What is Pilates? You might have heard about it, read about it or even seen it, but if you are not doing it yourself, it is actually hard to describe what Pilates is. You would always be told that a Pilates exercise would aim to develop balance and harmony between the mind and the body while creating a strong core, but you could never be so sure why and how it does these things. So, for those who seriously want to know about what Pilates really is, here are some things that could help you out.
Who is Pilates? At the mention of this name, most people would actually associate him with ancient Greek philosophers rather than the developer of routine exercises that could shape both your mind and body. But however you are inclined to think that he was an ancient philosopher, Joseph Pilates is actually more of the latter. Pilates was born in 1883 in Germany, where he grew up and spent his childhood days with asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. His determined spirit has made him quite curious about the development of a system that would aim to give him better health, strength and stamina.
Luckily for Joseph Pilates, Germany at that time was one of the leading countries when it comes to psychology, dance and health. Growing up, he became interested in many things such as boxing, fencing, Zen meditation, yoga, gymnastics and wrestling. When the First World War broke out, he was detained in a Lancaster internment camp. There, the first Pilates sessions came to place as he trained with his fellow detainees. In 1918, influenza became much prevalent. While other detainees got poor in health, those that trained with him never got a single sick day. This got even higher-ranking people asking “What is Pilates?”
After this, he was sent to a hospital to help patients recover from different health conditions and injuries. Medicine at the time was far from medicine of today, and most people usually end up not quite right after morphine and would require full bed rest. He was sent there to help 30 patients to recover their health. It became somewhat tiring to the young Pilates, and thus he continued on to make equipment on the beds of the patients-the reformer. Thus, the first Pilates exercise equipment was born. After he was released from the camps, he set on to America and met his future wife, Clara,this is where his first studios began. He died in 1967 from complications as he was in his studio when it went down to fire, but his works continued on taught by his wife and many other people who have worked closely with him. He has taught and certified two students out of many, but the certified instructors have increased in number over the years. What is Pilates without these people who have strived to continue the legacy?
What is Pilates? Joseph Pilates is a philosopher who firmly believed that the mind and body have some connections and that the organization of thoughts and spiritual beliefs along with the development of the body is the only way for people to have a conditioned body. This is the reason behind the Pilates exercises. Pilates could increase stamina, endurance, strength and flexibility, which is also the main reason why Joseph Pilates made the modern Pilates exercise programs that became popular in the late 1980s.
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