History of Joseph Pilates

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was a native of Germany, born in Mönchengladbach in 1880.   He suffered from various ailments as a child such as asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever; his mother and father, a naturopath and gymnast, respectively, influenced him to seek innovative ways in which to heal himself.  He devoted himself to the study of anatomy, kinesiology (in humans and animals), yoga, Zen, and ancient Greco-Roman forms of exercise.  The result of this mélange of study was Contrology, known today as Pilates.  By the age of 14 he had developed his body to such a degree that he was modeling for anatomy charts.

Shortly before WWI began, he relocated himself to England.  Because of the outbreak of the war, he found himself in an alien enemy encampment in Lancaster with other German nationals.  Soon thereafter, he was transferred to the Isle of Man, where he took it upon himself to work with other internees bedridden with wartime illnesses and injuries.  Because they were unable to get out of bed, he fashioned apparatuses from the bed springs which allowed the patients to perform his exercises with the body fully supported.  Nearly every internee he worked with emerged from the camp healthier than even before they were sick or injured.

Following the end of the war and his release from England, he returned to Germany.  As he was unhappy with the political direction Germany was taking, he journeyed to America in 1925.  En route, he met his future wife Clara.  Clara was a kindergarten teacher suffering from arthritis and he used the opportunity afforded him by the long journey to help rehabilitate her with his Contrology.  She, therefore, became devoted to his method and to being his life partner.  Upon arriving in Manhattan, they opened a space where Contrology could be taught and practiced.

Joseph passed away in 1967 at the age of 87.  Clara continued to teach until her death ten years later.  She was and still is regarded as the more gifted teacher and conveyer of the method, whereas the innovation and ingenius invention of the equipment lies with Joe.

* If you are interested in learning more about Joseph Pilates and the history of Contrology, I urge you to read Return to Life, available in Poise’s library. 

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