THE PILATES PRINCIPLES

At the Pilates Method Alliance held in Denver, Colorado in November 2003, the Pilates principles were defined for the first time in a professional conference in the Pilates field. The lecture given by master teachers Dianne Miller from Vancouver and Debra Lessen from New York had its foundation in Joseph Pilates’ philosophical treatise “Return to Life Through Contrology”, published in 1945.

The Pilates Principles are:

• Whole body health
• Whole body commitment
• Breath

These principles are the foundation of Joseph Pilates’s work.

Execution of the Pilates exercises require:

• Breathing
• Balanced muscle development
• Concentration
• Control
• Centering
• Precision
• Rhythm

Properly performed, the Pilates exercises become the vehicle for realizing the full potential of the work.

The results of this discipline are:

• Self-awareness
• Efficient movement
• Coordination
• Strength
• Mobility
• Flowing movement
• Rejuvenation
• Improved posture

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind, fully capable of naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.”

Joseph Pilates