Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. A sickly child, he had ambitions to be a gymnast, athlete, circus performer.........all of which he realised.

He discovered that if he drew his navel to his spine while attempting exercises then he felt stronger, and he developed a series of exercises over many years in many places, including an Isle of Man internment camp where he was held during WWI as a foreign National (and where no-one was lost to the flu outbreak, due, Pilates thought, to his breathing system). It is said that he refused an offer to train Hitler's army and went to New York, where he met his wife-to-be Clara, on the crossing and set up a studio devoted to his "contrology" exercise system, of mat work routines and machine work, in the same building as the New York Ballet company. He helped rehabilitate the injured dancers and they influenced his exercise method, imbueing the movements with a poise and grace which pays dividends in sound movement patterns and good postural models. The classic mat exercises demand a degree of core stability and strength which is beyond most of us starting as beginners today.

So what does it look like? A mat work class looks a bit like a yoga class but the breathing is quite different. Some of the exercises are done standing, some lying down, some on all fours, some sitting.

Body Control Pilates™ has taken Joseph Pilates classic mat work exercises and used physiotherapy exercises to devise a method which is accessible to all. Their teacher training courses are thorough and extensive, demanding a knowledge of anatomy and teaching skills, as well as an expertise in the demonstration of the exercises. There are written and practical examinations, and a lengthy teaching apprenticeship to experienced teachers.