The Pilates exercise method is named after its inventor, Joseph Hubertus Pilates, who was born December 9, 1883 in Monchengladbach, Germany. Joseph Pilates was a sickly child who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. From an early age, Pilates devoted himself to improving his physical strength and overcame his frailty and handicaps through consistent physical activity and sheer determination. Pilates trained in boxing, swimming, skiing, gymnastics, tai c

hi and yoga.

In 1912, Pilates traveled to England to compete as a boxer. During WW-I,

Pilates was interned as an “enemy alien” along with other German nationals on the Isle of Mann. During his internment, Pilates started to formulate the basic principles of his exercise system, which he originally called “Controlology”.

When Pilates began assisting with the rehabilitation of ill and physically-injured detainees, he devised equipment to aid in the rehabilitation process by taking springs from hospital beds and rigging them to create resistance exercise regimens for the bedridden. This equipment was the forerunner of the Reformer as we know it today.

In 1926 Pilates immigrated to America with his wife Clara and founded his first Pilates studio in the same building as the New York City Ballet. His students included Martha Graham, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Katherine Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier. Joseph Pilates exercised and instructed to the last day of his life in early October 1967.

Today millions of people around the world – including professional athletes, celebrities, rehab patients, and everyone in between – reap the benefits of a regular Pilates practice. The benefits of Pilates include: longer, leaner muscles; increased core strength; increased stability and peripheral mobility; heightened body awareness; and improved balance and coordination. Pilates enhances other methods of exercise and improves athletic performance.

9th & 9th Pilates uses the STOTT PILATES® method, which is a contemporary and progressive approach to the original Pilates exercise method. STOTT PILATES® incorporates modern principles of exercise science and spinal rehabilitation, making STOTT PILATES® one of the safest and most effective Pilates methods available, with the highest standards for training and certification. STOTT PILATES® focuses on maintaining or regaining an ideal postural alignment of the body, which includes the natural curves of the spine.