March Mat-ness: What Joseph Pilates Did For The Fitness World
Pilates is a very popular fitness method practiced around the world. There are many Pilates instructors out there, including myself! What I like about Pilates is its emphasis on strengthening the core muscles, careful breathing, and flexibility.
You may be familiar with the Pilates method, but how much do you know about the person who invented it? His story is fascinating, and once you learn about him, you'll understand why he had such a major impact on the fitness world.
Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. He suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever as a child. He was weak, and other children often bullied him. He was determined to make himself healthy and strong. He was inspired by his parents -- his father was a gymnast, and his mother had a passion for natural healing practices. He exercised outside, getting enough Vitamin D from the sun to cure his rickets. He used breathing techniques to improve his asthma. He exercised consistently in his childhood, and transformed from being a weak and sickly child to a fit and healthy teenager.
But he didn't stop there. He didn’t just want to transform himself -- he wanted to transform others, too. As he grew into adulthood and moved to England, he got involved with gymnastics, bodybuilding, circus performing, boxing, and self-defense training for police officers. He had completely left behind his former physically weak self, and he was now a powerful, healthy, happy man who enjoyed spreading his knowledge of fitness to others.
Then World War I happened, throwing everything in his life off course.
Many Germans in England were put into internment camps, including Joseph Pilates. Amazingly, he didn't let that stop him from helping others with their fitness. He trained the people who were imprisoned alongside him. He developed mat exercises that were inspired by yoga, and other daily exercises to improve his cellmates' physical stamina. He also developed exercises that could be done by people who were bedridden due to injuries. Even from prison, Pilates had an incredible influence on those around him, helping them stay healthy in the midst of filthy prison conditions. He came up with the name "Contrology" for his exercises because these exercises focused on carefully controlling the muscles and breathing.
After the war, Pilates went back to his home country of Germany and trained police officers again. However, after a while, he decided to leave Germany because of the rising power of the Nazis. It was around 1925 when he moved to the United States. While he was on the ship traveling to the US, he met a woman named Clara who would become his wife.
Joseph and Clara settled in New York City, where they created a fitness studio to teach Contrology techniques. The studio was not far from Broadway, so there were many dancers and performers nearby. Word spread around about the effectiveness of Pilates' Contrology exercises, and performers (such as dance legends George Balanchine and Martha Graham) flocked to Pilates' studio to learn from him. More and more people came to his studio, and it was so popular that he continued teaching lessons there for the rest of his life. He passed away in 1967 at the age of 83.
Pilate's impact on fitness was enormous. The Contrology exercise techniques he created were named "Pilates" in his honor, and Pilates is still widely practiced today. The reason people love practicing Pilates so much is that it has a ton of benefits. It emphasizes strengthening core muscles in the back and torso in order to improve posture and align the spine. It also focuses on stretching exercises to enhance flexibility, and breathing techniques to increase bloodflow and relaxation. Joseph Pilates invented several apparatuses for his exercises, such as the Reformer and the Wunda Chair. He also wrote the fitness books Your Health and Return to Life Through Contrology.
Joseph Pilates is a huge inspiration for me because despite all the difficult circumstances he faced, he never gave up trying to improve the health of himself and others. His relentless passion for helping others created an impact that lasted well beyond the years of his life. I hope his story inspires you as much as it inspires me!
