An inventor, and a German-American immigrant, Joseph Hubertus Pilates arrived New York in the 1920s. He created the pilates movement during his time as a nurse in the concentration camps in Europe. He took the springs of the spring bed frames as the first pieces of his equipment. By allowing his patients to lie down on their backs, he helped bedridden people to find renewed mobility and to restore their strengths while rehabilitating in these old world care wards. His immigration to the USA, begun his final career -- teaching the New York dance community his ideology about movement and dance rehabilitation. The original Joseph Pilates studio at Eighth Avenue still stands today and continues to teach the original pilates method under the direction of former New York dancer, our friend, Roberta. [Learn more about United Pilates studio partnerships like Rolates Pilates est. in New York, 1938.]  

Through the years of creating the Contrology repertoire and equipment, Joseph Pilates taught his concepts on body movement through these principles, called Contrology. His Contrology teachings and thought leaderships were instilled then, through a well-regarded eldership/apprenticeship method, and are still shared amongst the entire pilates teaching communities and schools today. These are the guiding principles of positive pilates training: Breath, Concentration, Centering, Control, Precision, and Flow. 

His original method remains as a purist methodology that is taught through structured apprenticeship and coursework, whilst his evolved movement is taught through various schools with modern understanding and customization to different demographics and science or spiritual leading. Joseph Pilates believed in awakening the mind and body through movement of the whole-body -- what we know and define today as a mind-body science known as somatics.  

United Pilates teaches the comprehensive method that includes the pure pilates method, known as Contrology -- which is dynamic and powerful in movement to enable strength conditioning -- in addition, to the researched method and innovative movements influenced by contemporary pilates teachers through the power of an increasing body of knowledge, known as body mechanics and sports medicine, and a defined understanding of somatics.

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