The Classical Pilates Method follows Joseph Pilates’s original work and vision toward returning people back to health through Contrology (the actual name of Pilates).
With so many Pilates methods on the market, any new Pilates practitioner needs to know that Pilates has an origin – The Classical Pilates Method.
Classical Pilates teachers go through rigorous training of 950hrs for 12 to 18 months. They train their eyes to see each body’s energy lines through observation and practice teaching. Personal practice is also needed to embody the work. As a result, they can immediately spot any student’s imbalances and bring that information to the student’s attention so that they recognize their pattern themselves and take ownership of their body and mind.
Joseph Pilates created 500 + exercises on all his equipment and The Mat in the Classical Pilates repertoire.
The Tower
The Chair
The Ladder Barrel
The Ped o Pull
The Foot corrector
The Spine corrector
The Toe gizmo and a few more accessories.
As we learned above, his vision was health – whether it was to return his students to their careers after an injury, like dancing or playing the violin. Or to help build strength and correct wrong posture.
All these equipment and accessories he invented were tools he used to bridge the gap of what he saw was missing in that particular body. His dedication was incredible!
Out of this equipment and accessories, The reformer and The Mat have a traditional sequence that The Classical Pilates Method continues to follow as guidelines to evaluate the student’s body awareness, capability, and concentration as Joseph Pilates would have. After all, it was his method, and he had cured so many students. When taught well, there’s no need to create new exercises because the body will intuitively reconnect to its center, as mentioned in his book, Return to Life through Contrology. It is still applicable, if not more, in the 21st century.
” The only unchanging rules you must conscientiously obey are that you must always faithfully and without deviation follow the instructions accompanying the exercises and always keep the mind wholly concentrated on the purpose of the exercises as you perform them.” Pilates’ Return to Life Through Contrology originally published in 1945 as: Return to Life Through Contrology by Joseph H.Pilates and William John Miller.
If you want to dive deep into your body, I welcome you to start your Classical Pilates practice.
https://www.onlymyhealth.com/classical-pilates-training-know-how-is-it-different-from-others-forms-of-pilates-1571548762
https://thecore.balancedbody.com/tag/classical-pilates/
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/fitness-wellbeing/a26342380/classical-pilates/
https://flexhk.com/blog/what-is-classical-pilates/
