The First Requisite of Happiness
The Pilates system of physical fitness

By Dick Dorworth
Photos by David Seelig

Many men have found themselves in the wrong country at the onset of war. Joseph Hubertus Pilates was one such hapless man. 

At the beginning of World War I, this 34-year-old German circus performer was living in England. With the outbreak of war, Pilates was interned as an “enemy alien.” Ironically, he was an ardent pacifist who had left Germany to avoid helping train the Kaiser’s elite troops. 

As the fitness and exercise world would later appreciate, Pilates used his time behind bars well. 
Pilates had been a sickly child, suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever—disabilities he overcame with a regimen of exercise and bodybuilding. By the time he was interned, he had become accomplished in skiing, diving, gymnastics and the arts of self-defense. 

Forced to live in a fenced camp, however, Pilates had little occasion to use such skills.

He turned his efforts to developing a unique system of keeping the human body fit using springs from beds, chairs and whatever else was available in the camp as exercise accessories. His system enabled prisoners and guards alike, some of them confined to hospital beds, to exercise and stay healthy in a hostile, prison camp environment. 

When, in 1918, an influenza epidemic struck the world, thousands of people died in England and an estimated 50 million died throughout the world. But not one of Pilates’ prison camp trainees died. He claimed this was a testimony to the effectiveness of his system. 

Pilates combined elements of yoga, breath work, weight training and gymnastics in his system. He believed that our bodies are out of balance because of a tendency to overdevelop the stronger muscle groups, a tendency which leads to poor posture and spinal misalignment. His goal was to develop and maintain a structurally fit body. 

After the war, Pilates returned to Germany where his new system gained favor in the dance community. When he was asked to teach his system to the German army, he decided to leave his native country for good. 

He emigrated to the U.S. in 1923, with the help of Max Schmelling, the boxing champion who used Pilates’ methods in his training. 

Schmelling helped Pilates open a fitness studio in New York City, sharing an address with the New York City Ballet. Among his early students were Martha Graham and George Balanchine, both of whom are credited with being founders of modern dance. 
Pilates remained in New York, training clients until his death in 1967 at the age of 87.

His system evolved and was refined over time. He called it “Contrology,” but it eventually became known simply as Pilates. Today it is performed alternately on floor mats and a device called a Universal Reformer, a spring controlled bed-like frame. It is sometimes referred to as “the rack.” Coupled with gentle resistance while the body is properly supported and aligned, different fluid movements are performed on “the rack” that strengthen muscles in the deeper torso and around the spine to prevent injury. 

The Pilates system is now used throughout the world and has gained a devoted following.

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness,” Pilates wrote.

He maintained that, “civilization impairs physical fitness” and that his particular method of maintaining fitness “develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.” 

The six key principles of Pilates are:

• Centering: All movements originate from the center of the body, located in the pelvis just below the navel.

• Control: Control is essential to the quality of every movement. This is the opposite of overexertion of the muscles. 

• Concentration: The key to coordinating mind and body is concentration.

• Precision: Moving with precision can’t be achieved without concentration. 

• Breathing: Conscious breathing helps focus the attention and direction of the body, and it delivers oxygen to the muscles being used. 

• Flowing movement: All exercise emphasizes grace, control and precise motion.

After Joseph Pilates died, some of his disciples formed Pilates schools of their own. They are not all the same. There are differences (and, in some cases, conflict) among them. Several Pilates instructors offer classes in the Wood River Valley. •

Information about courses can be found at The Gateway, Innerflo, Precision Movement, Sun Valley Athletic Club, Zenergy, Kay Marron and Wellness Within.