— The method —
"Change happens through movement, and movement heals."
— Joseph H. Pilates
— Origin —
A complete language
for the body.
Joseph Hubertus Pilates spent a lifetime devising what he called Contrology — a science of the whole body, conducted with springs, gravity, breath, and an uncommon attention to form.
We teach the work as it was given. Without dilution. Without invention. The exercises are sequenced as Joseph sequenced them, for reasons he understood deeply and we honor patiently. The apparatus is built to original specifications. The pace is measured. The intention is whole.
— The six principles —
I
Concentration
The mind, gathered upon a single thing. Pilates without attention is gymnastics.
II
Control
Every motion begins, sustains, and ends with intention. Nothing is thrown to chance.
III
Centering
All power originates in the powerhouse — abdomen, lower back, hips, glutes.
IV
Flow
Movement that resembles water: continuous, unhurried, unbroken in its line.
V
Precision
One repetition done with truth surpasses ten done with absence.
VI
Breath
The first instruction and the final one. The breath organizes the body.
"Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it."
— Joseph H. Pilates