Joseph Hubertus Pilates 1880-1967
Born
in Dusseldorf, Germany, to parents of Greek and German ancestry, he came
to believe that our modern life-style, bad posture, and inefficient
breathing were the roots of poor health. His father was a prize-winning
gymnast of Greek origin and his mother a naturopath of German
origin. Joseph suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever as a
youth. To overcome the effects of poor health, as well as the taunting
of other kids, he studied body building, diving, skiing, boxing, and
gymnastics.
Pilates moved to England in 1912 and worked as a boxer, circus performer, and a self defense trainer of English detectives. When he was interned at a camp in Lancaster with other Germans as 'enemy aliens' during World War I, Pilates spent this time to further develop his exercise techniques.
In 1926, he emigrated to New York and established a studio with his wife Clara teaching his exercises to dancers, including Martha Graham and George Balanchine, as well as actors and athletes. He also invented several pieces of exercise apparatus by attaching springs to hospital beds for immobilized patients.
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Pilates exercises are done with concentration and precision, emphasizing core stability and spinal flexibility. The exercises are done on specifically designed equipment or on the floor (matwork). Pilates simultaneously lengthens and strengthens your musculature, working the entire body as an integrated whole, resulting in the most balanced body imaginable. It is unlike any other exercise!
Liz C. performing a scapula stabilization exercise on the Cadillac. |
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Shari S., mother of two, did Pilates through her 9th month. Pilates and Pregnancy Pilates is a wonderful
way to strengthen the muscles that support your lower back during pregnancy and help you regain your abdominal tone after delivery.
During pregnancy, as the baby grows, it stretches and pulls the body out of correct alignment. When the
lumbar lordosis ( arch in the lower back) is increased during pregnancy due to the abdominal wall
expanding and the weight of the fetus pulling forward, it can cause back pain. The psoas
(deep hip flexor muscles) and quadratus
lumborum (lateral trunk flexor) become tight and the ligaments become
loose
(due to a hormone released in the body called relaxin), this
causes instability in the joints. With Pilates we can
safely stretch the muscles that are tight, strengthen the ones
that are weak and unstable and help place the body back into its correct
alignment. Pilates can improve your posture, help train your muscles to return to their pre pregnancy shape faster and make you more
comfortable during pregnancy. |
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Peaceful, Private, Setting
Trainer Karen Christiansen and client Kelly W.
"Experimentation becomes Gesture, Gesture becomes Habit, Habit becomes Posture and Posture becomes Structure"--Vladimir Janda