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Is it possible to achieve peak physical health without a gym, workout equipment, or even space to run? If the exercise plan in 1945's Return to Life Through Contrology is followed, it may be. Written and compiled by Joseph H. Pilates and William J. Miller, this short exercise book demonstrates a series of movements at the core of what we now call simply Pilates. Before it became mainstream, the practice was called Contrology, and it was much simpler than its current, equipment-heavy iteration.
Creator Joseph Pilates was born in Germany, a sickly child who suffered from asthma and rheumatic fever, which caused joint and muscle pain. His father introduced him to gymnastics, body-building, and martial arts at a young age, and Pilates devoted the rest of his life to fitness and bodily health.
As a young man, Pilates was a body-builder and gymnast. After immigrating to England in 1912, he earned a living as a professional boxer and circus performer. He also trained police at Scotland Yard in self-defense.
When World War I broke out in 1914, anti-German sentiment reached a fever pitch, and many German citizens living in England were sent to internment camps. Pilates was among them. He spent nearly the entirety of the war as an internee, first at Lancaster Castle and then on the Isle of Man located between England and Northern Ireland.
During this time, Pilates spent his days training his fellow prisoners in wrestling and self-defense. And with no equipment at his disposal, Pilates began to develop his practice of Contrology, focused on bodyweight and mat exercises. Later, he incorporated his simple metal bed into his workouts. It served as an early prototype for his future Universal Reformer exercise equipment that brought added resistance to the movements.
After the war, Pilates briefly returned to Germany before immigrating to the United States. During the ocean crossing, he met his future wife, Clara. Once the pair reached New York City, they opened their first fitness studio dedicated to Contrology. Clara, a former nurse, helped her husband to teach students and run the studio. It caught on quickly and included among its devotees famous dancers George Balanchine and Martha Graham. Balanchine brought some of his dancers to Pilates, including young ballerina Romana Kryzanowska who hoped to rehabilitate an injured ankle.
Return to Life Through Contrology, written by Pilates and William J. Miller, includes the original 34 exercises that Pilates taught to his students. The practice focuses on the core muscles in the abdomen, hips, and lower back to increase stability and reduce lower back pain. While some of the postures and movements are similar to yoga poses, Contrology is more strength-based than flexibility-based.
Proper breathing is a central tenet of the practice, with specific instructions accompanying each exercise for inhalation and exhalation. Breathwork in Contrology, similarly to yoga, is a vital part of the movements.
When we think of a modern Pilates studio, we often think of a jumble of platforms, straps, and loops that most of us can't fit in our homes. But the original training required no equipment at all. Based on the exercises that Pilates developed during his time as a prisoner of war, they use only body weight to improve strength and flexibility.
Pilates' philosophy of movement and breath has grown much more popular in the years since his death, with studios opening all over the world. Those who want to understand the foundations of the practice should study the exercises in Return to Life Through Contrology, where they can learn the fundamentals of the movements directly from the master himself.
'The improvement in my strength, mobility and fluidity is remarkable. However rusty your body feels, I urge you to give it a try.' - Dame Sheila Hancock
Learn how seated exercise can help you lead a happy, healthy and active life. All you need is somewhere to sit.
Is it possible to achieve peak physical health without a gym, workout equipment, or even space to run? If the exercise plan in 1945's Return to Life Through Contrology is followed, it may be. Written and compiled by Joseph H. Pilates and William J. Miller, this short exercise book demonstrates a series of movements at the core of what we now call simply Pilates. Before it became mainstream, the practice was called Contrology, and it was much simpler than its current, equipment-heavy iteration.
Creator Joseph Pilates was born in Germany, a sickly child who suffered from asthma and rheumatic fever, which caused joint and muscle pain. His father introduced him to gymnastics, body-building, and martial arts at a young age, and Pilates devoted the rest of his life to fitness and bodily health.
As a young man, Pilates was a body-builder and gymnast. After immigrating to England in 1912, he earned a living as a professional boxer and circus performer. He also trained police at Scotland Yard in self-defense.
When World War I broke out in 1914, anti-German sentiment reached a fever pitch, and many German citizens living in England were sent to internment camps. Pilates was among them. He spent nearly the entirety of the war as an internee, first at Lancaster Castle and then on the Isle of Man located between England and Northern Ireland.
During this time, Pilates spent his days training his fellow prisoners in wrestling and self-defense. And with no equipment at his disposal, Pilates began to develop his practice of Contrology, focused on bodyweight and mat exercises. Later, he incorporated his simple metal bed into his workouts. It served as an early prototype for his future Universal Reformer exercise equipment that brought added resistance to the movements.
After the war, Pilates briefly returned to Germany before immigrating to the United States. During the ocean crossing, he met his future wife, Clara. Once the pair reached New York City, they opened their first fitness studio dedicated to Contrology. Clara, a former nurse, helped her husband to teach students and run the studio. It caught on quickly and included among its devotees famous dancers George Balanchine and Martha Graham. Balanchine brought some of his dancers to Pilates, including young ballerina Romana Kryzanowska who hoped to rehabilitate an injured ankle.
Return to Life Through Contrology, written by Pilates and William J. Miller, includes the original 34 exercises that Pilates taught to his students. The practice focuses on the core muscles in the abdomen, hips, and lower back to increase stability and reduce lower back pain. While some of the postures and movements are similar to yoga poses, Contrology is more strength-based than flexibility-based.
Proper breathing is a central tenet of the practice, with specific instructions accompanying each exercise for inhalation and exhalation. Breathwork in Contrology, similarly to yoga, is a vital part of the movements.
When we think of a modern Pilates studio, we often think of a jumble of platforms, straps, and loops that most of us can't fit in our homes. But the original training required no equipment at all. Based on the exercises that Pilates developed during his time as a prisoner of war, they use only body weight to improve strength and flexibility.
Pilates' philosophy of movement and breath has grown much more popular in the years since his death, with studios opening all over the world. Those who want to understand the foundations of the practice should study the exercises in Return to Life Through Contrology, where they can learn the fundamentals of the movements directly from the master himself.
The surprising story of Pilates--the man and the method.
Part biography, part history, and part memoir, Caged Lion untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates's opaque life story and the perilous journey of his exercise program known the world over as Pilates.
This is the story of Joseph Pilates, a gifted man who immigrated to the United States at forty-three with no assets or credentials. He not only invented an exercise regimen--which today is practiced by more than ten million people--but in the process, reinvented himself.
John Howard Steel brings Joseph Pilates and his eponymous exercise regime to life from his unique perspective as a student, friend, and confidant. Joe's influence profoundly changed Steel's life; in turn, Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe's legacy. Steel's vivid account traces the expansion of Pilates from a small cadre of dedicated adherents, through two periods of near extinction, to the global sensation it is today. Steel describes Joseph Pilates's years as a prisoner during World War I, Joe's motivation to discover his system of exercises, his inspirational teaching technique, and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method. It's quite a story.
The surprising story of Pilates--the man and the method.
Part biography, part history, and part memoir, Caged Lion untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates's opaque life story and the perilous journey of his exercise program known the world over as Pilates.
This is the story of Joseph Pilates, a gifted man who immigrated to the United States at forty-three with no assets or credentials. He not only invented an exercise regimen--which today is practiced by more than ten million people--but in the process, reinvented himself.
John Howard Steel brings Joseph Pilates and his eponymous exercise regime to life from his unique perspective as a student, friend, and confidant. Joe's influence profoundly changed Steel's life; in turn, Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe's legacy. Steel's vivid account traces the expansion of Pilates from a small cadre of dedicated adherents, through two periods of near extinction, to the global sensation it is today. Steel describes Joseph Pilates's years as a prisoner during World War I, Joe's motivation to discover his system of exercises, his inspirational teaching technique, and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method. It's quite a story.
Demystify menopause and discover how Pilates and movement practices can empower your students who are at this stage of life with this expert guide. Drawing upon a wealth of experience, Dinah Siman aims to impassion Pilates and movement teachers to celebrate menopause and give confidence to support students during this transformative phase.
Teaching clients going through perimenopause requires some additional learning to ensure safety and encouragement to make the most of this new phase of life. Through real-life case studies, evidence-based information, and examples of Pilates-inspired movement exercises, you'll gain a working knowledge of menopause symptoms and terminology, understand the role of hormones, and learn about the positive impact that Pilates-inspired movement can have on students.
LEGENDARY HIP-HOP ARTIST CHUCK D has been touring the world for four decades, since his band Public Enemy put out their first album in 1987. Now, at age sixty-three, Chuck is frequently asked how he still manages to put on such high-energy performances so many years later. His response is simple: he practices Pilates, a form of exercise and body conditioning that has become increasingly popular over the last decade.
Chuck's appreciation for Pilates took a major leap in 2016 when he was setting out on a rigorous tour schedule with a powerful and energetic new band called Prophets of Rage (a supergroup including members of Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine). Over the next four years, the group would perform to more than two million people across the globe. As Chuck admits, he simply could not have delivered on such a massive level without his practice of Pilates.
In this volume, Chuck and his Pilates guru, Kathy Lopez, present the RAPilates program of more than thirty mat-based exercises for people of all ages and experiences. The exercises are beautifully illustrated in the inimitable style that Chuck has demonstrated in his previous books of visual art, including STEWdio and Summer of Hamn. Like those two books, RAPilates is published on Chuck's Enemy Books imprint, which is hosted by Akashic Books.
No matter your fitness level learning to do Pilates means going back to the basics. Teaching you core Pilates exercises with step-by-step guidance and easy sequences, Pilates for Beginners is the ultimate starter guide a confident at-home Pilates practice.
From your first time on the mat to finishing a complete sequence, this book develops your Pilates regimen with a progressive, easy-to-follow program. Complete with clear instructions, photographs, and tips to do the exercises right, this is your go-to reference to keep your body supple and mobile and add more life to your years.
This workout guide gives you all the information you need to make Pilates part of your daily routine with:
Pilates is a source of lifelong energy, strength, and flexibility for both your mind and body. Start building your practice and feel the difference with Pilates for Beginners!
Reduce stress, relieve pain, and improve your overall health with somatic exercise
Are you ready to relax, feel, and move better? Do you want to reduce anxiety, eliminate stress, and release tension in a healthy and natural way? Then grab a copy of Somatic Exercise For Dummies and start healing yourself from within!
In the book, renowned yoga, meditation and Pilates teacher Kristin McGee explains how you can use somatic exercise to strengthen the mind-body connection through movement. In simple, straightforward terms, the author explains exactly what somatic exercise is, how to do it, and what it can help you achieve. Learn to use breathwork, yoga, dance, Qigong, assisted movement, and more to help you with everything from your posture to flexibility and inner calm.
You'll:
Life is complicated. Wellness doesn't have to be! Get Somatic Exercise For Dummies to get started with one of the simplest, most effective, and fun ways to feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually better.
For more than 40 years, I have been involved with the method Joe and Clara Pilates shared with their students, called Contrology. I spent my life studying the exercises and the thread between the exercises. For over three decades, I have applied this knowledge as a teacher of clients, teachers, as well as teachers of teachers. I have had the gift and blessing to have studied under the best of Joe and Clara's students, some of whom they personally trained and certified to continue his legacy. Their goals were the same as mine: to define, clarify, share, protect and proliferate this body of work.
This book not only shares detailed, clear photos and instructions for the Pilates Mat work, as I personally teach, but also notes about how my teachers taught these exercises, both in their studios and in their teacher training programs. The book covers how Joe Pilates taught the work in his book and also what he verbally passed on and taught to his teachers Lolita San Miguel, Kathy Stanford Grant (through the eyes of Blossom Leilani Crawford), and Romana Kryzanowska (through the eyes of Kathryn Ross- Nash) and shares notes on those vantage points.
Each of these teachers instructs with a unique voice, perspective, and way of communicating. Although each of these teachers utilizes different models of the method, they all share a common thread. This book celebrates that thread, these incredible teachers, and the legacy Pilates has given us.
Bring Back the Strength, Agility, and Flexibility From Your Youth in Just 3 Weeks!
Do you feel like your body is just riddled with aches and pains?
Does it feel like you've been slowly losing your strength and can't accomplish much on your own anymore?
Are you ready to turn back the clock and regain your productivity?
Fitness instructor and personal trainer Baz Thompson knows exactly how hard it can be to have an aging body. Simply standing up after sitting on a chair can be such a struggle, especially with stiff hips and knees.
But, with his years of experience, he's put together easy wall pilates routines specially made for Seniors who want to bring back their strength and balance.
Easily improve your balance, muscle tone, and loosen up your stiff joints with these Pilates exercises that you can do right from the comfort of your home!
Here are just some things you will discover:
And so much more...
With exercises so easy, you won't have to worry about overexertion. You'll get results without putting your body through too much strain. It also doesn't matter if this is your first time trying to work out!
This is the perfect guide for any senior that wants to take back control of their life. After all, it's never too late to begin your fitness journey.
Don't Wait a Second Longer. Scroll Up, and Buy WALL PILATES FOR SENIORS Now Before the Price Changes.