Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in Germany in 1880.

As a child he suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever and led him to begin the journey to fitness and health. He studied both Eastern and Western forms of exercise including Yoga, Zen, ancient Greek and Roman regimens, bodybuilding and gymnastics.

In 1912 he came to England and worked as a boxer and a circus performer. During WW1, he was interned along with other Germans and it was here that the beginnings of his Method began to take shape. He began by devising equipment to rehabilitate suffering internees, taking the springs from the beds and inventing exercise apparatus for the bedridden.

After the war he was officially asked to teach his fitness system to the army. En route to America Joseph met his future wife, Clara and together they opened the first Pilates studio, where they developed their method of exercise, invented equipment and trained students.

Joseph became a teacher to many renowned dancers and choreographers, who attended his classes for training and rehabilitation. Hanya Holm, the pioneer of modern dance, whose students included Jerome Robins.

Joseph Pilates died in October 1967, at the age of 86. His wife Clara continued to teach and run the studio until her death, in 1977.

Today, a large number of professional instructors, inspired by Joseph’s original method, have dedicated their lives to teaching Pilates, helping to develop the method further and spreading its popularity amongst athletes, dancers, fitness professionals, as well as the general public.