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Pilates

Also known as the Physical Mind method, Pilates is a series of exercises aimed at increasing balance, strength, flexibility, and an awareness of your body. Sets of movements are done on mats as well as with specifically designed machines in order to cause you to pull, stretch, and contract your muscles while maintaining focus on breath. Pilates focuses on strengthening the core of the body with the belief that a strong center enables better movement of the whole body. The result of Pilates can be both an increase in physical and mental well being, as well as a strengthening and lengthening of muscles without the creation of a bulky build. As a result, many dancers and actors use Pilates to maintain fitness. However, anyone is said to be able to do Pilates, including people who are in can't walk or stand. Since 2003, some simplified versions of Pilates have been created and used to help patients who are hospitalized and are in recovery.

The Origins of Pilates

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in 1880 in Düsseldorf, Germany. As a child, Pilates suffered from a range of ailments including rickets, rheumatic fever, and asthma. In order to overcome his health problems, he educated himself about exercise. Pilates incoporated aspects of Western bodybuilding, Greek and Roman exercises, meditation, and yoga in order to create his own unique practice. As a result of following his own routine, Pilates became a gymnast, skier, diver, and in 1912 moved to England where he was a boxer.

During World War I Pilates was held in England because of his German citizenry and as a result, worked in an English prison camp. Pilates became inspired at the camp where he created a system of straps to the hospital beds in order to help patients grow stronger and more mobile. Pilates also came across the importance of a strong center including the abdominal and back muscles, in order for the movement of the whole body to be correct. Within the hospital he attached springs to the beds to increase resistance, which later led to his creation of the Reformer, a machine now used during Pilates. The idea of the core being a crucial part of a human’s health was the foundation in which he created Pilates and the machines that are used during the practice.

After the war Pilates became a fitness trainer in Germany, however he declined the offer of the government to train the army using his new method of exercise. In 1926 he then crossed the Atlantic, meeting his wife Clara Pilates, and creating the first Pilates studio in New York City. Within his studio Pilates taught well-reknowned dancers and choreographers such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine, and kept teaching dancers from 1939 to 1951.

When he was 87 years old Pilates passed away after inhaling smoke when his studio caught on fire. Pilates was able, however, to hold on to the rafters for over an hour to separate him from the flames. Having had created over 500 exercises focused on flowing movement, centering, breath, and concentration, Pilates created a largely beneficial way of healthy exercise. The late 1990s witnessed a Pilate’s craze where there were over 500 Pilates studios in the United States. Currently Piates has permeated the globe, using both the classical and variations on that type to aid in its health benefits.

The first meeting within a Pilates a session starts off with the instructor watching your movement in order to create a training program that is geared to your specific needs. Sessions usually follow a pattern of mat work, stretching, machine work, and a soft stretch and cool-down at the end. Throughout the whole session, emphasis is based on proper breathing, alignment, and form. After mat work, passive stretching is done where the instructor moves and presses on your body while you stretch with a goal of lengthening your muscles. Active stretching is then done where you stretch and the instructor observes your breathing and form.

After the muscles are warmed up the next section of the session usually consists of machine work, a machine is used to help position your body properly while you exercise. Tow basic Pilates machines include the Cadillac and the Universal Reformer. Instructors help you on the machines usually for about 20 to 45 minutes as well as watch and give you feedback regarding your breathing, alignment, and movement. Many of the exercises done on the machine are slow and smooth, which requires a lot of control over you body as well as the ability to strongly concentrate.

At the end of the session there is a time period for more stretching and a cool-down. However, depending on the teacher, classes can vary, and you could be learning either classical Pilates movements described by Pilates himself, or variations of them created to fit your specific needs. Pilates classes can also either be private or in a group, while private sessions can range around $45.00 to $75.00. However, once you have the basics down, training videos can be used, though Pilates is not a replacement for physical therapy.

The focus on muscle flexibility, breathing, alignment, posture, and core strength is a major incentive for people who want to improve in any of these facets. Some people take Pilates classes to improve their circulation and balance, or to aid in realignment and definition of the body. Pilates is said to help with stiff necks, tension, stress, and fatigue while improving breathe control and precise movement. For these reasons, many dancers and actors have enrolled in Pilates classes since the exercise does not result in a bulky demeanor but a stronger, more centered self. Pregnant women can also take Pilates classes to focus on the health of their body even following pregnancy.