Joseph H. Pilates was born in 1880 in Germany. A sickly child who devoted himself to overcome his physical limitations, by age 14 he had mastered gymnastics, skiing and skin diving. In 1912 he travelled to England where he worked as a circus performer, however, at the outbreak of WW1, he was interned with other German nationals. It was during this period of confinement that he developed and taught fellow prisoners his series of exercises based on a system of mind/body development. Those who performed Pilates exercises developed a strong immune system and managed to escape a deadly plague that killed many of the prisoners. Following the war, Joseph Pilates returned to Germany where he continued to develop his fitness system which he called The Art of Contrology, referring to the way it encourages the use of the mind to control the muscles. He immigrated to the U.S in 1923, and established The Pilates Studio in New York, where many of his first clients came from the world of dance. Today individuals of all levels of fitness, who seek to develop core strength, movement, efficiency and integration of body and mind, use Pilates.

"It is the mind itself which builds the body."

"In 10 sessions you'll feel the difference, in 20 you'll see the difference, in 30 you'll have a new body."

"Physical fitness is the prerequisite of happiness."

(Joseph Pilates 1880 - 1967)