What is Pilates? The
Pilates method is a trainingprogram, thaught and conceived by the
founder J.H. Pilates (1880-1967) in order to stretch and strainghten
the muscles. It is a complete balanced training that enhances
your flexibility, coordination, strenght and tone. After a pilates
session you will feel refreshed and energetic. Pilates in 3 words: strength, stretch and control. This
method became more popular over the years. The goal of this
complete trainingprogram which includes more than 500 exercises is to
bring body and mind in harmony.
The art of control
The
control initiate from what he used to call the "Powerhouse" or
the "Belt" around the abdominal area, gluteus muscles, innerthighs and
the lower back region. Joseph Pilates learned all kind of sport
and bodytraining from the east (martial arts- yoga) and from the west
(boxing, skiing, diving). He developed than a concept of a complete
control of the body with a major flexibility of the vertebral
column and fluid armonised movements. Regarding
the spinal column with which are associeted practically all the
major activities of our body, the science of contrology disproves that
prevalent saying "you are just as old as you feel".
Specifically , the art of contrology proves that the only real
guide to your true age lies not in years or how you think you feel but
as you actually are as infallibly indicated by the degree of
natural and normal flexibility enjoyed by your spine throughout
life. If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old, if it
is completely flexible at 60, you are young (Pilates- Return to life
through Contrology , published in 1945). The
benefits of the method depend solely upon your performing the exercises
exactly according to instructions and not otherwise. Remember,
too, that "Rome was not built in a day"(Return to life ). If
you exercise with patience and persistence , you will refresh your all
body, improve your posture and will generally help till old age to be
healthy. When you perform an exercise it is important how you do it and
not how often you do it (quality over quantity) , in other words:
work your mind!
While you exercise, you will find out, that a
correct posture and the concentration on the powerhouse will make the
rest of the body (the extremities) move freely. If you keep strainghten
your body and your powerhouse your vertebral column will be
always support and your posture will improve.
Precision
As
soon as you will feel more confident in performing the exercises
and in using the apparatus , you will found out that you
will be able to execute them more precisely and with the minimum
of energy.
Concentration
As
far as your concentration increases , the better results you will
attained in terms of strenght , stretch and balanced body , mind and
spirit.
Centering
The
strenght from every exercises comes from the center of your body, which
J. Pilates use to call the "powerhouse" or "the belt" around your
abdominal area, gluteus muscles, innerthights and lower back region.
Breathing
The
breathing is a fundamental principle in pilates and should follow
naturally with movement. Is the action of "rolling" and
"unrolling" your spine that cleanses your lungs so effectively by
driving out the impure air and forcing in the pure air. Circulation of
the blood will improve so that the bloodstream can and will carry more
and better blood to feed every fibre and tissue of your body. The
entire body will abundantly be charged with fresh oxygen. "Sqeeze every atom of impure air from your lungs, in the same manner you would wring every drop of water from a wet cloth".
The flow
What
makes the difference in practising the pure pilates method, is the flow
between each exercises, without interruptions. This program should be
performed also with a precised dynamic.
Joseph Hubertus Pilates, the History
J.H.
Pilates was born in 1880 near DŸsseldorf in Germany. As a child
he suffered from asthma, rachitis and rheumatic fever. His
interest in physical fitness stemmed from a determination to strenghten
his own body and improve his health after a sickly childhood. He
studied and practised east- and west techniques and
sports like yoga, zen meditation, martial arts, the ancients
greek physical education. He has been a gymnast, diver, boxer, skiing,
and worked as a circus performer with chinese acrobates. At the age of
14 , his had such a well-trained body, that he could work as a model
for Anatomy of the human body.
In 1912 he moved to England and
worked as a professional boxer. During this time he trained the
Scottland Yard Detective and worked in a circus.
During the first
world war, he was prisonner with other citizens in Lancaster. In this
time he thaught to his fellow internees his fitness program and helped
them to keep a strong body despide the difficult circumstances. After a
few months later an influenza epidemic break out and thousand of people
died. The from J. Pilates well- trained people only, didn't and
remain healthy.
When he had to move to the "isle of Man",
he worked an orderly in an infirmary where he could developed his
knowledge in the rehabilitation of war injured fellows. He
fine-tuned his wellness regimen while interned in England and
engineered a way to rig spring on hospital beds to offer light
resistance exercises to bedridden patients. He developped and created
so different apparatus. The seeds for the Pilates equipment was planed
which has been used till nowadays in a modern Form.
After
the War he return back to Germany where he continued to elaborate his
study. He started to train the Police of Hambourg. He met, during this
time, Rudolf Laban, who integrated later J. Pilates method in his work.
After, many other pionniers of the Modern dance came to J. Pilates,
like Mary Wigman and Hanya Holm.
In 1925, as J.Pilates was invited by the Gouvernement to train the german army, he decided to leave Germany to go to the U.S.A. In the ship to Amerika he met his future wife Clara Pilates. In
1926 J.Pilates opened in New York his first studio uptown, and started
systematically to resume his unique technique for over 43 years.
The first part was dedicated to the "mat" work, a series of exercise
programm performed on the mat. This program was resumed in a book
defined by him the science of "Contrology" (
this was the true name of his work) , "Return to Life Throught
Contrology" (published in 1945 by J.H.Pilates and William John Miller).
In this book he described his philosophical approach to exercise. Then
he dedicated time to perfect every single apparatus like the
"Univeral Reformer". Soon, some of his students began opening studios
of their own and the word Pilates slowly spread. Pilates reputation
started popping up at neighborhood gyms. Hollywood celebrities and top
athletes started to practise the method and press picked up the story.
His studio near the "New York City Ballet" drew a following with
dancers who took to Pilates for ist ability to create long, lean
muscles and a strong streamelined physique. Legends Martha
Graham, Ruth St. Denis , Ted Shaw, Jerome Robins, Lee Strassburg , were
among his clientele.
The legendary and great Choreographer George Balanchine defined J.Pilates as "the genious of the body".
J.
Pilates died in 1967 in the hospital from the consequence of a
firebrand . After his death, Romana Kryzanowska took care of the
studio and carry on till nowadays the difficult mission and promise to
Joe and Clara Pilates to mantain and spread out in the world this
unique method as pure as he has conceived.
Romana
Kryzanowska represents today the direct line of the teaching of J.
Pilates and the world-renowed protégé of Joseph Pilates. She has been
teaching the method for nearly six decades, made a commitment to
continue their's life work, and till
today she travels the world and teaches the next generation
of instructors.
The strenght of the New York School
The
certified instructors of Romana's Pilates are classified in different
Levels. Each level represents the quality and the experience of the
instructor. The IITP "Independent Instructor Training Program"
is very intensive. The study included about 700 hours and the students
has to complete different stages of seminars and Exams (written and
oral). Each teacher must know the complete system of mat exercise
and every single apparatus.
The high quality of the New York School
Romana's
Pilates offers high qualified instructors. To choose one of this
instructors means to avoid to meet teachers who accomplished
certifications in a short period of time, without knowing the complete
system but only part of it. This structure allowed to have an
indipendent organisation who can be identified by the quality the
purity of the teaching. For further informations: |
