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Pilates Method: A
Brief History |
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Well-known throughout Canada, Europe and Pan-Asia, the Pilates Method (Pee-LAH-tees)
is simply a form of physical fitness system that was developed in the early
20th century by a person named Joseph Pilates. On the birth of this method,
Joseph Pilates named it The Art of Contrology, which refers to the way the
Pilates Method encourages the use of mind to control the muscles. It then
evolved into an exercise program that pays great attention on the core
postural muscles that are said to help keep the body balanced and provide
support for the spine.
The Pilates Method was born during the World War I when Joseph Pilates was
placed under forced internment along with other German nationals in
Lancaster, England. A trained nurse in his native Germany, he was then
investigating ways that he could rehabilitate the bed-ridden victims of the
1918 influenza epidemic. There he taught his fellow camp members the
concepts and exercises developed over 20 years of self-study as well as
apprenticeship in yoga, Zen and ancient Greek and Roman physical regimens.
He then created a series of movements that could be practiced within the
confines of this controlled environment. It was also at that time that
Joseph Pilates started devising the system of original exercises known these
days as “mat work” or exercises performed on the floor. He called this
regimen “contrology”.
Believing that mental health and physical health were essential to one
another, Pilates created the Pilates Method, which has long been claimed to
be a method of total body conditioning that emphasizes proper alignment,
centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing and flowing
movements. These concepts are actually the major principles maintained by
the Pilates Method up to these days.
However, instead of performing a series of repetitions of each exercise,
Joseph Pilates preferred fewer, but more precise movements requiring control
and form. Much to your surprise, he designed more than 500 specific
exercises to be included in his well-known Pilates Method. The most frequent
form of those exercises is the mat work, which actually involves a series of
calisthenic motions done without weight or apparatus on a padded mat.
After the development of mat work, Pilates designed five major pieces of
unique exercise equipment that he claimed should be used for best results.
It is interesting to note that although the two components of the Pilates
Method are often taught separately now, the Pilates method was always meant
to combine both mat work and equipment exercises. The exercises involved in
the Pilates Method generally teach awareness of neutral alignment of the
spine. They also strengthen the deep postural muscles that support this
alignment, which play a very vital role in alleviating and preventing back
pain.
There was one recent development in the Pilates Method – the gravity
Pilates. It is often said that with this new system, the body’s powerhouse
(abdomen, lower back, and buttocks) is supported and strengthened, enabling
the rest of the body to move freely.
Today, the Pilates Method is used in the rehabilitation process by many
physical therapists. The practitioners of this fitness fad use their own
bodies as “weights” in training in order to build strength and flexibility. |
| This article
is provided courtesy of Roxanne Courtmanch. Please visit
www.thehelpingcircle.com for more articles on Pilates
as well as many other topics that may be of interest to you. |
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