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Pilates is an important part of a wellness regimen. If you want to understand why, become familiar with Joseph Pilates, the man who created the system of exercises now known throughout the world as the Pilates Method.

Pilates was a German-born refugee who had a strong focus throughout his life: to discover the potential of every human body. From an early age, Pilates was interested in helping injured and chronically ill people become healthier. He studied yogic breathing to help his own asthma and used his knowledge of movement disciplines to create healing exercises for bedridden refugees during World War II. Pilates believed movement was healing.

Pilates went on to apply his method to top dancers and Hollywood stars. But he never lost interest in improving the lives of average people and revealing the potential in every body.

To pique interest in Joseph Pilates, we’ve been running a quiz on the APOGEE Facebook page. If you missed it, here are the questions and answers.

1. Finish this quote from Joseph Pilates: “One hour ___ ___ ___!”  Hit the shower!
2. Joseph Pilates was born in what town, country & year? Pilates was born in Monchengladbach, Germany in 1880.
3. Where did Joseph Pilates get the idea to use springs as resistance? During World War I, Pilates interned, along with other German nationals, on the Isle of Man at a camp where he worked with many internees who suffered from wartime diseases. He took bed springs from the beds and rigged them so that those who were bedridden could rehabilitate by strengthening their bodies against the resistance of the springs.
4. Joseph Pilates’ mother was a __ and his father was a __ __ __.  Pilates’  father was a prize-winning gymnast of Greek ancestry, and his German born mother worked as a naturopath who believed in the philosophy of stimulating the body to heal itself.
5.  What was the original name of Joseph Pilates’ exercise method? Contrology.
6. Where in Massachusetts, what and to whom did Joseph Pilates teach? Pilates taught mat work to young dancers at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket,  Massachusetts.
7. Where did Joseph Pilates meet his wife? Pilates met Clara on the boat crossing the Atlantic to New York.
8, What is the cornerstone of Joseph Pilates’ method? Movement is healing.
8. Name five Pilates elders and explain who they are. The Pilates elders are students who were taught by Joseph Pilates himself and have continued to teach and open their own studios. Clara Pilates, Romana Kryzanowska, Robert Fitizgerald, Ron Fletcher, Mary Bowen, Eve Gentry, Kathy Grant, Lolita San Miguel, Mary Pilates, and Carola Trier are only some of the elders.

10. Supply the four missing words from this Joseph Pilates quote: , You are only as young as __ __ __ __. Your spine is flexible!

Related links:
Find a Pilates class in Westchester

Learn more about Pilates and how APOGEE does Pilates:
How Pilates heals “from the inside out”
Video of The Hundred, one exericse at the core of Pilates
The seven principles of Pilates
Comparing Pilates mat to apparatus
How Pilates and yoga complement each other
Pilates breathing
Repetitions during a Pilates routine
Pilates and pregnancy

by Deborah Slade, APOGEE Pilates Instructor

Joseph Pilates described breathing as “the first act of life.”  In his book Return to Life through Contrology he wrote, “Above all, learn how to breathe.” It sounds simple enough, since breathing is automatic. But as result of our relatively sedentary lifestyles most of us take shallow breaths—often at less than half our lung capacities. The result is low stamina, poor posture and tense, unstable muscles that cannot perform optimally. Breathing correctly oxygenates the blood and nourishes the cells while eliminating toxins, improving circulation, alleviating stress, and rejuvenating the spirit.

In Pilates, breathing is considered the essential link between the mind and body and the foundation for all movement. Coordinating exercises with patterns of inhaling and exhaling not only supports the movement but also aids in concentration, control, and flow—three other fundamental principles of the method.

It’s not easy to breathe while moving. In fact, most of us hold our breath when facing difficult tasks. But breathing properly while keeping your abs “scooped” will allow you to perform your Pilates exercises with greater ease and find your workout even more satisfying.

Pilates exercises not only require that you inhale and exhale fully—drawing in the optimal amount of fresh air and squeezing every bit of stale air out of your lungs—but that you do it in a very specific way. Joe Pilates adapted his technique from yoga, calling it posterior lateral breathing. It involves taking long deep breaths in through the nose that expand the back and the ribs laterally (left and right) and then emptying the lungs forcefully and thoroughly, causing the abdominals to contract. This technique enhances lung function, stabilizes the torso, lengthens the spine, and maintains abdominal recruitment throughout an exercise. Practice this accordion exercise below as often as possible you’ll be soon be breathing deeply.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and hip-distance apart. Your spine should be neutral—relaxed into the mat honoring its natural curves.

2. Place your hands on either side of the rib cage as though you were holding on to an accordion—fingers toward your breastbone, thumbs to the back.

3. Inhale deeply, concentrating on broadening your lower back and filling your lungs to capacity. Feel your ribs expand to the left and right and your fingertips draw away from one another.

4. Exhale fully, feeling your fingers draw back together and pulling your navel toward the spine.