What Pilates Is and Isn’t

Pilates, Pilates, Pilates. Are you seeing and hearing about it everywhere, too? I hear people talking about this “new” form of exercise; perhaps a studio opened up in their city, or Pilates popped into their Instagram feed. While I love that the internet introduces people to Pilates, I hate that the algorithm will start pushing more of that content – a lot of which isn’t accurate. There is a lot of information (and misinformation) about Pilates out there, so let’s clear some things up about what Pilates is and isn’t. 

Classical Pilates

It may feel new, but Pilates has actually been in North America since 1926; and Joseph  Pilates was developing, practicing, and teaching his method of movement, this corrective exercise, for many years prior to moving to New York. It is a system of corrective exercise that started with the mat. He even wrote a book, The Return to Life Through Contrology, in which he shares instructions of how to do each of the mat exercises and the order in which they go in, including photos. 

The Equipment

He was working with injured soldiers at one point and found that he was having to physically help his clients, and started inventing other apparatus to give support to his clients and take some of the physical load off of his body. He invented the foot corrector first, because he was obsessed with having strong and mobile feet in order to have a strong base of support. The rest came after that, including the reformer you probably have heard about.

The reformer and the mat work are the two apparatuses that have a full order and sequence to the exercises. The other apparatus, wunda chair, baby chair, cadillac, spine corrector, ladder barrel, etc. all have many exercises that are designed to help one learn and find deeper connections, strength and awareness to be able to better execute the exercises.

The Studio

When Joseph Pilates ran his studio, he didn’t regularly teach private sessions and classes. Instead, each client did their own workout. They would be taught a series of exercises within the system and given additional exercises as they were ready for them. It was an open gym with Joe, Clara, and several other assistant teachers around the room observing and coaching.  

Joe’s Legacy

Soon, a few other studios opened up with Joe’s blessing, led by some of his past assistants and long-term clients. After his death, though, Joe’s own studio was struggling. His wife was grieving and a group of students tried to keep the studio open, but they needed someone to fully take over. In the end, Romana K. agreed to do it. She kept the work very true to how Joseph Pilates taught. She did add and change the odd thing, primarily to challenge the many dancers she taught, and in some cases for better flow.  

I was originally taught to teach Pilates from those  who were taught by teachers taught by Romana. I have since learned from teachers taught by Jay Grimes, who also kept his teaching very true to how Joe taught. I’ve even been taught by teachers who learned directly from Romana and a few who were taught by Joe. The one thing to keep in mind when learning the classical work is that each of the “elders” was taught slightly differently because Joe taught them each how their bodies needed to be taught.  

Contemporary Pilates

While some of the Pilates elders stayed true to Joseph’s teaching, a few took more liberties with how they taught. Some created specific breath patterns, added or removed exercises, or changed the equipment. These contemporary programs were developed by second or third generation teachers but still followed the intentions of the original method. 

I’ve attended many conferences that have teachers of various backgrounds presenting. I love and teach Classical Pilates, but I’ve learned great things from contemporary teachers too. I’ve enjoyed many classes and felt great after these sessions, and you could always tell that you were doing Pilates. The principles of Pilates were there, and you can be sure that we did the footwork, the hundred, roll ups and rollovers. In some classes I’ve taken, and what I’ve seen online recently, that definitely isn’t always the case. 

What Pilates Isn’t

Over the past few years, I’ve attended classes where there were very few Pilates exercises being taught in a “Pilates” class. Last summer, I attended one that only had three Pilates exercises in an hour-long session. The class was good, but it wasn’t Pilates. This appears to be the same at many studios, including “reformer” studios. People are exercising, but the method has been lost. 

How To Know If It’s Pilates

There are some ways to know if you’re doing “real” Pilates or not. First, ask about your teacher’s training and background. You’ll also know it’s Pilates because the exercises are always gentle and controlled. They are challenging and will make you sweat, but you aren’t jumping around or making sudden movements. Pilates is a corrective exercise, designed to work your full body, help you breathe better, teach you awareness of how you move, and to fix imbalances. 

I hope this helps! If you have questions, I’m happy to chat. I love Classical Pilates but you don’t have to. I can share my experience, twenty years of knowledge, and help you weed through all the information out there.