Who was Joseph Pilates?

Died 9th October 1967 - New York, USA

"Return to Life"  (1945) is the only book that Joseph Pilates shows his original sequence of mat exercises in full photographic detail.  It's never far from hand at the studio and is a must read for any Pilates fan.  

More people are now connecting with his ideas about fitness and scientists are now finding more and more evidence to support most of them...working with resistance, getting outdoors, fresh air, sunshine, being close to nature, breathing fully and eating the right kind of food in the right amount.   He was keen to reinforce that results will only come with regular practice, commitment and patience, often quoting "Rome was not built in a day"

There are a few different stories about his life depending on what you read and who you ask.  I'm lucky to have had stories passed directly to me from his studio in 1960s New York via Lolita San Miguel, some very interesting!  There is little evidence to back anything up but it all makes for great  listening and reading!

Beginning his life in Germany, he was fascinated with gymnastics, fitness and was a boxer.  He worked in a brewery and moved around Europe, including a spell in the Isle of Man, before settling in New York.  

There is little evidence of what his life was like and the details vary.  What evidence is around on paper only highlights a smattering of interesting facts about his life.

I would recommend two great books if you like stories of real people:

Caged Lion by John Howard Steel

and

Joseph Pilates: A Biography by Eve Rincke

He was known for not discussing his personal life in fact he didn't speak much at all.  Giving his instructions very simply: push, pull, lift, roll, down, up, twist etc.  He used his hands perhaps as much as many Pilates teachers now use words.

One story is that when WWI broke out, Pilates was travelling in the UK with a circus in Blackpool and was sent to an internment camp in Lancaster.  Later, due to overcrowding, along with thousands of others, he was transferred to the Isle of Man, the largest internment camp during the war.  It was here where it's often quoted that he began trying out his ideas that would later become his 'Contrology' method.  I lived on the Island for many years and would recommend a visit just for the sheer beauty of the place  

http://www.knockaloe.im/

You can find photos of Joseph Pilates at the visitor centre but very little is recorded of his time on the Island.

After the First World War ended, Joseph Pilates moved to New York and set up his first "gym" at 939, 8th Avenue.  

He had by then met his wife Clara who taught alongside him at the studio.  Here he began teaching his method and gaining new students, Eve Gentry, Romana Kryzanoswka and Carola Trier who later became well known for passing on his method.  Kathleen Stanford Grant and Lolita San Miguel both worked with him at the studio and became the only two certified apprentices to teach his method in the 1960s. 

Famous clients wanted to learn from him including Katherine Hepburn, Laurence Olivier, Martha Graham and George Balanchine to name a few.

He was a brilliant inventor, inventing his own apparatus that could be used to rehabilitate and strengthen the body in the guise of everyday furniture. 

He invented the first "Universal Reformer", some early footage here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5iLg66qVqY

Joseph Pilates had a number of significant students, a handful are now referred to as "First Generation Pilates Teachers" or "Elders".  A term coined after the death of Joseph Pilates.

I am now honoured to be a small link in the ongoing chain of the legacy of Joseph Pilates.  

In 2021 I passed my final exams under the watchful eyes of Lolita San Miguel herself, after 3 years of training with her and her Legacy Programme team - It was tough!

Joseph Pilates first little book is called "Your Health" and shows images and diagrams of the beginnings of his inventions and ideas before anyone had heard of Contrology.  He writes sternly about the detrimental health effects of modern living....

... in the 1930s!   

It amazes me that words published almost a hundred years ago still so relevant today.  It's no wonder people said he was ahead of his time.  This book could be about life in the 21st century as it seems we still haven't really paid attention to what our bodies really need, and that is to move.

Joseph Pilates started it all with his original sequence of 34 mat exercises... he named "Contrology" 

Like the evolution of anything, over time, changes have been added or taken away by many new teachers, especially with growing knowledge and technology.  

Joe and Clara are not around to agree or disagree with the continued changes, but with their passion for helping people live healthier lives I believe they would have continued to move with the times themselves.

Since Joe's death in 1967,  new teachers have taken his work and adapted it, or not... the main branches of Pilates are... 

Classical Pilates

(set repertoire of exercises most closely matching his original mat exercises)

Contemporary Pilates

(new schools that have put together their own programme of mat and apparatus work based closely on the classic method but with a much greater emphasis on specific techniques)

Fitness Pilates 

(depending upon your teacher, this can be based on classical or contemporary schools or more like a general exercise class at a gym, possibly the most variable style to define).

Many Pilates classes, unless specified, are often a mixture of everything and the quality and input will depending upon the training and skills of the teacher.   

What do you choose?  

It all depends on what you want to achieve. Try different classes out and ask questions.  Choose the classes you enjoy and you'll see and feel the most benefits.