and control to be effective. At the same time, Pilates offers a unique mental focus that enhances the awareness of muscle function and control.

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. As a child, Pilates suffered from asthma, rickets and, rheumatic fever. His determination to overcome these ailments led to the study and mastery of both Eastern and Western philosophies of exercise including yoga, Zen, karate, ancient Greek, and Roman regimens. Pilates held a lifelong interest in body conditioning and became an accomplished bodybuilder, diver, skier, gymnast, circus performer, and boxer.

As word of Pilates’ work spread throughout Germany , the Kaiser demanded Joseph Pilates train his elite group. However, Pilates was a pacifist, however, and declined the offer. He subsequently moved to England , where he became a circus performer.

Following the outbreak of World War I, Pilates, due to his German citizenship, was ordered to intern at a prison camp. It was in this environment Pilates became a nurse, laid the foundations for his exercise regime, and designed the apparatus used in the Pilates Method today.

As World War I ended, Pilates’ fame continued to grow. Intrigued, heavyweight boxing legend Max Schmelling asked Pilates to share his revolutionary method of body conditioning and his expertise in boxing. They soon became great friends. When Schmelling was given the opportunity to fight for the championship title in New York City, he wanted nothing more than to advance his career and emigrate to the United States , but would not do so without Pilates. Schmelling convinced his manager to finance a studio in New York City where Joseph Pilates could continue to advance his career as well. Pilates accepted the offer and opened his studio on 8th Avenue .

In Pilates’ new location he continued to inspire legends such as Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Alvin Ailey, Ted Shown, and Jerome Robbins. It was during this time that Pilates was introduced to Romana Kryzanowska, a young dancer, who would become Pilates’ protégé and devotee.

Since Pilates’ death in 1967, Romana, her daughter Sari Mejia Santos, and her granddaughter Daria Pace, keep the original method alive and completely intact. In the new millennium, the legend of Pilates continues to live through dancers, actors and actresses, and professional athletes including Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Anthony Hopkins, and Jason Kidd. Pilates is more than a fitness craze; it’s an exercise philosophy and lifestyle dating back to the beginning of the 20th century.