If someone asks you why you do Pilates, what do you say? If they ask you what it is, how do you answer? Let’s be fair - how many of us actually know much about it? We know it is good for us but do we actually know what it really is? I mean obviously I do but you get my point! 

When I used to teach the Level 3 Pilates qualification, one of my very first questions was “what is Pilates?” To be met frequently with total silence… how do you put into words what it is all about and I ask you now, before you carry on reading - What is Pilates? Do you truly KNOW what is is and why you do it? Do you actually know about the namesake at all?

 There are a lot of variations and opinions on Pilates and there are a lot of Pilates classes that are not Pilates!

 There is a saying that “80% of people doing Pilates are not doing Pilates”. There are plenty of options to work slowly and sequence moves but that does not mean it is Pilates. IMHO, in order to fully immerse, you need to know about the creator, it’s history and the thinking behind it to fully understand why Pilates is the unique form of exercise that it is. By the way - yes, it absolutely can be an intensive, high powered work out - just check out the moves here before you think it is all slow and stretchy - CLICK HERE

There are lots of classes that adapt Pilates moves and I myself very much enjoy some "fusion" or "power" work and why not - if it is safe, effective and appropriate it can be a fun way to adapt but let's talk pure Pilates here.

So who was he?

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in 1883 near Dusseldorf, Germany. Now here already I wade into controversy as the famous story is that he was a sickly child, suffering from rickets, asthma and “ rheumatoid fever”. However I was fortunate enough to attend a talk with German author and historian Eva Rincke who wrote his biography in 2015 after exhaustive research (and interestingly when speaking to his remaining family, they declined to be involved). 

So the alternative thinking is that Joseph’s mother was a naturopath and it suited her very well to display his “healing” as a result of her remedies that saw her sales grow considerably and that perhaps his ailments were not all totally genuine. Something we will never know. 

What is not in question is that he was bullied at school and his damaged eye was a result of being hit by a stone from a catapult. What is also known is that he used to spend hours hiding in the woods and so on, observing wild animals and became fascinated with their movement and from here, ideas grew as he recognised that they did not present mobility restrictions that humans did. Here too was the basis for some of his moves - think of all the animal names such as Crab, Seal, Swan Dive, Grasshopper, Dolphin and more. 

Joe started training to build strength and confidence and took up boxing, bodybuilding and gymnastics. As a mere teenager, he was so well developed that he was used as a live model for anatomy education. Can you imagine the work and dedication back in a time when this was not recognised at all as it is today?

He studied Eastern and Western exercise methods and was very much invested in Greek and Roman philosophy. There is a definite divide in opinion on the influence of Yoga in his work but while some moves definitely appear similar, Contrology (to give it the original name) was always based in functional rather than spiritual foundation.

In 1912, JP travelled to England (and a lesser known belief is that he abandoned a wife and children on the docks)

When WW1 broke out, along with other German nationals, Joe was interned in a POW camp on the Isle of Man. It was here that he started really developing his work, rehabilitating  injured soldiers. Can you believe the famous Reformer and some other studio equipment ideas were created here - JP created apparatus from metal hospital beds and used springs for resistance and the success in rehabilitation work widely reported. (Further down the line it was also noted that no-one who was practising his breathing and exercise methods succumbed to the Spanish Flu epidemic)

After the war, Joe returned to Germany but on being invited to train the New German Army, decided that raised certain implications and moved on again. Possibly, he was invited by World boxing Champion Max Schmelling but either way, he found himself sailing to New York and on board, met Clara who would become his wife (again, a famous belief although Eva states that they never married). 

In 1926, Pilates and Clara set up a studio on Eight Avenue, NYC. The clientele was very mixed with dancers, gymnasts and circus performers. It was the dancers particularly who were drawn to him and his deep understanding of how the human body moved and he famously went on to work with the New York Ballet. 

Joe was approached many times to expand and open more branches of his gym but he flat out refused as he was fiercely protective of his work and wanted total control so while he undoubtedly restricted his income, did it display some control issues or was he just very possessive of his work? 

The studio was full of all the equipment you would find in any Pilates studio today and he had a rule that you needed to attend a minimum of 3 times a week and failing that, you would not be welcome. There was no routine - you went in and just started working on a piece of equipment you fancied and he or Clara would wander by to observe. 

Elders is the name given to “first generation teachers” - anyone who trained directly with Pilates and Clara and I attended a convention with Jay Grimes who is a retired  dancer and Elder, training with Joe in the 60’s until his death and then for a following 10 years with Clara and he gave us a fascinating insight into the studio regime. (It was he that told us that he was Joe and not Jospeh). He told us that Clara was called “The Ghost” as she would silently appear as if from nowhere and with minimal direction, would just prod you here or there and say “this - this” as suggestion of what to work on.

All pictures of Clara show her wearing her nurse’s uniform. The fact is that she was not a nurse and had no nursing training but believed it offered her a more authoritative look.

I follow a hilarious Indian comedian/Yoga teacher who does this skit on why people are "rushing, rushing, rushing, rushing, rushing" to get to Yoga and therefor, this is not Yoga.

Pilates has the same theory. It is SO much more than just turning up once a week to attend a class. It is learning about your body, how you move, how to balance and build strength all these lessons into your everyday life. It is a lifestyle and an appreciation of how to appreciate and protect your body - read some of the quotes to help you better understand this. I say over and over that I want you to learn more about yourself and how you move and to use this in your other activities and sports so that you can always be the best possible version of yourself and look towards a long and healthy senior life!

Remember - Look after your body. It's the only place you have to live in.