About Pilates
Named for its creator Joseph Pilates, Pilates is a system of exercises that strengthen and stretch the entire body. It has six basic principles: control, centering, concentration, precision, breath and flow.
With Pilates, you will strengthen your abdominal and back muscles (powerhouse), strengthen and tone your legs and arms, increase your flexibility, improve your posture and reduce stress. It is a vigorous approach to mind-body integration.
Many exercises are performed lying down in a non-impact, non-weight-bearing position. The workout evolves to seated and eventually standing work. When taught correctly, Pilates is a safe but challenging workout for EVERYONE – regardless of age or ability level.
With over 500 exercises and 6 major pieces of apparatus to play on, Pilates will entertain and sustain you for a lifetime. The spirit of Joseph Pilates – energetic, committed and ever evolving – lives on in studios around the world. We hope you will discover or rediscover the wonders of Pilates with us at Evolution Pilates.
Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883. He was a sickly child and his illnesses forced him to develop a lifelong pursuit of well-being. During WWI, Joseph Pilates came in contact with many injured and bedridden soldiers.
He devised a system of spring mechanisms attached to beds to help rehab the soldiers, while supporting their injured bodies. The humble beginnings of ‘the method’ as it is often referred to, are apparent in the apparatus still used today.
While some minor changes have been made over the years, most of the studio apparatus are very close to Joe’s original designs. With variations of “the reformer” and “the wunda chair” sold on HSN, Joseph Pilates was clearly a visionary and ahead of his time.
He and his wife Clara brought Pilates to New York in 1926. And in just 80 years, the number of people practicing Pilates is estimated at over 15 million from all ages and walks of life. Clearly Pilates is here to stay!
The first generation of teachers who learned the method directly from Joe are considered the ‘elders’ and are revered for their firsthand knowledge. Uncle Joe (as he was known in his studio) died in 1967. But his legacy lives on with an estimated 15,000 instructors worldwide. His dream of having Pilates taught to every child in school may not be too far off!
