Imagine an exercise program that keeps you always wanting more, always looking forward to the next workout. Imagine a workout that leaves you refreshed and alert with a sense of accomplishment, and a feeling of physical and mental well being. The Pilates™ method of body conditioning does all this…and more. Emphasizing body alignment and correct breathing, the Pilates Method™ uses a series of movements carefully designed to build strength evenly throughout the body. Tailored to your body and your capacity, this system uses concentration, control, centering, precision, flow of movement and breathing. The art of controlling the sense of well-being that comes with robust health, of controlling the ability of your body to do what your mind tells it to do, the art of achieving strength and flexibility, is a function of training and diligence.
The Pilates Method™ of body conditioning is an exercise system favored by professional and Olympic athletes, dancers, and individuals of all ages to stay in peak condition. It can reward you with strength, vigor and suppleness. In just weeks the Pilates Method™ can restore muscular balance to your body, improve your posture, and build the strength to prevent muscle and soft tissue injury, because it uses your entire body and not just isolated muscle groups. The Pilates Method™ of body conditioning leaves you refreshed and alert, with a feeling of physical and mental well-being. Tangible effects become apparent to you in only 10 sessions. In 20 sessions, the positive effects become visible and obvious to others. In 30 sessions you will feel as if you have an entirely new body.
Developed during World War I by Joseph H. Pilates, the legendary physical trainer, the system uses a combination of simple but meticulously designed repetitive exercises on special equipment that creates variable resistance and muscle exertion. These movements are performed on exercise apparatus which were designed to support and guide the body through its ultimate transformation. Programs are tapered uniquely to each individual, and his/her needs through the watchful and experienced eye of a superiorly qualified Authentic Pilates™ Instructor using the Pilates Method™.
The Pilates Method™, proven for more than 70 years, begins by strengthening the abdomen, lower back and hips, and focuses on making the torso the power center of the body. This allows the rest of the body to move more freely. It directs your mind to your body which makes the exercises more interesting and more efficient. The Pilates Method™ is an exercise system that creates flexibility and strength for the entire body. The Pilates Method™ is not just exercise; it is a series of very precise, controlled movements that fully engage the body and mind.
Born in Germany in 1880, Joseph H. Pilates had a lifelong interest in body conditioning that began when he was a child, seeking ways to develop his own frail body. Later he grew to become an accomplished skier, diver, gymnast, boxer and martial artist. While training to be a boxer in England, he performed in the circus and taught self-defense to Scotland Yard detectives. Components of these disciplines can be seen in different Pilates exercises.
As a nurse in World War I, Pilates experimented with springs attached to hospital beds to strengthen patients, and to allow them to begin moving before they could get out of bed. This system formed the foundation for his style of body conditioning and specialized exercise apparatus. His then revolutionary discoveries led him to design the Universal Reformer and the mat exercises that became the foundation of the Pilates Method™. In 1923, he came to the United States, bringing with him the physical training system that’s continued to grow in sophistication and popularity. In 1926 he opened the first Pilates Studio in New York City. Joseph Pilates believed that physical and mental health were completely dependent upon one another.
Today, the Pilates Method™ is practiced worldwide by individuals at all levels of fitness and ages, as well as by dance companies throughout the world, Broadway shows, Olympic athletes, professional athletes and sports teams, students at performing arts schools and universities, spa clients and fitness enthusiasts at private health clubs and gyms.
"Nature has endowed human beings with a backbone, but few realize that state of perfection in which this ‘ridgepole’ of human ‘house’ may properly grow into normal, straight form as nature intended. Even fewer understand the mechanism of the spine and proper methods of training this foundation of the body…"
-Joseph Pilates
The Pilates Method™ of body conditioning promotes physical harmony and balance for people of all ages and physical conditions while providing a refreshing and energizing workout.
Because conditioning sessions are done one-to-one with certified instructor or in closely supervised small groups, each session is tailored to the specific needs of each client.
Regardless of your current level of fitness – from sedentary office worker to fitness enthusiast – the Pilates Method™ can be your primary mode of body conditioning and injury prevention.
Discovered by physical therapists, chiropractors and orthopedists, the Pilates Method™ of body conditioning can also be integrated into rehabilitative exercise and physical therapy programs designed to speed recovery of soft tissue injuries.
The Pilates Method™ can be safely used by pregnant women to learn proper breathing and body alignment, improve concentration, and recover body shape and tone after pregnancy.
The Pilates Method™ of body conditioning has been proven effective with:
1. Injury Prevention and Recovery
2. Improved Alignment
3. Enhanced Breathing and Circulation
4. Increased Strength, Flexibility and Balance
5. Improved Muscle Tone, Energy and Mental Concentration
Not surprisingly, the first people to use the Pilates Method™ were dancers, such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine, for whom the method was originally perfected, and then included Hollywood actors, such as Katherine Hepburn, Gary Cooper, Jessica Lange and Candice Bergen. Today’s practitioners include Madonna, Cameron Diaz, Gloria Estephan, Mandy Moore, Daisy Fuentes and many others. Physical therapists and orthopedists have found the method to be exceptionally beneficial to rehabilitative patients.
The effectiveness and safety of the method is known to a growing body of people who enthusiastically use the Pilates Method™ as their primary exercise regimen. When you finish a workout you feel refreshed and energized. At Pilates:Studio A every muscle in your body will be stretched and strengthened. Every aspect of the workout is pleasurable because every aspect of the workout is flowing and buoyant.
The result is a lithe, toned and supple body.