Far too often, things are introduced to the world ahead of their time or perhaps it’s more accurate to say, they’re not fully appreciated until they’re gone. Take the ocean, for example. How many people live by the beach yet rarely dip their toes in the water? It’s only after they’ve moved away that they begin to long for it.
The same is true for health. We rarely pause to appreciate our energy, our ability to simply breathe with ease until we fall ill and are suddenly reminded of what we took for granted. The human mind is curious in this way, it often fails to recognize the value of something until it’s lost.
Joseph Pilates was no exception. During his lifetime, he introduced a revolutionary method of movement and mind-body control he called “Contrology,” which we now know as Pilates. Yet, his vision wasn’t widely understood or embraced at the time. It wasn’t until years after his passing that the world began to realize the depth and brilliance of what he created. Like many visionaries, he was ahead of his time. And now, the world is finally catching up.
But in catching up, something else happened. Pilates became a trend. In response to modern demands, the method was reshaped and modified giving rise to what we now see across our screens, contemporary Pilates.
Contemporary Pilates borrows from the original, but it’s been adapted to suit today’s fast-paced, aesthetics-driven world. It’s flexible, fluid and designed to meet popular demand. But what many don’t realize is this: classical Pilates still exists. Unchanged. Uncompromised. Undiluted. It is Contrology. It follows Joseph’s exact sequence. His repertoire. His philosophy. He may have been 40 years too early, but his method remains, waiting for those ready to return to the roots.
While both contemporary and classical pilates are effective ways to training the mind-body connection, people tend to only know pilates for its contemporary way of teaching and disregarding classical pilates due to its lack in availability. However, at The Method we offer true classical pilates taught exactly as Joseph Pilates intended. If you’re curious about the difference or want to experience how the method was truly designed, book into one of our Classical Pilates classes and discover the roots of contrology yourself.
