What Pilates method consists of

1. PILATES

2. Who Pilates was
How/when he developed his metohd
What Pilates method consits of
Benefits of Pilates

3. Joseph Hubertus Pilates
◦ He was born in Möghengladbach, Germany in 1883 and died in New York in 1967
◦ He was a sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever
◦ He was introduced by his father to gymnastics and body building
◦ By the age of 14, he was fit enough to pose for anatomical charts

4. ◦ England in 1912, profesional boxer, circus performer and self defense trainer
◦ World War I, internment camp in Lancaster Castle and the Isle of Man
◦ He taught wrestling and self-defence
◦ His minimal equipment system of mat exercises
◦ “Contrology”

5. ◦ After the war, he returned to Germany
◦ He trained police officers, rehabilitated war veterans
◦ He was invited to train the new German army
◦ He emigrated to the United States
◦ He founded a studio in New York City

6. ◦ In 1960s Joseph and Clara Pilates taught and supervised their students
◦ Well-known dancers became devotees and sent their students for training and rehabilitation
◦ He wrote several books
◦ He was also a prolific inventor
◦ Disciples continued to teach their method

7. Pilates method
◦ Pilates consists of a group of exercises whose objective is to exercise body and mind, since
through its practice, apart from improving our physical condition, we increase our ability to control
and to concentrate (“Contrology”)
◦ Combination of oriental and occidental traditions :
calm and flexibility
strength muscular tone

8. Six essential principles:
1. control
2. concentration
3. fluency
4. precision
5. breathing
6. core

9. Benefits: ◦ Gives vitality and strength
◦ More flexibility , agility and coordination of movements
◦ Slim figure
◦ Correction of harmful postural habits and reduction of
back aches
◦ Better self knowledge of the body
◦ Prevention and rehabilitation of muscular injuries
◦ Improvement of the blood and lymphatic systems
◦ Reduction of stress level