Tone Your Body Without Breaking a Sweat

Ana Dane

	Founder Joseph Pilates
	Photo: Pilates Method Alliance

For his introduction to pilates, dancer and choreographer Ron Fletcher recalls his impression of founder Joseph Pilates' Manhattan studio: "It was a scary place, full of springs and leather. It looked like a medieval torture chamber."

"My first thought was 'this isn't for me,'" Fletcher continues, but Pilates immediately started leading him through his unique exercises, and quickly pointed out how Fletcher was off-center. "Within 15 minutes, I became an addict," he says.

That was in 1948, when Fletcher had taken the recommendation of a fellow student of dancer Martha Graham to visit Pilates in order to help with a knee injury. Now, at the age of 86, he has been practicing pilates for nearly 60 years.

You've probably seen similar hulking machines in the corner of your gym or at least heard the word "pilates" mentioned, but many are not aware of the rich heritage behind this revolutionary exercise regime.

Contrology Takes Hold

Pilates originally developed his method out of necessity: Growing up as an asthmatic, sickly child in Germany in the 1880s, he sought to improve his physique and stamina.

As a teenager, he studied yoga and martial arts, ancient Greek exercises and anatomy texts. However, it was as a prisoner at an English internment camp during World War I that Pilates refined a series of exercises and stretches to keep him and his fellow inmates limber and healthy.

Here, he developed a series of focused, therapeutic movements -- even rigging springs to hospital beds as makeshift resistance equipment -- in conjunction with controlled, mindful breathing. This led to a regimen that Pilates termed contrology, or the "complete coordination of body, mind and spirit," as he explained.

Although he returned to Germany after the war, Pilates decided to immigrate to the U.S. in 1926, and soon after opened a Manhattan studio adjacent to the New York City Ballet. Students of the famed choreographers George Balanchine and Martha Graham -- especially those recuperating from injuries -- were frequent practitioners of his gentle yet effective method.

Want more? Check out TheStreet.com TV video. Watch certified Pilates instructor Alisa Wyatt work her magic with TheStreet.com's staff.

Today, Fletcher is the oldest ambulatory member of the prestigious pilates "elders" -- a group of five talented men and women who studied directly with Pilates and his wife Clara and have since helped to spread the practice worldwide. Professional ballerina Lolita San Miguel, 72, is another of the group.

Born in New York City, San Miguel began dancing at 6. Eventually, a knee injury also led her to pilates, but this recommendation came from her doctor in 1958.

She was sent to Corola Trier, who was the first student of Pilates to open a separate studio. For her, "It was love at first sight," San Miguel recalls. "It answered all the questions about body movement, strength and alignment that I always had [and that] my ballet instructors did not address."

A few years later, when San Miguel was thinking about retiring from ballet, Trier suggested she train as an instructor. San Miguel, along with fellow Trier student Kathy Grant (now another of the pilates elders) went directly to Pilates; in 1967, she and Grant were certified as teachers -- the only two to be so by Joseph Pilates himself.

The Core of Pilates

The three basic tenets of pilates (as the practice of contrology became known) focus on the stretch, strength and control of the body. The exercises highlight the abdominal and lower-back muscles, as Pilates believed this is the point from which all movements emanate.

By stabilizing this core or "powerhouse," as it is often referred to, practitioners become attuned to how their bodies walk, run, sit and stand, and have the proper positioning for all these actions.

Fletcher stresses pilates' promotion of complete body awareness. As a dancer, he was already trained to pay attention to how he moved, but when he began practicing pilates, he says, it enabled him to attain an ideal within seemingly simple, quotidian actions such as standing upright and breathing.

San Miguel adds, "It is amazing how the principles of pilates apply to dance, golf, swimming, any physical activity." Amazing, but not surprising, when you consider what pilates fosters -- flexibility, correct alignment, strength and balance, San Miguel points out.

A Slow Burn

Even for more recent adherents, the pull of pilates is still just as strong.

Alisa Wyatt has been practicing pilates for 14 years, and teaching for eight of those from her New York City studio. Similar to Fletcher and San Miguel, a background in dance and a knee injury led her to the practice. A physical therapist showed Wyatt a few simple moves to aid in rehabilitation, and she continued to do pilates occasionally on her own for years.

Pilates was not immediately a focus for Wyatt, however, as a career shift from dance led to a desk job in publishing -- until one day, after she heard a co-worker mention how elated she was after a pilates session. Something clicked, Wyatt says, and she immediately started researching pilates studios.

"I found Romana Kryzanowska -- she's one of the first generation teachers who Joe trained -- and after one session, I decided to get certified," Wyatt says.

The Method

There are two ways to practice pilates: through the floor-based mat work, and via various machines such as the Reformer and the Cadillac, which use platforms with springs, levers and bars to offer resistance.

Prices for classes have kept pace with pilates' growing popularity, both with countless celebrities and exercise novices. Private lessons can run between $50 and $300 an hour, depending on location and the teacher's level of expertise, says Wyatt. Group mat classes are far less expensive, however, starting around $15 to $25 per session.

The matwork may be the most accessible, yet in many ways, it is also the most challenging. Wyatt refers to it as the purest form of the exercise, as it is the foundation of Pilates' original regimen. Here you simply work against gravity, but your entire powerhouse must be constantly engaged to maintain proper body positioning.

Fletcher adds, "One of the most amazing things about pilates is how you can be supine and still completely work all areas of your body, arms, legs, back, feet."

The large machines -- which, to novices, can indeed look rather intimidating -- "developed out of rehabilitation needs of Pilates' clients," Wyatt explains. "The Spine Corrector, for example, is a barrel-shaped piece that an instructor will lay a client over [to] perform exercises. It helps open the hips and shoulders." For more advanced students, the machines also offer a platform for further strengthening challenges.

One of the most appealing factors about pilates is its efficiency; the exercises, whether on mat or machines, are quick and focused.

As Pilates said, "A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of doing sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion." And this is one reason why individual lessons can be more beneficial, especially to new practitioners -- a certified instructor can pay careful attention to your execution and help you make any adjustments. Often, a subtle shift may be needed to get the full benefit of the movement.

The abundance of pilates classes today is a double-edged sword. Although San Miguel expresses delight with adherents' growing passion for the practice, she cautions that it is even more important now to uphold Joseph Pilates' true principles. To find a Pilates Method Alliance-certified teacher, click here.

The most important, lasting effect of pilates, however, is far beyond just a sleek, toned physique. As San Miguel puts it, "Joe thought of himself as a universal reformer, and had a very broad scope in mind ... helping others to have healthier, happier lives and make a healthier, happier society."

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