What’s the deal with joseph pilates

Joseph Hubertus Pilates - affectionately known herein as Joey P. - is the founder of the pilates method. While he was confident enough in his method to write a literal manifesto about it, he wasn’t quite narcissistic enough to name it after himself. He called it Contrology and the whole thing hinged on the idea that you are only ever as healthy as your spine.

But let’s go back to his beginnings and unpack this guy a little. It’s fairly rare to come across a white dude - from Austria no less - who isn’t some degree of problematic, and while I’m not going to act like we align with his every value, I am pleased to report that after much research and due diligence, I think this guy might actually be pretty much benign! I take a little extra comfort in listening to this episode of one of my favourite podcasts Maintenance Phase who generally manage to find at least one major piece to roast a person and a wellness trend about, mostly declaring pilates pretty good!

Born in Austria in 1930, Joey P has a slew of health issues as a young kid. We’re talking rickles and debilitating asthma. Like pre-vaccine medicine stuff. He spends much of his childhood in and out of hospitals. His dad is a professional boxer/gymnast? and his mom is a naturopathic doctor, so he’s already well-versed in the world of health and wellness and physical activity.