Joseph Pilates was born in Germany. Early in his childhood, he was stricken with asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. He spent countless hours studying various forms of movement. including yoga and boxing. Throughout his life Joseph practiced his own training regime regularly, and sculpted his body into a specimen that was often printed on medial and muscle charts. In 1912, Joe went to England, where he worked as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. At the outbreak of World War I, Joe was interned as an "enemy alien" with other German nationals. During his internment, Joe refined his ideas and trained other internees in his system of exercise. It was here that he began devising his system of original exercises that later became "Contrology". He rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance, an innovation that led to his later equipment designs. An influenza epidemic struck England in 1918, killing thousands of people, but not a single one of Joe's trainees died. This, he claimed, testified to the effectiveness of his system. (Above picture: Joe at the age of 57)
After his release, Joe returned to Germany. His method gained popularity, especially in the dance community. Joe was even asked to teach his fitness method to the German Army, however, he was not happy with the political direction of Germany so he decided to leave. Thus, in 1923, he emigrated to the United States. It was en route to America that Joe met his future wife, Clara. She was a kindergarten teacher who was suffering from arthritic pain, and Joe worked with her on the boat to heal her. Upon arriving in New York City they opened a gym in
New York.
Joe felt his work was "50 years ahead of (his) time". Joe's definition of physical fitness was: "the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneously zest and pleasure". Joe believed in "natural movements" with the emphasis on doing and being. He has stated, " Everything should be smooth, like a cat. The exercises are done lying, sitting, kneeling, etc., to avoid excess strain on the heart and lungs." Romana Kryzanowska, the heir to Joe's work, is quoted as saying " The key to working with the apparatus is they make you do the work yourself. The fewer springs, the harder the
exercise. The springs provide or create endurance, not excess strength. The method is based on the movement of animals, everything about the method is based on moving naturally." Carola Trier, a longtime student of Joe's and teacher of his work said " The method emphasizes restoring the body to true balance, ease and economy of movement and a channeled flow of energy."
In January 1966 there was a fire in Joe and Clara's building. Joe returned to his studio to try and save anything possible and fell through the burnt out floorboards. He hung by his hands from a beam for quite some time until rescued by the firefighters. It is assumed that this incident directly led to his death in October 1967, at the age of 87. Clara, regarded by many as the more superb teacher, continued to teach and run the studio until her death 10 years later, in 1977. It wasn't until after his death in 1968 that his work became known as “Pilates”.