The History of Pilates: A Vital Part of Mind-Body Fitness
Most people have heard of Pilates at some point or another. It is one of those alternative exercise methods that has found success in many areas of the world, gaining notoriety through its popularity with celebrities like Madonna, Jennifer Aniston, Elizabeth Hurley, and even Patrick Swayze. As a matter of fact, it may harder to compile a list of celebrities who do not participate in Pilates than to compile a list of those who do.
Pilates Was Once a Man
Pilates is now known as a popular method of toning and exercise utilized by people all over the world, but what many people don’t realize is that Pilates is named for the creator of this method, Joseph Pilates.
Joseph Pilates created this revolutionary exercise method in response to his own fitness needs. He was a sickly child and created the method of exercise as a way to build strength and flexibility in his own body. He utilized his knowledge of yoga, meditation, martial arts, and Zen, as well as the strength that he gained from his successes in various sports like diving, boxing, and gymnastics. He designed the Pilates movements as way to strengthen the body and mind by bringing them into harmony with one another.
Early Implementations of Pilates Movements
Pilates put a great deal of work into his personal wellness regimen. While working as an intern during World War I, he implemented the Pilates movements as a way of staying fit and healthy in adverse conditions. There was an influenza epidemic taking place at the time. When most of his group made it through unscathed by the disease, they noted their use of Pilates during this time as a likely reason for maintaining health.
During this same stint as an intern in the war, Pilates created a particular way of rigging the springs on the cots in the infirmary, allowing them to create a slight amount of resistance and allowing patients to exercise themselves without having to leave the bed. This was the very first implementation of equipment for these types of workouts, and the basis for the Pilates equipment we use today.
Pilates Emerges into the Real World
World War I soldiers and interns were the very first people to realize the benefits of the revolutionary exercise regimen Pilates created. After the war, Pilates moved to New York with his wife Clara and opened up his own studio, building up his own line of clients fairly quickly.
In 1945, he published the first Pilates book, Return to Life Through Contrology. This book described many of the movements and approaches he took to life and fitness, helping Pilates to gain an even larger following. Before long, the word had spread and many of his most loyal followers began to open studios of their own. Alternative healing and the fitness world were never the same.
In the early 1990s the baby boomer generation reached a certain age and began seeking methods of exercise that were more gentle on the body than some of the harsher, higher-impact exercise regimens previously used. As a result, Yoga, Tai Chi, and Pilates gained a larger following than ever before and the mind-body fitness movement was officially created.
Pilates Today
Today, just about anyone can take part in the Pilates revolution. It is popular with people of all ethnicities and economic backgrounds. Pilates products and practices appear in gyms, fitness classes and home fitness equipment. Those looking to find a low impact way to tone and shape the body may do well to give Pilates a try. The legacy of harmony between the mind and body created by Joseph Pilates lives in neighborhood gyms, fitness classes, and infomercials around the world each and every day.