Joseph Pilates' top ten quotes : and what they mean
Loads of people have heard about the benefits of Joseph Pilates’ exercises, but not so many are familiar with the brilliant and sometimes revolutionary things he said.
For a chap who was born in the late 1800s, his turn of phrase, and meaning, often feel very now.
I’ve curated my top ten Joe Pilates quotes for you here. And added a little context and explanation too. Plus this blog features two amazing and rare photos of the man himself.
So for all you guys who love an inspirational quote, and who love Pilates — look out! Inspirational Pilates quotes incoming. :)
1. “Change happens through movement and movement heals.”
Joseph Pilates was pretty unwell as a child, fighting various illnesses including rickets, asthma and rheumatic fever. He embarked on a mission to re-build his health, with disciplines including yoga, zen meditation and the rigorous exercise regimes of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
In short, it worked. And by his teens Joe was a diving, skiing and gymnastics ace. He moved to England in 1912 where he worked as a boxer and circus performer. That’s right, a circus performer.
Drawing on all this knowledge and experience, Joe developed ‘Controlology’, the form of exercise now known as Pilates.
To look at Joe in the two beautiful old photos featured here, you would never guess that he was so unwell as a youngster. The family snap above is of Joe (centre) his wife Clara (right) and his niece Jeanne (left). He’s clearly not in his twenties here, but he is in ace shape.
‘Movement Medicine’ is the strap line for one of the world’s leading Pilates institutes, the APPI (where I trained as an instructor).
And in light of Pilates’ origins, it’s bang on. The APPI method teaches Joe Pilates’ original suite of exercises, updated with the latest research in physiotherapy. Movement medicine indeed!
*Images are courtesy of Joseph Pilates’ great niece, Marsha Brady, and Jonathan Grubb of Joseph's Legacy - Pilates 100 +.
2. “Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit.”
Pilates is so much more than building a super strong core, comfy posture, and some nicely toned muscle.
Because we connect each movement with breath, the exercises and stretches can be deeply relaxing for the body, calming the mind.
And as we strive for greater precision and control in our movements, developing a discipline, we also add something to our character.
People often ask at the end of a Lark Pilates class if I have trained in mindfulness. I haven’t.
And until recently, I’ve been a bit…not skeptical exactly, though probably not fully appreciative of the benefits of mindfulness. But over these last few strange years, with all the overwhelming things life has thrown at us, taking time to quiet our minds and focus on the here and now, feels like an essential life skill.
It’s one I’m committed to practicing, and I include in all my Pilates classes too.
If you’re looking for a relaxing and strengthening form of exercise, consider Pilates for relaxation. Here’s a blog I wrote about it all.
And I teach a specific Pilates for relaxation class online every Friday morning, at the very laid back time of 10.30am.
Me. In a relaxing Pilates stretch for the back, shoulders and upper arms.
3. “Civilisation impairs physical fitness.”
Or, ease is the disease. I can’t remember where I read this. It’s an oversimplification for sure, but when we consider so many aspects of modern life, it is quite often true.
Our brilliant bodies and minds need to be challenged, consistently and throughout life, to remain healthy. And to power up our everyday adventures.
Pilates is a proper challenge, for the body and the brain — there seems to be at least 14 things to think of in each exercise! The movements are both designed to build strong core muscles (which support our spine and pelvis), and to restore comfortable posture, countering our desky days, hours behind the wheel, and ‘relaxation’ time…chins poking over our phones.
I sometimes wonder what Joe would have made of text neck…ouch!
4. “A man is as young as his spinal column.”
Joe also said: “If your spine is stiff at 30, you are old. If it is flexible at 60, you are young.” See the snap of Joe below! :)
He designed his exercises to mobilise the spine, to strengthen the muscles that support it, and to stretch the muscles that can get tight, pulling our bodies into an uncomfy posture.
If you have back pain, Pilates may well be for you. Also note, you are not alone. Apparently there has been a spike in the incidence of significant back and neck pain in the UK over the last couple of years. If you’re interested in why, this article in the Guardian summarises, and gives the views of medical leaders.
Joseph Pilates, stretching.
5. “Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it.”
A simple observation. And yet how much time do we spend considering how we breathe?
I have, quite a lot. Because I teach Pilates. And because my last job before launching into the wonderful wilds of self-employment, was in public health — lung health specifically. It is all pretty important, for our bodies and our minds. A few minutes of focused breathing can bring a calm and quietness like nothing else.
And that’s why in Pilates, each movement is connected to breath.
All that said, we can get pretty fixated on how and when to breathe in Pilates, which is not ideal. And sometimes when we concentrate super hard we end up holding our breath, or taking little shallow breaths right up into our shoulders. Also not ideal!
So, here’s a simple rule of thumb, and it’s pretty basic — just do keep breathing. :)
If you want a bit more detail, here are three little things to consider:
In Pilates we focus on cyclical breathing — in through the nose, out through the mouth. This creates a sense of flow, new fresh air moving into the lungs, the old used air, released on out.
We focus on breathing deep and wide into our ribs, filling our lungs and firing oxygen around our body.
We focus on breathing out when we make a physically challenging movement, because as we exhale our diaphragm lifts and our pelvic floor along with it. Activation of the pelvic floor muscles, along with our transversus abdominis, means we have a well-engaged set of core muscles — and the core supports our lower back and pelvis as we gallop through life.
6. “Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking, nor outright purchase.”
Love this! Yup. I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of something along these lines. A January gym membership?! Booking a half marathon and never quite getting started with the training?
Routine, practice, discipline, habit.
Not necessarily the most attractive ideas, but investing time and energy into these — rather than money into various ‘wellness’ shenanigans — will yield satisfying and long-term results for your health and fitness.
7. “Man should bear in mind and ponder over the Greek admonition: Not Too Much, Not Too Little.”
Moderation in all things. (And as my friend Hannah would add: ‘…including moderation!’)
Joseph Pilates advocated for balance in all things, including the amount of time and energy dedicated to exercise. Obsession with exercise was not something he promoted.
Here he is referring to a quote by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who said: “If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
Me! A still from an online Lark Pilates class. Holding a high plank to build core, gluteal and shoulder strength.
8. “Concentrate on the correct movement each time you exercise, lest you do them improperly and thus lose all vital benefits.”
Precision is one of the founding Pilates principles. Performing movements with accuracy ensures optimal benefit. I look at the photo above, and think of all the tweaks I could make here to improve my plank!
And I think about this quote in reference to core engagement, and neutral positioning of the spine before getting into Pilates exercises.
Yes lots of people can ‘do’ the various movements involved in a Pilates exercise, but the real benefits only come when we make the moves with a comfortably aligned lower back, and a well engaged core.
Focus and routine lead to precision. That’s why a regular Pilates practice can be so beneficial.
9. “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.”
Breathwork is often the first thing we learn in Pilates, and we revisit it frequently in Lark Pilates classes, because of its powerful benefits for body and mind.
It is another of the founding Pilates principles. If you’d like to know more about these, you can get into this earlier blog: What is Pilates?
10. “Every moment of our life can be the beginning of great things.”
Words to live by!
Joe Pilates here was talking about exercise. The movements he designed can be modified and adapted to suit, whatever you needs, whatever your age.
At Lark Pilates, clients range in age from early twenties to early eighties! :)
If you like the sound of Joseph Pilates’ approach to life and fitness, perhaps you’d like his exercises too.
You’d be very welcome to give them a whirl at Lark, online or in real life, as part of a group or one to one.
Give me a bell if you’d like to chat through your options. Or drop me a note here.
And. If you like Joseph’s words and his exercises, you might like to read his book: Pilates’ Return to Life Through Controlology. I liked it very much indeed. :)
