Pilates, working from the inside out.

If you’re new to Pilates, you must be asking, “What is Pilates?”  So let me tell you a little about how Pilates was born.

The exercise system Pilates came from the German born Joseph Pilates who was born in 1883.  Joseph was a child who suffered from many illnesses such as rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever and he committed himself to improving his physical health.  He worked on a wide range of exercises from bodybuilding, gymnastics, to yoga, improving his overall strength to such a standard that by the age of 14 he was posing for anatomical charts.

In 1925, Joseph moved to the United States and on the ship bound for America he met his wife.  They both opened a studio teaching students ‘Contrology’ a form of exercise combining the mind to control muscles, focusing on core postural muscles that help to keep the body balanced, providing support for the spine.  Pilates exercises teach you to combine breathing, spinal alignment and strengthen the deep abdominal muscles.

Due to their experience, their exercises built flexibility and strength and Joseph and his wife Clara soon developed a following in the dance and performing arts community with well known dancers sending their students to Joseph and Clara for training and rehabilitation and the Pilates method was soon practiced by ballerinas.

We have been teaching Pilates from our studio on a one to one basis and a class environment since 2000, which was the very first Pilates Studio in Wales.  Pilates is a fundamental part of fitness and health which forms a foundation of all the exercises we teach our clients.  We work alongside Physiotherapists and Chiropractors in helping clients attain a strong, healthy and mobile back. 

“The Pilates Method of Body Conditioning is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.”  Joseph Pilates.