Expert Pilates Classes in Oxfordshire









"Ideally, our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably, our will should not be determined by the reflex actions of our muscles"
"Never do 10 pounds of effort for a 5 pound movement"
"complete coordination of body, mind and spirit"
"You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions"
"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure."
"When all your muscles are properly developed, you will, as a matter of course, perform your work with minimum effort and maximum pleasure. "




HISTORY OF PILATES

As a child, plagued by rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever, Joseph Pilates sought ways to develop his frail body, which created his life long interest in body conditioning and physical culture. A native of Germany, he grew to become an accomplished skier, diver, gymnast and boxer. While he was interned in England during World War I, because of his German citizenship, Joseph became a nurse. His experiments in resistance, using springs attached to a hospital bed, strengthened immobilized patients.



Joseph's revolutionary discoveries led him to design the Mat exercises and the Universal Reformer, which became the foundation of Pilates. In 1926, Joseph moved to the U.S. with his exercise system, which has grown in sophistication and popularity until today.