At A Body Of Work, we pride ourselves on helping clients achieve body and mind awareness through movement. Pilates is not only an exercise, but a balance of mind, body, and spirit – a Greek Ideal that inspired Joe Pilates, himself. Today we honor the Pilates practice, by looking into the man who started it all.
Born in Monchengladbach, Germany, Joe was a child constantly afflicted by illness. Frail in stature, Joe was afflicted by asthma, other ailments, and constantly bullied as a child. It is said that at the tender age of 5 years old, Joe lost sight in his left eye due to a bully throwing a rock at his head. Some say that this spurred his interest in self-defense. He turned to exercise and athletics to battle his ailments and strengthen his body. He was constantly studying exercise, movement, and the body, hungry for more knowledge.
Later in life, Joe became enamored with the Greek ideal of a man balanced in body, mind, and spirit. Taking this concept to heart, he began to develop his own exercise system based on the concept. During World War II, he was working at a camp for enemy aliens in Lancaster. It was there that Joe began refining and teaching his minimal equipment system of mat exercises that he would later call “Contrology”. Upon his transfer to another camp on the Isle of Man, he was in charge of helping patients in the infirmary with exercise. It was in this camp, where Joe was able to escape the hardship of war and direct his focus on developing his new health program, and helping the wounded.
During this time, doctors prescribed injured soldiers bed rest and so many were forced to stay in bed, with little to no physical activity. Joe was told, “you can do anything you like with them as long as they stay in bed”. So, Joe got crafty! He took the springs from the beds and rigged them to the bed posts, making some of the first apparatus for the bedridden. Today, we would call this the "Cadillac" apparatus.
After his time at the infirmary camps during WWII, Joe decided to take his work to America. On October 6 of 1925/1926, Joe crossed the big pond to New York. It was here that he met his third wife, Clara Zeuner. Together they opened their “Body Conditioning Gym” fitness studio in New York City. Funnily enough, the studio shared an address with the New York City Ballet. As you can imagine, quite a few dancers passed through the doors of their studio and the word began to spread of Joe Pilates’ work.
Since then, the promise of transformation has been drawing students and delivering results for the past 80 years. Today, trainers continue to pass on the work and wisdom of Joe Pilates. Pilates focuses on precise and focused movements that builds core strength and encourages the body’s ability to support itself.
Today, there are two forms of popularized Pilates methods: classical and contemporary. Classical Pilates attempts to be as close to the teachings of Joe Pilates as possible. The Elders, or those who studied directly with Joe Pilates, help to keep his work and spirit alive. Contemporary or “West Coast” Pilates refers to everything that came after classical. Yet, all follow the same principles of Pilates: concentration, centering, control, breathing, precision, and flowing movement. No one can really say if one method is better than the other, but all can appreciate the man and legacy of a practice that followed long after his death.
Joe’s most cited quote lives true: “in 10 sessions you’ll feel the difference, in 20 you’ll see the difference, in 30 you’ll have a whole new body”. This is a promise of transformation that we at A Body Of Work help to inspire in every client. We aim to create a space where you can achieve fitness for life and the ability to meet any physical demand with ease and grace throughout your life.