Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. As a child, he suffered from asthma and rheumatic fever. From a very young age he became obsessed with overcoming his physical limitations. By the age of 14 he was a diver, a gymnast and studied anatomy and oriental medicine.
In 1912 he went to England. He became a boxer and worked as a self-defence instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. At the outbreak of World War I, Joseph was interned as an “enemy alien” and during that period he refined his system of exercises and trained other internees. In 1918, an influenza epidemic struck England killing thousands of people. Not one of Joe’s trainees died. After his release, he returned to Germany and his method was adopted for the dance community. When German officials asked Joseph to teach his system to the army, he decided to leave Germany for good.
In 1926 Joseph moved to New York and together with his wife, Clara he opened his fitness studio. What today we call pilates, was called for Joseph “Contrology” and is based on 5 important principles:
Concentration – to follow such a specific technique needs intense focus
Centering – initiate the movement from your core or powerhouse
Control – allowing the muscles to hold in a lengthened state
Breathing – increase the circulation of the blood as a way to eliminate fatigue
Precision – every movement and instruction has a purpose
Flow – appropriate transitions between exercises keeping the movement continuous
The goal is for these principles to become natural and unconscious, sustained during our daily activities.
