About Pilates
"My method develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong posture, restores physical vitality invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit." Joseph Pilates
History:
Joseph Pilates was born in 1880 in Dusseldorf as a frail, sickly child suffering from rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever. To overcome his frailty he experimented with different approaches (including yoga, self defence, dance and weight training) and developed a system with a perfect balance of strength and flexibility. Following his success with his own body he began to teach others including detectives at Scotland Yard and fellow internees in a First World War camp infirmary followed later by boxers, ballet dancers and athletes in America.
What is Pilates:
It is a mental and physical body conditioning programme using exercises to change the way in which we use our bodies. It aims to change muscle recruitment patterns, correcting common muscle imbalances, restoring good postural alignment and natural normal movement.
Pilates targets deep postural muscles working from the inside to rebalance the body and bring it into correct alignment. It helps reshape the body by toning it and improving posture increasing strength and flexibility as well as relieving tension and stress.
Pilates is good for first time exercises because of its controlled approach while it can also help athletes looking to enhance performance /avoid injury and is especially recommended by medical specialists for people with back problems.
