What’s so special about Pilates?
There’s a lot of misunderstanding out there in the world as to what Pilates actually is (I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked if it’s just a core workout, stretching, strength training, or a weight loss tool), so I thought I’d put together a post explaining what it actually is, and what the aims are.
A very brief history:
German ex-prizefighting boxer Joseph Pilates created the Contrology method in the early 20th century, having been detained in England as an alien enemy upon the outbreak of the First World War. While incarcerated, he took influence from various modalities including boxing, yoga and calisthenics, as well as scientific research and the movement patterns of animals, all to develop a system that would help detainees remain fit and healthy. After the war, he relocated to the USA where he and his wife Clara set up their studio in New York and worked until their deaths in 1967 and 1977 respectively. A number of Pilates’ former students went on to set up their own teachings, now referred to as lineages, leading us to the present-day version of Pilates as we know it. The history is truly fascinating; I strongly recommend reading Caged Lion by John Howard Steel, a former student of Joseph and Clara’s who was instrumental in ensuring the Contrology method (later renamed Pilates) continued.
Mind-body connection
Joseph Pilates believed that modern life, with its poor posture, sedentary habits and stress, was the root cause of many physical and mental ailments. He intended for Contrology to help people attain ‘complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit’ through a daily practice that would help them to reclaim their natural vitality, develop balanced strength, and move with ease throughout their lives. The system was designed to correct misalignment, restore natural movement patterns and cultivate a deep connection between physical health and mental wellbeing.
Furthermore, Pilates saw movement as a form of self-mastery. His method was intended to educate the body, encouraging efficiency over effort for effort’s sake, all with the ultimate aim of creating strength and flexibility, mental clarity, resilience, and overall health. He wanted people to use their bodies, breathe well, stand tall, and live fully, both during sessions and in everyday life. Read Joseph Pilates’ published works, Your Health and Return to Life Through Contrology, to find out more.
Learn how to move
Pilates teachers use precise cueing that is grounded in anatomy. Rather than simply telling you what to do during an exercise, you are told exactly how to move through controlled muscular engagement. It looks at how everything connects, how you support your weight, how you breathe, how you initiate movement, and how you respond to load, gravity and space.
In a session, you’ll work through exercises that might seem simple on the surface yet reveal a lot when executed with precision. You’re encouraged to deeply tune into your body and notice what’s happening; which parts of your body want to help too much, which parts are hard to access, how your body is organising itself around the task. Over time, as you go further into your practice and gain awareness, Pilates helps you to tune into your body so that movement becomes more efficient, coordinated and sustainable.
Pilates is taught as a system across the mat and a range of large apparatus including (but certainly not limited to) the Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair and Ladder Barrel. The apparatus provides instant feedback as to how your body is working, provides support and resistance, and also enables you to access different elements of the work to help you make progress elsewhere. One example is the BASI version of Long Spine on the Reformer, where the aim is to keep the carriage completely still as you lift and lower your legs and spine: if the carriage moves, this means you’re over- or under-activating somewhere in your body, indicating you need to pay closer attention. Meanwhile, if you struggle with Teaser on the Reformer (a notoriously tricky exercise), the Tower version provides support as you lift, so you can focus more deeply on exactly how your body is moving before you take that knowledge back to the Reformer.
Pilates as collaboration
Another interesting thing about Pilates, particularly in a private or semi-private setting, is that the teacher-student relationship is a collaborative one.
Yes, the teacher is giving the client work and providing corrections. However, in order to truly make progress, the client needs to do more than simply perform the exercises; they need to take ownership of their practice and be honest with themself in terms of how the work feels. If the exercises feel easy, they should focus more carefully (or tell their teacher), as the likelihood is they’re not quite engaging from the right place. It’s not like going for a run or lifting weights; if a client just goes through the motions, they likely won’t get the full range of benefits. It might seem like the teacher is being pedantic by cueing extremely specific details like hand position, eye line, head placement, and so on, but there’s a reason for everything. It’s full body and mind integration.
You get back what you put in
Essentially, with Pilates, it’s on you. If you want to truly make progress and feel the difference elsewhere in life, you need to concentrate, tune into your body deeply and really pay attention to your teacher’s cues and adjustments. Pilates requires every single part of your body to be engaged, from head to toe, and you should be concentrating so hard that you cannot think about anything else! If you want to exercise in a more relaxed, easygoing way with less of an emphasis on details, it might be that other modalities are better suited to you. And that’s ok! But this level of detail and precision is exactly what proper Pilates is all about.
The impact of Pilates practice outside the studio
As per Joseph Pilates’ intentions with Contrology, the effects don’t stop at the end of a session. Done consistently and with focus, Pilates influences how you move through the rest of your life; you begin to notice how you’re standing while waiting for the kettle to boil, how you sit at your desk, how you reach for something off a high shelf or carry your shopping home. The quality of your movement improves across the board.
For those involved in sport, the impact can be profound. Runners often find that their gait becomes more efficient, with reduced impact through the joints. Cyclists may notice better control around the hips and less tension in the shoulders. Dancers, martial artists, swimmers (and anyone else who relies on precise, repeatable movement patterns) can use Pilates to identify and address imbalances, protect against injury, and improve performance by refining how force is generated and absorbed through the body.
Equally, many people come to Pilates because they’re dealing with pain or discomfort. Lower back pain is a common concern, as are neck and shoulder issues, knee and hip problems and postural fatigue. While Pilates isn’t a replacement for medical treatment, it can be an effective part of a broader management plan, working to re-educate movement patterns and build strength in a balanced way, which can reduce strain on vulnerable areas. For example, someone who habitually overuses their hip flexors and quads might, over time, learn to engage more from the posterior chain, leading to less tension and better support through the pelvis and spine.
More broadly, Pilates offers a way to build awareness and resilience. The fact that the practice demands your full attention can, in turn, instil a sense of clarity and focus that lasts long after the session is over; indeed, many people report feeling calmer, more energised and lighter in mood afterwards. Pilates can bring about better posture, less pain, more ease, more strength, improved performance, deeper breath and clearer mental focus. The cumulative effect of these small, precise shifts can be life changing.
