“Pilates is not a series of exercises, Pilates is a concept” – Eve Gentry
INTRODUCTION
The Essence of Pilates philosophy and approach is to improve an individual’s quality of life. This is achieved by developing strength, mobility and balance in the body to allow us to move naturally and do all the things required in everyday life easily and without limits.
“Pilates is not a series of exercises, Pilates is a concept” – Eve Gentry
The concept of Pilates is based on strengthening the body as a whole functional unit. It corrects imbalances in the body and specific weaknesses by developing stability and strength through our whole body. Body motion does not happen in isolation and the stronger our frame the better the quality of movement. This applies to all ages and all levels of physical fitness.
The Pilates method of training was developed by Joseph Pilates and used in hospitals during WW1 for rehabilitation. Post war Joseph Pilates started to train competitive boxers and at a later stage professional dancers came to him for both strengthening and rehabilitation of injuries. With Pilates having been developed and successful for the two extremes, the Pilates method has over time become synonymous with safe movement to build strength for the general population.