A cult workout? Developed in the world’s largest WWI Internment Camp by Joseph Pilates, a German boxer, who tried it out on fellow internees, it is perhaps not surprising his exercise plan was not only designed to benefit the body, but also mind, health, and develop a sense of well-being.
Pilates arrived in the UK in 1912, and during WWI British authorities interned him, along with other German citizens, in Lancaster Castle, northwest England, where he taught wrestling and self-defense. Claiming his students would become stronger than before their internment, while also improving his system of mat exercises.
Transferred to Knockaloe Camp on the Isle of Man, a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland, Pilates developed his concept of a comprehensive system of physical exercise, and called it "Contrology". It encouraged the use of the mind to control muscles, focusing attention on the core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and provide support for the spine, with awareness of breath and of alignment of the spine. With his exercise methods also helping in the rehabilitation of seriously injured veterans.
Born on the 9th December 1883 in Moenchengladbach, after the war Pilates returned to Germany, collaborated with experts in dance and physical exercises, and trained police officers, then emigrated to New York in 1926. He practiced into old age, wrote books about his technique, and was 83 when he died there in 1967.
His wife, Clara Pilates, thought the more gifted teacher, carried on teaching and running their New York studio until 1970, and the students who opened studios continued to develop the method. Ensuring that the Pilates' ideas live on.
Scientific research does support many health benefits for Pilates, suggesting it may help to improve muscle endurance and flexibility, reduce chronic pain and lessen anxiety and depression.
And with his work now taught in countries around the world, influencing millions of students, Joseph Pilates’ dream is being realized.
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