And he was so right, half a century after his death his legacy is alive and well and Pilates as it is now called is practiced worldwide by up to 10 million people, celebs, athletes, dancers and the general public all benefiting for its many benefits.
The Regular Practice of Pilates and use of the Pilates equipment strengthens the whole body, with an emphasis on the core muscles (primarily the abdominals and inner thighs to support the back). A favourite saying of Joseph Pilates about his mat work “People must
“get the mat work in their bodies”
He designed his apparatus and equipment as facilitators and to make it less laboursome on the teacher as evident in this excerpt from an interview he did in 1946.
“I invented all these machines. I thought, why use my strength? So, I made a machine to do it for me. Look, you see it resists your movement in just the right way so those long inner muscles really have to work against it. That is why you can concentrate on movement.”
Joseph Pilates understood that the eccentric and concentric resistance provided by the springs improved proprioceptive feedback, and keeps the body active and working throughout the movement. Therefore, the Reformer becomes the teacher with its constant feedback, it guides the body through difficult movements making them possible, it teaches the desired movement quality needed in Pilates practice: full-bodied effort, length and lift, and opposition. We must stay constantly present otherwise the springs will quickly remind us – sometimes with a clang– that they we need to stay engaged and not let the mind wander off, mindful practice is essential for good practice.
The Pilates Mat can be very difficult for people to master in the beginning so the apparatus helps the body to move correctly, they help optimal positioning and give just the right amount of support and resistance when needed much like the teacher’s hand.
