Pilates History

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Why is it Called… Elephant

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If you’ve ever wondered why we call the exercise, “Elephant”, here are a few reasons that I’ve been taught over the years.
One simple answer is because, during the exercise, the position of your body is like the shape of an elephant’s body. Hmmm…. kind of. I’ve heard that answer, but I’ve also learned other reasons […]


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Did Joseph Pilates Teach External Rotation?

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The answer to this question is yes, but not to everybody all the time.The information we have about Joseph Pilates’ teaching methods and the development of his exercise method comes from stories told by Pilates Elders (students of Joe who are teachers today) and films and pamphlets that Joe created and distributed about his […]


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Furniture By Pilates

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Did you know that Joseph Pilates invented many pieces of furniture to help bring fitness and body awareness into our everyday lives? Today, pilates studios are full of his recognizable pilates equipment, but there were many other similar pieces of equipment that he personally used, advertised, and advocated.
He called his line of furniture, “Pilates […]


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Clara Pilates

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Is it true that behind every man is a surprised woman? Maybe in some cases, but not in the case of Joseph and Clara Pilates.
Joseph and Clara Pilates met in 1926, on their boat from Europe to America. He had already begun teaching his exercises in Germany and she was a nurse and teacher. […]


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Your Spirit

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Pilates is “complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit,” -Joseph Pilates, 1945
It seems as though that word, “spirit” is often left out of the description of what pilates is. We think of pilates as “mind-body” exercise, we concentrate on our movements and breath and engaging the proper muscles. But when you think about it, isn’t […]


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Archival Joseph Pilates Footage

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Check out this archival footage of Joseph Pilates! These are the Standing Arms Circles that we sometimes do with the tower. You can definitely see that this is more than just an arm exercise!
It takes a lot of focus and core strength to mantain the straight and stable body while the shoulder blades work and […]