The Work of Joseph and Clara Pilates
Joseph H. Pilates developed this exercise regimen as part of his concept of physical fitness, hygiene, and overall health. He suffered as a sickly child and with determination and innovation, he used exercise, which he referred to as Contrology, as a means to optimum health.
Joseph Pilates was inspired by the slow, controlled movements of animals in the wild. His exercises promote flexibility, support, and complete body tone. German-born Pilates was placed in an internment camp in England during WWI and began practicing his “matwork” to maintain health for himself and his fellow prisoners. He was then moved to a military hospital where he invented one of the first forms of physical therapy. By attaching springs and straps to hospital beds, he enabled wounded soldiers to keep their muscles strong and lithe. He followed up his work in Germany, helping many arthritic patients before he and his wife, Clara -a nurse, moved to New York and founded a studio in the 1920s.
The Legacy
Mr. Pilates never lived to see the tremendous success of his lifelong work. Joseph and Clara worked tirelessly in their small New York studio until his death in 1967. It wasn’t until decades later that his system, nurtured through the years by a small number of his students, blossomed into the well-known, respected form of exercise that he dreamed it would be. Pilates Chicago is proud to carry on the legacy of this remarkable couple. For more information about the Pilates Method Alliance (not-for-profit) organization visit www.pilatesmethodalliance.org.