Did you know that Pilates is named after its creator, Joseph Pilates? That's right! We like to share the history behind the method because where it started has helped so many of our clients get started. We'll come back to this in a second.
First, we want to point out a few negative Pilates stereotypes that exist:
- Only elite dancers can do Pilates
- You have to already be "fit" to do Pilates
- Pilates isn't really a workout
How does Pilates' history debunk these stereotypes?
Joseph Pilates, or Joe, refined his method in a German Internment camp on the Isle of Man. Specifically, Joe taught his method to the sickest of the sick in the internment hospital. Much of the equipment today was adapted from equipment he pieced together there! In our research, there was no mention of Joe teaching elite dancers or already physically fit participants at the internment hospital, but let us know if you find otherwise. However, there is much mention to how his work positively benefited hospital patients and others at the camp, not only in their physical well-being, but also in their emotional well-being.
As we said before, this history helps people get started. Pilates meets you where you're at and was designed around rehabilitation and healing. You don't have to be an elite dancer. You don't have to already be "fit." You just have to be open to a new way of defining what a "workout" is. One of our teachers, Mollie, started her Pilates practice on the couch!
Read Mollie's story here:
I first started practicing Pilates from the couch. Chronic pain doesn’t discriminate and by the time I was 20 I was stuck in my couch cushions unable to participate in most normal activities. Similar to Destinie, I had a torn labrum in my left hip.
Joseph Pilates originally called his system of exercise, “Contrology.” He wrote:
“Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities.”
While learning about anatomy and healthy movement patterns is a vital step in our Pilates journey, so too is the power of rhythm within the Pilates system. The secret to merging these two concepts of precision and flow is fundamental to our ultimate goal of living a life with less pain.
To this day, when I get stuck in my personal practice or when I’m teaching and we’ve taken a slightly too indepth dive into the power of toe placement, if I return to flow, movement unsticks. Joe also said, “Change happens through movement and movement heals.”
Read Mollie's bio here! Feeling nervous about getting started? Let's talk! Contact us!
By: Destinie Slavich and Mollie Rose
