What Pilates is and what it is not.
By Esperanza Aparicio and Javier Pérez.
“The work done by J. H. Pilates with his method endured in its original form throughout the lifetime of its creator. Clara Pilates and Romana Kryzanowska have continued his work to the present day, helping thousands of individuals, understanding the work of this genius and applying “his original method”, the product of a lifetime of research and observation of the natural functioning of the human body, together with the corroboration of the results. His work has endured in a revolutionary way to this day because it is perfect.
The thing about a masterpiece is that nothing needs to be added to it or taken away from it; every detail is necessary, because it has its place in the whole. As J.H. Pilates said, “Why not aim high instead of settling for mediocrity”. Put in this way, it might seem that it is a closed, orthodox and hermetic system, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Pilates method is the opposite of the above definitions. Like any science and any art, to understand and study it requires a lot of humility, continuous and deep study and a lot of practice with common sense. And like every method, technique or science, it has its own laws, formulas, principles, concepts, etc.
Nowadays there are countless controversies about what can be considered as the authentic Pilates method. These controversies have a common factor: that of confusing the public and a clear economic interest, taking advantage of the good and popular name that the Pilates method enjoys. There can be no controversy about this, as the authentic tradition and history of the method alone demonstrate the futility of these controversies.
The Pilates method and the Pilates studios are named after its inventor, Joseph Hubertus Pilates, therefore, like all art, it is named after its creator to designate the work he did. The Pilates method should designate the exercises, principles, concepts, etc., invented and practised by its creator, therefore any modification, which there are thousands of (and we are not exaggerating), addition, mixture, variation and alteration of the order of the exercises themselves and, what is very important, the objective of the same, is simply something else and not the Pilates method.
At a time when the fitness industry is constantly pushing new, innovative and miraculous trends into the market, the Pilates method continues to be a formula with proven and undisputed results. It uses a range of equipment that the fitness industry has clearly seen through marketing to generate strong revenues. This industry has launched the idea of the Pilates method together with the training of teachers in the method to their financial measures according to an elaborate plan, so that there are numerous teacher training trends on the market that have turned the word Pilates into a hybrid; an infinite number of styles, mixtures and derivatives, where almost all claim to be the most authentic, in addition to the strength of the media, unserious and equally interested.
Finally, there are also trends that explain that they have updated and improved the Pilates method because, according to them, it has become obsolete. With a little common sense, the logical thing to change something, be it a technique or a method, is to know it very well; you cannot change something that you do not know or that you know superficially. This is pure pretence.
If you are familiar with the Pilates method, you will understand that the human body has been walking, working and moving with the same joints, number of bones and muscles for thousands of years. The method created by J. H. Pilates is based on this natural movement of the human being by means of exercises created and verified by himself, which results in his work. The human being, as a physical body, has not changed. And the hundreds of exercises designed by this genius continue today to help thousands of people to improve with the method as he created it. When someone knows this method well, he knows that the only thing that can improve is his personal practice and his teachings to others, in the case of being a teacher. The big question is: Why do they continue to call the Pilates method what even Pilates himself would not recognise as his method as it is practised and taught today? You can consult his books, photographs, films and the testimonials of people who have been with him, why, if what they are teaching in many places is so wonderful, do they not call it by the name of the one who has “improved and updated” it? The answer is clear, they need the good name of the method and the humble and constant work over many years of teachers who have brought the name of Pilates to where it is today.
Time puts everything in its place”.”
Thank you teachers for so much.
Aparicio, E. Pérez, J. (2017). The authentic Pilates method. Barcelona, Editorial Planeta S. A.
https://www.casadellibro.com/libro-el-autentico-metodo-pilates-el-arte-del-control/9788427039629/2054871
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