Issue #385 – Wednesday, November 23, 2022 Sharry Traver Underwood’s notes from Joe’s Jacob’s Pillow classes (as posted by Jonathan Grubb) With the very kind permission of Sharry Traver Underwood and with the assistance of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival Archives, I am delighted to bring you Sharry’s notes that she […]
Revelations from a Pilates Purist – by Clare Dunphy
Issue #384- Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Revelations from a Pilates Purist by Clare Dunphy This article is about taking chances, questioning the status quo, and challenging one’s beliefs. I’ve always told myself I knew the answers to keeping Pilates alive and well for future generations. Here’s why I was wrong. […]
Some Pilates History and a Pilates Myth
Issue #355 – Wednesday, December 15, 2021 Some Pilates History and a Pilates Myth A myth and some science from Adam McAtee Back when I was a novice Pilates teacher, I came from a belief that Pilates was limited to “the order” and “real teachers” not only knew the order and […]
Pilates: The Past in the Present (and Future) – The Making of a Documentary Series on 1st and 2nd Generation Teachers – by Marion Kessel
Issue #353 – Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Pilates: The Past in the Present (and Future) The Making of a Documentary Series on 1st and 2nd Generation Teachers by Marion Kessel The idea of doing a film on the Legacy of Pilates and those who inherited ideas and practices from Joseph Pilates […]
The Wunda Chair – by Christina Maria Gadar
Issue #346- Wednesday, September 22, 2021 The Wunda Chair by Christina Maria Gadar Joseph Pilates described his method of exercise as the science of controlling the body, mind, and spirit, and coordinating all three. But in addition to being the genius who developed Contrology, he was also a furniture builder who […]
The Incredible Tale of the Incredible Sea Squirt (and what it means for us) – by Maureen Marcus
Issue #340 Wednesday August 11, 2021 The Incredible Tale of the Incredible Sea Squirt (and what it means for us) by Maureen Marcus Like all of you, I’m always looking/listening/scouting for information and stories to inspire my clients, and, truth be told, to inspire myself – to keep myself alive […]
Sensing, Feeling…and Pilates. Somatics..What’s That? – by Patricia Issit
Issue #337 Wednesday June 2, 2021 Sensing, Feeling…and Pilates. Somatics..What’s That? by Patricia Issit Somatics is a “broad brush” term describing many approaches to embodied movement practices. Put briefly, a somatic approach develops perceptual, kinesthetic and proprioceptive sensitivity with the purpose of developing awareness of soma, the felt body self. […]
Every Breath You Take…Pilates Paradigm Shifts and Going Against the Grain – by Ivan Zagorsky
Issue #334 – May 5, 2021 Every Breath You Take…Pilates Paradigm Shifts and Going Against the Grain by Ivan Zagorsky I find that Pilates is similar to Kung Fu – every school teaches their own style, even though the basic movements look similar on the surface and humans with the […]
My 22-Year ‘Hand-in-Hand Relationship with Pilates – by Mona Stedenfeldt
Issue #333 – April 28, 2021 My 22-Year ‘Hand-in-Hand Relationship with Pilates by Mona Stedenfeldt It’s Fall 1999 and a physical therapy colleague at Colorado State University announced that there was a Pilates course for physical therapists in Denver. Did I want to attend? Oh, did I ever! Pilates had […]
Review of Caged Lion – by Reiner Grootenhuis
Pic: Author John Steele with Joe and Clara Issue #316 – Wednesday, November 4, 2020 Review of Caged Lion by Reiner Grootenhuis As a Pilates Intel regular, you probably read the excerpt from John Howard Steel’s recently published “Caged Lion” here a few weeks ago. Time for a review and […]
Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus
Issue #309 – Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Pilates at School A Dream Has Come True! by Eva Obenaus I was a teacher of physical education and history at a Commercial High School in Austria from 1978 until 2017. In 2004, I started my Pilates education with Juliana Afram in Hamburg, […]
Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography A Review by Rebekah Le Magny
Issue #296 – Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography A Review by Rebekah Le Magny Title: Love All Around – The Romana Kryzanowska Biography Author: Cathy Strack and Carol J. Craig Foreword by Mari Winsor Date of Publication: 2019 Pages: 287 Availability: www.cathystrack.com Price: […]
Engage Deeper into your Teaching – by Clare Dunphy Hemani
March 12, 2020 Engage Deeper into your Teaching by Clare Dunphy-Hemani I think most Pilates teachers today share the belief that our lineage has value because the connection back to Joe, either directly or through one of his students (our elders), helps keep the tradition alive. It wasn’t that long […]
“Embodied” Pilates by Allie Greene
Wednesday, March 4, 2020 “Embodied” Pilates by Allie Greene Embodiment is being internally aware as a body rather than an outside observation of the body. It is a subjectively felt sense of ourselves. It is the “being” rather than the “doing”. It is within the process of embodiment where we can […]
Simulating Symmetry with A Roller on the Pilates Reformer Exercises – by Stephanie Herman
Feb 19, 2020 Simulating Symmetry with A Roller on the Pilates Reformer Exercises by Stephanie Herman Asymmetry in our bodies can have a variety of causes. It can be caused by compensation patterns, leg length discrepancy, scoliosis, accidents, cartilage deterioration, or many other reasons. Whatever the reason, there are methods […]
Romana Kryzanowska’s Place in the History of Pilates by Amy Taylor Alpers
Romana Kryzanowska’s Place in the History of Pilates By Amy Taylor Alpers May 23, 2017 I wrote a piece for PilatesIntel awhile back in which I told Romana’s history and tried my best to describe her character and vivacious, fun-loving nature. Give her a glass of champagne, take her […]
A Strong Woman – Carola Trier – by Eva Rincke
A Strong WomAn: Carola Strauss-Trier by Eva Rincke Carola Strauss-Trier was the first person to open a Pilates studio – other than Joseph Pilates himself. She contributed significantly to establishing the Pilates method in the field of rehabilitation. The story of her life is just as interesting as […]
Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 2)
Source: Stadtarchiv Mönchengladbach Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 2) “Perfecting the knee bend and many things to commend, his youth was gymnastic to the end.” – Joachim Ringelnatz, Setting up the Equipment (First Draft) Alongside his secret outings into the woods, the only other thing Joseph […]
Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 1)
Source: Stadtarchiv Mönchengladbach Joe Pilates’ Childhood In Poverty – by historian Eva Rincke (Part 1) “Perfecting the knee bend and many things to commend, his youth was gymnastic to the end.” – Joachim Ringelnatz, Setting up the Equipment (First Draft) There is a copy of an old photograph at the city archives […]
The Importance of Honoring our Heritage – by Kathy Corey
The Importance of Honoring our Heritage By Kathy Corey Heritage is the linking of the present to its original source. To know where we are today, we need to honor the link to our past. No matter what are our differences, we share the common bond of the man who […]
On Writing “The Origins of Western Mind-Body Exercise Methods” – by Jonathan Hoffman
On Writing “The Origins of Western Mind-Body Exercise Methods” by Jonathan Hoffman In my eyes, honest sharing and honest challenging lead to unselfishness and clearer understanding. Pi-lates Intel has set this example in our field and therefore I was honoured when Brett read the recent article Phillip Gabel and […]
Pilates & ADHD – by Laura Browning Grant
Pilates & ADHD – by Laura Browning Grant Background Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was first classified in the 1920’s and was believed to be caused by a brain injury suffered at an early age. Though this theory has since been disproved, my personal research, observation and interaction with others […]
There Is No Pilates Breathing! By Bob Hannum
I know what you’re thinking. This guy’s nuts! Joe Pilates emphasized breathing above all else as found in his books and films, and as told by Pilates Elders. But stay with me a moment, because as surprising as it sounds, I think you’ll agree! The Cardinal Principle Breathing was so […]
Kathy Grant Heritage and Big Bear – by Jon Hawkins and Sunni Almond
This is post contains 2 articles, one by Jon Hawkins and the other further down by Sunni Almond. Kathy Grant Heritage Training by Jon Hawkins Kathleen Stafford-Grant was one of the individuals who learned directly from Joseph Pilates, known collectively as The Elders. Kathy was one of the many dancers […]
Breathing New Life into the Body – by Andrea Maida
In Return to Life, Joe Pilates touts the benefits of a full deep breath. He maintains that shallow, lazy breathing deprives the body of the amount of oxygen necessary to fuel the blood. Indefatigably and conscientiously practice breathing until the art of correct breathing becomes habitual, automatic and subconscious, which accomplishment will result […]
A Conversation with Lolita San Miguel – by Brett Miller
What a pleasure I have had today to have a lovely conversation with the charming and outspoken Lolita San Miguel. And I hope it will be a pleasure for you when I relate to you a little about our conversation. Lolita is of course well known so no in depth […]
Joe Pilates – Learning to be an Animal
There is a happy band of people, of which I am an aspirant member, who are distinguishable anywhere by their springy step and “saved” look from the mass of their contemporaries who shuffle and shamble in untidy corpulence around us. We know that we are saved because we faithfully attend […]
The Pilates Mistress
As administrator of Pilates Intel, I am notified each time we get a new subscriber, with information of their name and email address. Out of interest, and if time permits, I Google the new subscriber to see if I can’t learn more about who they are, and what they do. […]