What is the Classical Pilates Method?
As someone who feels very fortunate to have started my own Pilates journey at the original Pilates studio in New York City – as close to the source as was possible - and who has committed to a deep exploration of Joseph Pilates’ original work for nearly 40 years, this question remains a challenge to answer. Is it a collection of interesting, unusual exercises? A group of unique pieces of equipment? Is it simply a philosophical idea? Or more? To me, it is definitely all that and more. Much, much more! But how do you describe it?
When the concepts of tensegrity and bio-tensegrity became more widespread, familiar, and understood, (early 2000s) a major light bulb went off for me. In nature, the organic integrity of an entity is created by all parts being suspended in a connective force of energy. Picture our solar system. Is it a random set of rocks haphazardly floating around in space? No, it’s a complete “system” of planets organized around a center via a suspension force of connectivity. In this way, it becomes a singular whole - separated from other planets, stars, and galaxies by its organic connection and wholeness. Remove or change any one part of this perfect design, and all its parts must reflect that change. Its integrity is altered. You can’t simply remove the earth and have the solar system continue as it once was. It would have to entirely reorganize into a new structure, and it would end up being something else altogether. A totally different system. Every single atom of it would be affected by this change. It’s a singular, complete, integrated whole, created by the suspension of its parts in a tensile force.
To me the classical Pilates method is this – a complete, integrated whole – a bio-tensegrity method! It’s an organically evolved, uniquely designed collection of whole-body exercises using specialized equipment, all held together by a powerful organizing force – its philosophy. Change any one aspect of this singular entity and you dissipate its integrity and power. It was developed over decades of exploration and creativity, by a singular mind, to achieve a particular result – full body health through complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.
The human body itself is a bio-tensegrity structure. Joseph Pilates innately understood this truth long before the term was even coined. And he knew deep in his cells that the body’s ideal health existed in the balanced suspension of all its parts integrated within one single entity. He then went about developing a systematic approach to enabling this journey back to tensegrity. His method comprises incredibly unique and specifically designed whole-body movements, and perfectly engineered equipment that, step-by-step, when used correctly and done as he described, produces whole-body health - “returns” the body to life.
A key hallmark of the “classical” Pilates method is the set order in which the exercises are performed. In addition, the exercises are done with a steady rhythm and tempo. To keep the sequence at a rhythmical pace requires set transitions to enable smooth, continual flow between the successive movements without losing the beat – or the breath. This ensures that your heart rate is raised, deep heat is generated within the entire body, and oxygen is truly pumped through and absorbed by every cell. This is the way the method achieves its goal of deep cleaning the body and then rejuvenating it – the “internal shower” Mr. Pilates speaks so enthusiastically about in his book “Return to Life.”
He writes, “The exercises have stirred your sluggish circulation into action and to performing its duty more effectively in the matter of discharging through the bloodstream the accumulation of fatigue-products created by muscular and mental activities. … Soon the entire body is abundantly charged with fresh oxygen.”
What makes the Pilates method so powerful and effective IS its systematic approach perfectly designed to achieve an explicit and unique goal. That goal is to steadily and methodically return the body back to the way it is inherently designed. The consistent repetition of the form over and over again, is what enables the practitioner to dive deeper into their own personal movement habits to rebuild better ones until they become the body’s deeply-wired automatic and natural choice.
If poor habits are to be changed it’s essential that the body is not in constant learning mode. Constantly experimenting with novel exercises or creative movements prevents the powerful changes Pilates is designed to create. If you are always learning something new, your body never gets to fully absorb the correct one.
It is only through this process that the human body begins to move with automatic primal choices, just like a wild animal or baby. The exercises, the order, the sequences done on the right equipment, at tempo, repeated and repeated and repeated, enable the client to get a much deeper mind/body innate connection and understanding of how to move healthily.
Embrace the design of the classical Pilates method. The form’s strict, premeditated, calculated, intentional approach is actually provocative. It challenges the practitioner to dive deeper into its meaning and value. Its repetitive form can actually wake up the power in you.
As Romana Kryzanowksa, one of Joseph Pilates’ main protégées, often said, “Pilates was a genius of the body!” George Balanchine, himself a genius of movement, agreed wholeheartedly. In fact, he coined the phrase. I believe this too. I am absolutely not a genius. I simply strive to better understand his genius. I’ve been working on this since 1987. Are you a genius of the body? If so, great. Create your own system and call it by your name. Do not change something you really don’t understand. Strive to understand it instead.
Amy Taylor Alpers is a Co-Founder of The Pilates Center (TPC) and started The Pilates Center Teacher Training Program (TPCTTP) in 1990. She is based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. You can join Amy for her Australian tour with PilatesITC. To find out more visit here.
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