|
Home
About Pilates
About the Instructors
Programs
and
Class Descriptions
Schedule
and Fees
How to Register
Location
Contact |
"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 at age 86
A Brief
Explanation
Pilates is a sensible
exercise system using a floor mat and an elastic band, or Pilates
apparatus, that will help you look and feel your very best. No
matter what your age or condition, it will work for you.
Pilates improves core strength, flexibility, and agility. It
is a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch,
strengthen and balance your body. This systematic practice of
specific exercises, coupled with focused breathing patterns, has
proven itself invaluable as a way to keep fit!
The
Benefits of Pilates
-
increased lung capacity
and circulation
-
enhanced strength and
flexibility
-
improved posture,
balance, and core strength
-
improved bone density
and joint health
-
balance and control of
mind and body
More About Pilates and The Creator: Joseph Hubertus Pilates
Joseph H. Pilates was
born in 1880 in Germany, where he grew up suffering from rickets,
asthma and rheumatic fever. Pilates became obsessed with the
frailties of the body and was determined to overcome his own
afflictions. His studies also included Eastern forms of
exercise, and once this was merged with his Western physical
studies, what has become known as the Pilates Method was born.
Pilates named his method Contrology.
In 1912 Joe went to
England, where he became a boxer, circus performer, and self-defense
instructor. When World War I erupted he was incarcerated in
Lancaster and on the Isle of Man, with other German nationals, as an
enemy alien. Those in the camp who were disabled by wartime
diseases soon discovered the benefits of having Joe in their midst.
Joe would removed the bedsprings from beneath the beds and attach
them to the walls above, allowing the patients to exercise while
lying down. Not only could his patients remain stable, despite
whatever injuries they have had-they were also able to mobilize
themselves, strengthen their muscles and emerge fitter and healthier
than if these simple procedures had not been available to them. When
World War I ended, Joe Pilates returned to Germany, where he
continued to develop his work.
In 1926, when he felt
his ideals did not match those of the new German army, Joe decided
to emigrate to the United States. On his journey he met his
future wife, Clara, a nurse. Together, they opened a physical
fitness studio. Even today, although the original method has changed
as it has spread across the globe, the basic principles incorporated
in the method still hold true.
(excerpts taken from The Complete
Guide To Joseph H. Pilates' Techniques of Physical Conditioning By:
Allan Menezes)
|