What is Pilates…
As Pilates teachers, we get asked many times throughout our careers what Pilates is, what it does, what it's good for, and how it's different than yoga or other forms of exercise. It is important to be able to speak about Pilates to our clients and potential clients to answer these questions. Just like any subject, in order to be able to teach, we need to know the foundation and basic principles of the method.
When Joe Pilates coined Pilates, or as it was originally termed Contrology, his long-term goal was for this system of exercise and movement to be used globally and consistently as preventative medicine, as healthcare, as wellness. He was definitely ahead of his time. While he was alive various studios began teaching his work mainly in New York and a bit on the West Coast of The States as well. While I’m not here to deliver a full manifesto on the history of Pilates, there are fabulous books for that, it is amazing to look back at where Pilates started and how it has become established today.
Currently, in major metropolises, you can find as many Pilates studios as coffee shops. There are even studios in smaller cities, and many Physical Therapy clinics now have reformers and use elements of the Pilates method as rehabilitation for patients. It is even more common now for physicians and orthopedic surgeons to refer patients to trained Pilates Teachers in order to see if patients can strengthen and mobilize to increase vitality through the body before a procedure. All types of clientele come through our Pilates studios now whether it's for rehabilitation after an injury or illness, general fitness, or athletic cross-training for a specific sport. What I constantly find amazing about Pilates is how we can utilize the method for all types of people, all ages, abilities, and fitness levels. I've taught 13-year old ballerinas on the professional track, 89-year old ladies with severe S-curve scoliosis, 50-year old sporty golfers, 30-year old prenatal women, and 60-year old couples who want to stay active. We work alongside our clients' physicians, physical therapists, and fitness trainers to deliver our clients the best sessions they can have in order to reach their specific goals and needs.
When most people think of Pilates they first think of core strength. But beyond that, we're trying to create bodies that are strong yet supple, mobile yet stable, to allow the body to move through not just our workout in the gym and studio, but through daily life with suppleness, ease, grace, and efficiency. We aim for centering and balance, with controlled fluidity throughout all activities of daily living. The six main pillars of Pilates that are taught in teacher training emulate this goal: breath, concentration, control, centering, precision and flow. By practicing functional movement patterns in the studio, the idea is that it will with practice translate into our daily lives.
One of the main differences of Pilates exercise over other types of workouts is the focus on quality over quantity. Pilates is not a high-repetition or high-load exercise. We focus on spring resistance and body resistance with the occasional extra props utilized to assist in emphasizing a movement, deepening an exercise, or helping a client find a position. But even with a lower rep and load than other workouts, the focus on precision and breathwork is meant to allow each movement to have the most optimal function and impact.
While there are some differing details in the origin stories of Pilates, the agreed-upon history is that Joe Pilates came to the States in the mid-1920s where he continued to develop his method of Contrology that he had initiated while living in Europe. By the 1960s the method became popular with New York dancers and then boomed in Hollywood in the 1970s with actors. After an initial decline in popularity, Pilates exploded in the early 2000s and has steadily increased in support and attention since then. Now the method is widely used in boutique fitness studios, gyms, wellness and travel resorts, universities, dance, and athletic programs, and through countless online resources. Recent research has also supported the ideas within Pilates as beneficial for functional exercise and rehabilitation methodology.
Joe Pilates was definitely ahead of his time, and Pilates has achieved its goal of becoming a widely accessible and utilized modality to promote general health, wellness, and recovery.