Classical Pilates for Modern Life

“The benefits of Contrology depend solely upon your performing the exercises exactly according to instructions– and not otherwise. “

“Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit”.

Joseph Pilates created and perfected his corrective movement technique within a span of about 50 years. He called it "Contrology" but after he died in October 1967, his students named his legacy Pilates so that he and his method would not be forgotten. 

As a handful of his students carried on his legacy, some of them dancers who went on to teach other dancers (hence why many think that “Pilates” was developed for and by dancers) the rest of the world pretty much did not hear about the Pilates method until the 1990s. 

In October of the year 2000, as a result of a lawsuit, the court declared the word “Pilates" a generic word. That momentous decision has helped, through the subsequent years, all the teachers (myself included) who stay true to the method to freely open and run their Pilates studios. 

On the other hand, the fact that no one owns the rights to the word has divided the Pilates community. Simply because instead of teaching the system invented by Joseph Pilates, some see an opportunity to make a profit off of the Pilates hype. The general public does not know that what they are buying is not the program that offers and delivers the "Pilates Promise" but rather a fragmented and rearranged workout.

How to discern the classical, (the traditional, the authentic) from the Pilates-based, Pilates-fusion, Pilates-alike fitness trend? 

Look for the attributes of a system in the Pilates method and you will find that it is a logical and cohesive movement technique. When taught or done in a fragmented manner, the "Pilates promise" is lost. 

It is characterized by all the aspects that any system is comprised of:

• Central Objective: Uniform Development of the musculoskeletal system. 
• Organization: Structure and order
• Interaction: Each component functions with other components of the system.
• Interdependence: Each movement is based on the mastery of the building blocks
• Integration: The method has principles and fundamentals that complement each other.

Sooner or later, every fitness trend will get replaced by a new one, but the 100-year-old method will live on.

So when you are looking to start practicing Pilates make sure you ask for classical :)       

If you are not sure where to begin your Pilates journey or if you want to learn more, look inside my Facebook group: “Classical Pilates for Modern Life” and on the Instagram page “Pilates knowhow," where I explain and demonstrate classical Pilates concepts and exercises.