Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates. He was born in Germany, in 1883. His father was a Gymnast and Greek descent, and his mother was a German naturopath who believed in the stimulation of the body as a form of self-healing, without the need for medicine or surgeries. In his childhood, Joseph Pilates was a very sick child. He suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever and he dedicated his entire life to improving his physical strength. He was introduced by his father to gymnastics and body-building, and to martial arts like jiu-jitsu and boxing. He studied yoga and the movements of animals and trained his fellow inmates in fitness and exercises.
After the war, Joseph Pilates returned to Germany. At this time he acted in the dance area and helping train police officers. He was also pressured to train members of the German army. However, eventually disappointed with his country’s policies, he migrated to the United States. During this trip, Joseph Pilates met Clara, who later became his wife. The couple started a Pilates studio in New York and began teaching and supervising their students until the 1960s.
He passed away in 1967, at the age of 83, in New York City. He inhaled too much smoke, when trying to save his equipment from a fire that consumed his studio, and died a few days later, after the incident. Although he had no children, his legacy and the history of pilates was passed on by his disciples. Today, thanks to all the efforts and perseverance of Joseph Pilates, it is possible to count on an exercise modality capable of benefiting all types of people, enabling the achievement of not only physical but also mental well-being.
What books Joseph Pilates wrote?
Joseph Pilates wrote two books: Your Health in 1934 and Return to Life Through Contrology in 1945, and created many of the devices used today in the Pilates method, such as Reformer, Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, among others.