From sickly child to a name synonymous with health and wellness, here is a brief history of Joseph H. Pilates, Contrology and what we now know as ‘The Pilates Method’.

Joseph H. Pilates was a genius ahead of his time. He was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, in 1883. A child of fragile health, suffering from rickets, asthma, and rheumatic fever, he devoted his entire life to the classical notion of the ideal man with a well-trained body and mind. He studied martial arts, yoga, and tai chi, and later became a boxer, gymnast, and skier.

In pursuit of this goal, he participated in boxing, fencing, wrestling, and gymnastics with his brother and father, a well-known gymnast. His mother was also a valuable influence; she was a naturalist (now a homeopath). Germany was fertile ground for these explorations at the turn of the 20th century, with many revolutionary leaders in movement science, dance, and psychology working there.

During the First World War, Mr. Pilates was held as a resident alien in an internment camp on the Isle of Man. At the time, Western medicine was in its infancy and relied heavily on morphine and bed rest, which led to muscle atrophy, loss of aerobic capacity, and a weakened immune system. He was fascinated by the movements of the camp's starving cats, which were always agile and stretched throughout the day, unlike the humans around them. He took it upon himself to lead his fellow inmates in a daily exercise program. He was proud to report that during the 1918 influenza epidemic, none of the inmates who followed his program became ill. He received attention and praise from the camp leadership and contributed to the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers by exercising every part of the body they could move. It turned out that the soldiers treated by Mr. Pilates healed more quickly and were able to avoid secondary infections that killed others in similar circumstances. This experience helped him design his first device with springs attached to the headboard to increase tension and build strength, later nicknamed the "Cadillac" by one of Mr. Pilates's clients in the 1940s, after the American luxury car of the time.

After his release, Mr. Pilates returned to Germany and collaborated with leading dance and exercise experts, such as Rudolf Laban. In Hamburg, he also trained police officers. Urged to train members of the German army, he left his native country, disillusioned with the political and social conditions, and emigrated to the United States. During the ship trip, he met his wife, Clara. She was a nurse and became his devoted partner in business and life. In 1926, Mr. and Mrs. Pilates arrived in New York City and rented a small studio in the same building as the New York City Ballet on 8th Avenue. They taught what Mr. Pilates called "Controlology" to numerous clients, primarily dancers and artists referred to him for rehabilitation after injury. The exercise program builds flexibility, strength, and endurance using equipment invented by Mr. Pilates himself, who filed 26 patents in his name. Soon after word spread that ballerinas were frequenting the Pilates 8th Avenue gym, high society women followed, and the Pilates method grew in popularity until his death in 1967 at the age of 84. Mrs. Pilates continued to run the studio with her student Romana Kryzanowska until her death 10 years later. Ms. Kryzanowska standardised The Pilates Method with investors and launched the first teacher training program in the United States, and was known for being as strict as Mr. Pilates himself, combining breath with rigorous classical movements.

Many famous artists were followers of the Pilates method, such as George Balanchine, Eve Gentry, Martha Graham, Kathy Grant, Lolita San Miguel, and Mary Bowen, many of whom went on to become Pilates teachers themselves. Ron Fletcher is credited with first bringing Pilates to the West Coast on March 17, 1971, with the blessing of Clara Pilates. He opened a studio in Beverly Hills at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard. Thanks to these elders who worked directly with Joseph Pilates, the original principles were maintained, and the Pilates name is now universally known. Many famous artists were followers of the Pilates method, such as George Balanchine, Eve Gentry, Martha Graham, Kathy Grant, Lolita San Miguel, and Mary Bowen, many of whom went on to become Pilates teachers themselves. Ron Fletcher is credited with first bringing Pilates to the West Coast on March 17, 1971, with the blessing of Clara Pilates. He opened a studio in Beverly Hills, at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard, and Hollywood's elite quickly became loyal clients. Thanks to these elders who worked directly with Joseph Pilates, the original principles were maintained, and the Pilates name is now universally known.