What is Pilates ?

Popular with Hollywood stars and dancers because it doesn’t lead to bulkiness, Pilates was created around the time of World War I by Joseph Pilates, a German boxer who opened a conditioning center with wife Clara in New York.  Pilates had his own ideas about exercise, culling the best from yoga and strength training into his series of movements.  In the ‘30s the dance world glided toward Pilates exercises and Joseph began training students to carry on his teachings until his death in 1967.

One of the beauties of Pilates is that you don’t repeat the same thing constantly.  You don’t go for the burn, for example.  You may use your back or abdomen often but you put other things in between so you develop a long, lean muscle which dancers favor.  Pilates helps you by emphasizing the ‘powerhouse’ – the abdominals.  It teaches you to work from the center.  Alignment and posture are basic to having a healthy body.

It’s the most comprehensive approach to human movement and strengthening.  It brings about balance.  So many bodies are running around the world unbalanced.  Pilates will teach you to move properly, something missing in so many programs.  You will feel relaxed yet invigorated rather than exhausted and burnt out.

Pilates is also being recommended as a form of rehabilitation for sports-related and other injuries since the non-stressful moves are done in a reclining position on the floor, taking advantage of gravity rather than fighting it.