Joseph Pilates (1880-1967)

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany. His father was a prize-winning gymnast who came originally from Greece.

As a young child Joseph was afflicted with arthritis, rickets and asthma. He also suffered bullying at school. In response to these difficulties he dedicated himself to building up his strength and health through study, exercise and a variety of physical activities. He succeeded beyond expectation and remarkably, by the age of 14 was already model of physical fitness and a skilled sportsman.

In 1912 Joseph went to England, where he worked as a circus performer and self-defence trainer. However, with the outbreak of the First World War, he was interned as an enemy alien by the British authorities (even though he had been training British Police in self- defence). He was not deterred but continued to practice, inspired other internees to exercise and continued to develop his ideas and techniques. Later he taught his system in hospitals and helped in the rehabilitation of many wounded veterans of the First World War.

Pilates immigrated to the United States in 1926 and opened a studio in New York where he taught the physical fitness system he had developed. Initially Pilates became very popular with professional dancers from the neighboring New York City ballet company as well as with professional athletes. It was much later that Pilates became popular with the general public spreading throughout the world.

Pilates' system emphasized controlled breathing and using the mind to control the body. He called his method "Contrology" but it became popularly known as Pilates.