Pilates
The Pilates Method (sometimes simply Pilates) (Pronounced "Puh - LAH - Teez") is a physical fitness system that was developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates.  Pilates wrote at least two books about the Pilates method: Return to Life through Contrology and Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education.
Pilates called his method Contrology, which refers to the way the method encourages the use of the mind to control the muscles. The program focuses on the core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and are essential to providing support for the spine. In particular, Pilates exercises teach awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, and strengthen the deep torso muscles, which are important to help alleviate and prevent back pain.
History
Joseph Pilates was born near Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880. As a child he dealt with chronic illnesses such as rickets, severe asthma, and rheumatic fever, which lead him to study physical fitness and health. He started studying human anatomy and the movement of animals at a young age. In addition, he also studied many different Eastern forms of exercise, such as yoga and Tai Chi. At the age of fourteen, he was  modeling for anatomy charts. He was a skier, diver, gymnast, and boxer, who studied yoga and circus training. He found work in England with his brother as a circus performer; they had a Greek statue act.
In the first part World War I, where he was interned at various camps with injured soldiers, he began developing an exercise system that he later named “Contrology.” He balanced his system based on Western and Eastern philosophies of exercise. He taught his exercise system to fellow internees. When an outbreak of influenza swept through the camps, people who trained with Pilates were not infected with the influenza. During the later part of the war, he served as an orderly in a hospital where he developed his unique equipment to help rehabilitate wounded soldiers. He attached springs to the back of patients hospital beds to help rehabilitate their arms and legs.
While traveling to The United States, he met Clara who would later become his second wife. In 1926 they introduced his method to New York and opened up a studio on Eighth Avenue. He originally worked with mostly men, especially boxers. Their studio was in the same building as many dance studios and rehearsal spaces. In the late 1930’s George Balanchine and Martha Graham both sent their dancers to “Uncle Joe,” and ever since then, Pilates has gained popularity within the dance community. Joe and Clara also spent many summers at Jacob’s Pillow, a very well known summer dance camp in the Berkshire Mountains.
Joseph passed away in October  1967 at the age of eighty-seven. His wife Clara continued to teach and run the studio for 10 more years until her passing in 1977.
Joseph Pilates method preferred fewer precise movements, requiring control and form. He believed that mental and physical health were essential to one another and created what is claimed to be a method of total body conditioning that emphasizes proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement, "The Pilates Principles".
Pilates classes help to build strength and flexibility, with an emphasis on lengthening the body and aligning the spine, rather than on building muscle mass. Pilates' focus is on the "powerhouse" region of the body which includes the muscles of the abdominals and the lower back. Because of its focus Pilates has become popular not only in the field of fitness, but also in rehabilitation. It can be used to progress individuals through movements that represent their day-to-day activities. The focus on strengthening the core/powerhouse muscles and improving postural awareness are especially well indicated for the alleviation and prevention of back pain.
Principles
Pilates follows principles based on a well-constructed philosophical and theoretical foundation. It is not merely a collection of exercises but a method developed and refined over more than eighty years of use and observation. While Pilates draws from many diverse exercise styles, there are certain inherent ruling principles that bring all these elements together under the Pilates name. One interpretation of Principles: Centering, Concentration, Control, Precision, Breathing, and Flowing Movement.
Mind over matter
The central element of Pilates is to create a fusion of mind and body, so that without thinking about it you will move with economy, grace, and balance; using your body to the greatest advantage, making the most of its strengths, counteracting its weaknesses, and correcting its imbalances. The goal is this: to produce an attention-free union of mind and body, the method requires that you constantly pay attention to your body while you are doing the movements. Paying attention is so vital that it is more important than any other single aspect of the movements or the method. afdaffdfad
Breathing
Joseph Pilates believed in circulating the blood so that it could awaken all the cells in the body and carry away the wastes related to fatigue. For the blood to do its work properly, it has to be charged with oxygen and purged of waste gases through proper breathing. Full and thorough inhalation and exhalation are part of every Pilates exercise. Pilates saw forced exhalation as the key to full inhalation. “Squeeze out the lungs as you would wring a wet towel dry,” he is reputed to have said. Breathing, too, should be done with concentration, control, and precision. It should be properly coordinated with movement. Each exercise is accompanied by breathing instructions. Joseph Pilates stated, “Even if you follow no other instructions, learn to breathe correctly”.
Centering
Pilates called the very large group of muscles in our center – encompassing our abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks – the “powerhouse.” All energy for Pilates exercises begins from the powerhouse and flows outward to the extremities. Physical energy is exerted from the center to coordinate one's movements. Pilates felt that it was important to build a strong powerhouse in order to rely on it in daily living.
Concentration
Pilates demands intense focus. For instance, the inner thighs and pelvic floor may be accessed when doing a standing exercise that tones the triceps. Beginners learn to pay careful attention to their bodies, building on very small, delicate fundamental movements and controlled breathing. In 2006, at the Parkinson Center of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, the concentration factor of the Pilates method was being studied in providing relief from the degenerative symptoms of Parkinon's disease
Control
Joseph Pilates built his method on the idea of muscle control. That meant no sloppy, uncontrolled movements. Every Pilates exercise must be performed with the utmost control, including all body parts, to avoid injury and produce positive results. It's not about intensity or multiple repetitions of a movement, it's more about proper form for safe, effective results.
Precision
Every movement in the Pilates method has a purpose. Every instruction is vitally important to the success of the whole. To leave out any detail is to forsake the intrinsic  value of the exercise. The focus is on doing one precise and perfect movement, rather than many halfhearted ones. Eventually this precision becomes second nature, and carries over into everyday life as grace and economy of movement.
Fluidity
Pilates mat exercises are supposed to be performed fluidly. There are no static, isolated movements. Concentration and body awareness replaces the quick, jerky movements of other exercise regimes. Grace of motion is emphasized over speed; ultimately the movements are meant to feel as fluid as a long stride or a waltz. Uniformly developed muscles are then developed to complement good posture, suppleness, and natural grace. However, with the usage of the apparatus, clients will need to take at least some time to adjust their equipment settings and props.
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