History

Text Box: Breathe Pilates & Wellness, LLC

History

Phone: 414.291.4094

E-mail: contact@breathepilates.org

Text Box: Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. As a child he suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. Because of his condition, he dedicated himself at a very early age to learning to improve his mental and physical health and well being. As a teenager he became proficient at body building, diving, skiing and gymnastics. In 1912, he moved to England, where he found jobs as a boxer, circus performer and self-defense trainer. During WWI, he was placed in an internment camp because the English government saw him as an “enemy alien.” While in that camp, he took on the duties of camp nurse. He trained others in the camp regularly in fitness exercises he personally developed, using mats, old bed frames, springs and various other pieces of make-shift equipment. In 1926 he emigrated to the U.S. With the help of his wife, Clara, he founded the Pilates fitness training studio in New York City, where they both trained clients well into the 1960’s. Joseph entitled his method of training “Contrology.” Because his studio was based in the same building as a couple of dance companies, his method gained a strong professional dancer following. Dance greats like Martha Graham and George Balanchine were his personal clients, and in turn, they referred many of their students to him for training. He also trained many athletes and other performing artists. Joseph Pilates died in 1967 at the age of 87. His method of exercise has now spread around the world and is used in many physical therapy and rehabilitation programs as a great way to recover from injuries and prevent their recurrence.

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