Pilates was created by Joseph H.Pilates around 1918. He was a touring boxer when World War 1 broke out. He was held as an alien in an intermentant camp where he created an exercise regimen. Joe helped his patients over come influenza and got the attention of the camp leaders. After Joe was released from the camp, He returned to his home country of Germany where a new political group called "brown shirts " or Nazi's had requested he help train their police force. Joe wanted nothing to do with them, so he left on a boat for America. While on the overseas passage Joe met his soon-to-be wife Clara. Clara was a nurse and became a lifelong partner of Joe. They arrived in New York City in 1926. There they rented a small studio, which shared the same building as the New York Ballet. Joe began teaching what he called "Contrology". He began making a great impression on the dance community for rehabilitation and injuries. Joe's studio was destroyed by fire in 1967 and he died not long after from smoke inhalation complications. Clara carried on teaching until her death in 1977. Joe trained many people who carried on the practice of Pilates and have made it what it is today... a household name.

Pilates is made up of 9 basic principles:
1. Breathing
2. Concentration
3. Control
4. Centering
5. Precision
6. Balanced Muscle Development
7. Rhythm/Flow
8. Whole Body Movement
9. Relaxation

Pilates has morphed over the past 100 years. We know alot more anatomically about our bodies than Joe did back in 1926. Therefore exercises at Personal Pilates keep anatomy in mind and teach exercises based on the way your body is made to move and can move. I do not teach from a classical view of imprinting your spine fully in the mat or moving in "Pilates stance “. It is my belief through my training that most people anatomically have a small natural curve in their lumbar spine. My goal is to help you where you are in life, whether a runner, golfer, tennis player, young mom, professional or retiree. I want you to get the most benefit out of Pilates to help your body be as fit, strong and flexible as you can be. You do not have to be coordinated, that will come. You do not have to have a fitness base, we will develop one. You do have to be willing to try new things and be challenged.

At Personal Pilates I will teach you through 1. Verbal cueing- explaining how to execute the exercise and what muscles need to engage or "turn off". 2. Visual- Modeling the exercise when necessary or giving you mental pictures to help you clarify what I am trying to convey about the movement. 3. Manual- I will use the sense of touch to cue the client to engage certain muscle groups or bring awareness to an area that needs to not be used. All three combined to the client’s comfort level will give you the optimum use of learning Pilates.