Classical Pilates for Modern Life
(A Harmonious Pilates, Inc. Original Publication)
by Joanna Telacka
Classical Pilates Teacher
Business Owner
Triathlete
May 4th, 2024
Shining light on Pilates truths, honoring Joseph Pilates,
and supporting you in your Pilates journey.
Behind the Scenes with Joseph Pilates Himself
What You and I call Pilates, he called Contrology.
He outlined the art and science of Contrology in his two books: āReturn to Lifeā and āTo Your Healthā. He wrote them last year...
Just kidding! š
He wrote them about 80 years ago, but I bet you wouldn't be able to tell. Why?
In āReturn to Lifeā which he wrote in the 1940s he said:
āSince we are living in this Modern Age we must out of necessity devote more time and more thought to the important matter of acquiring physical fitnessā - Joseph H. Pilates.
Hmā¦ It sounds familiar, doesnāt it?
Mr.Pilates, ahead of his time, knew what you and I needed in order to live a healthy, fulfilling life.
In his own words: āContrology is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, in the way you play, and in the way you work. You will develop muscular power with corresponding endurance, ability to perform arduous duties, to play strenuous games, to walk, run, travel for long distances without undue body fatigue or mental strainā.
Seems like a reasonable and promising solution to what plagues us in āOURā Modern Age, donāt you think?
How did he know that almost a century later our society will struggle with the same issues?
He really did not... but what he might have known was that the demands of living take a toll on the human body.
Neglected body ages faster. With age come injuries and complaints. And the antidote to aging is movement. His movement.
If you want to walk, work, and play with ease, travel long distances without physical and mental exhaustion, be strong enough to play sports, play with your children and grandchildren, garden, do housework without fear of injury, practice Contrology, do Pilates.
As Mr. Pilates points out: āOne of the major results of Contrology is gaining the mastery of your mind over the complete control of your body. How many beginners are amazed and chagrined (even trained athletes in the public eye) to discover how few (if any) Contrology exercises they are able to execute properly!ā
Classical Pilates IS the solution to Modern Lifeās demands.
It is for you, for me, and for everyone who wants to live a long and healthy life.
So donāt believe the myth that Pilates is a fad, a short-lived fitness craze, a fast-paced class with music, maximum repetitions, and heavy springs.
It is definitely not that, but thatās a topic for my future Newsletter š
Start your Pilates journey today!
Look inside my Facebook group: "Classical Pilates for Modern Life" and on the Instagram page "Pilates Knowhow" where I explain and demonstrate one Pilates exercise at a time.
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Please reach out if you need more guidance or encouragement!
Let's share our Pilates journey together š
Copyright@Harmonious Pilates, Inc 2024
