Margo Aramian Ragan
When is a Cadillac not a car, or a reformer, not a person bent on changing things? If you answered that these words describe apparatus developed by Joseph Pilates, you are clearly in the know regarding the fitness world. But for those of us who are on a learning curve with regard to this exciting form of exercise, come with me as I talk with June Hines, owner of June Hines Pilates studios in Doylestown and Rydal as she opens up the world of classical Pilates to me.
June came to Pilates through her interest in dance. “I have a Bachelor and Master's degree in Fine Arts from the University of Oklahoma.” June says. “My background is in modern dance and ballet so I was keenly aware of the stresses and strains we place on our bodies. A dancer has to be in tune with her body because that is how she expresses herself in her art.”
In college June did have an introduction to Pilates when she studied with a college professor who had taught with Joseph Pilates and Romana Kryzanowska. She informs me that these are two names which are renowned in the Pilates world, Joseph for being the developer and creator of classical Pilates, and Romana, for being one of his protégés who has gone on to teach the Pilates method.
Joseph Pilates lived a fascinating life. His early years in his native Germany were characterized by illness—rickets, asthma, and rheumatic fever left him with a weakened body. But Pilates was determined to improve his physical health, using the classical Greek model as his standard. His father, a prize-winning gymnast, and his mother, a strong believer in stimulating the body without drugs, encouraged their son in his quest for physical fitness. He was extremely successful in developing his body through a specific regimen of breathing and exercise, touring Europe as a boxer, circus performer, and self-defense trainer.
In 1912, Pilates found himself in England, but when World War I broke out, he was interned as an enemy combatant and sent to internment camps. His particular assignment was to care for wounded German soldiers. For Pilates this was an excellent opportunity to use the exercises that he had once used on his own weakened body to now rehabilitate others.
The hospital bed with its pulleys and springs inspired him to create what his own clients have called the Cadillac. Statistically the hospitalized German soldiers who had been treated by Pilates became healthier and stronger than their counterparts who did not undergo Pilates training. Thus encouraged by these results, Pilates returned to Germany after the war was over, and began to teach what he called “contrology,” a program to elongate and align the body for ease and efficiency of movement through more than 500 exercises.
Pilates would have remained in Germany had the government not pressed him to work his training concepts with German soldiers. At that point, Pilates decided to emigrate from Germany to the United States, meeting his future wife and lifelong partner in fitness, Clara, on the same ship that brought them to New York. They opened a studio in New York City, and quickly attracted the attention of dancers who were suffering from some form of injury. Famous names such as Martha Graham and George Balanchine sought out Pilates, and the movement gained traction.
To finish reading this story go to page 129 in the Fall 2012 issue of Bucks County Magazine.