Pilates

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Early in his life Joseph Pilates formed a theory that most people had poor posture, and pulmonary conditions were the cause of the disease all around him. He was the son of an acclaimed gymnast.

As a child Joseph suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fevers. This is when he first began to develop his series that is nothing less than a complete breakthrough in both exercise and in dance. He continued to develop his exercise techniques for years. In 1926 he began teaching dancers. Among his students were some of the most influential dancers of our time, including Martha Graham and George Balanchine.

However, his technique was not restricted to the development and strengthening of the muscles of a dancer, there were also many athletes, as well as people in need of physical therapy.

The exercises created by Joseph Pilates are designed especially to strengthen and elongate the muscles. That is why many dancers are so fond of his methods—they can gain muscle strength and muscle memory without building a bulging, muscle-bound superhero look.

Martha Graham one of the most famous and amazingly talented dancers in the history of 21st century dance was very much enthralled by Joseph’s genius techniques—she incorporated variations of many of his work into her own. Piltaes had a method based on very strict, constructed with both philosophical as well as theoretical foundations. Pilates is almost an art of thought as well, using someone’s body and mind.

It is not only dancers / athletes like Graham who borrow from other styles of exercising. As a matter of fact, from Yoga exercises to Chinese acrobatics, Pilites considered the benefits of certain principles. The basic ideas you learn from Pilates (in much more detail) are as follows:

1) Breathing:

Breathing is the pulse of Pilates, a large part of the skills developed in the various Pilates methods is to learn to take long, controlled breaths—improving your lung capacity.

2) Remain Centered:

The stomach is your “power center.” Therefore, being centered you are pulling the balance from your mid-section out. This will help to keep your balance in some of the most challenging positions.

2) Concentration:

The slow breathing will help with this, but in Pilates you must remain extremely focused.

3) Control:

The key to control is balance—and by following the other basic techniques your control will become more and more improved. In fact, many older people are recommended to do these kinds of exercises to help maintain balance and avoid bone injury.

4) Mind over matter.

Thinking. Basic concentration is the key to many of the positions and movements you learn in Pilates.

4) Precision:

The specific positions and movements designed by Joseph Pilates are the most important aspect to master for every movement. Remember, the Pilates technique is very effective—but not if you are not doing it right. Your bodylines and muscle contractions are essential to the effectiveness of the overall experience.

Pilates is a great way to work out. And Pilates classes seem to be available everywhere—in addition, there are dvd’s and other instructional materials to help you learn Pilates from home. However, we recommend that you take classes or work with an instructor at least for a few sessions—to be sure that you are holding yourself correctly when you perform the exercises.

-Emily Muntz

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