Pilates Evolution - The 21st Century

The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler precisely explains and demonstrates the 34 Contrology/Pilates matwork exercises originally conceived and optimized by Joseph Pilates. This book has been my single Pilates reference for almost a decade, and will provide anyone who is interested in learning this exercise set with a complete, self-contained guide.For these reasons I have resisted all other Pilates books and DVD materials, opting instead to learn from Brooke almost religiously. I recently decided it would be interesting at the least, if not incredibly useful, to learn the matwork series from Joseph's own images and words. This book contains this set, as originally published in his 1945 book "Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology." Pilates' 1934 book "Your Health" is also included, giving the reader a range of information direct from the creator himself.What I found is that, while some of this information may translate to no personal insights of my own, having it at hand and being able to cross-reference modern theory with the theory as used to develop the exercises themselves is very useful. And being able to watch Pilates do the 34 matwork exercises gives a very different perspective from what I see in Brooke's book, showing a wider range of motion and variations that yield different results.I cannot speak to the third part of this book, which is modern information on new techniques, tools, and ideas, but I can say that anyone actively seeking to master the 34 Contrology/Pilates matwork exercises would benefit from the information pertaining to this. This alone makes this book worth more than its cost.

Someone recommended this book to me so I can understand where pilates came from. It's a good base to start with.

I love the book, I'm pretty much convinced Pilates was a genius. Both his books are included, with the original images. Book arrived quickly (though delivery was over twice the book price for intl.) and the book is, in fact, new - just some scratches on the cover, you can tell it's never been read:). I'm extremely happy with my purchase!

Great reference book.

The philosophy of Joe Pilates on physical, mental, and emotional health is very interesting. He truly was ahead of his time. It is so 21st century thinking. Actually he laid the groundwork for it.

This product has been what I expected it to be and and it has been very useful for its purpose

Very good!

NOTE: I received a free, unsolicited review copy of this book from the author.This new Pilates release offers a combination of original source material from the founder of the Pilates method, Joseph H. Pilates, as well as "evolutionary developments," or updates to Pilates exercises for the 21st century. Joseph Pilates is credited as one of the authors because his two original books, YOUR HEALTH (1934 Edition) and RETURN TO LIFE THROUGH CONTROLOGY (1945 Edition) are reprinted here in their entirety. (Note: These two volumes can also be found in previous release  A Pilates' Primer : The Millennium Edition .) The remainder of this current work is attributable to Judd Robbins and Lin Van Heuit-Robbins, both of whom are Pilates instructors certified by the PhysicalMind Institute in New York City.In Joseph Pilates' first work, YOUR HEALTH, Pilates lays out some of the basic principles of contrology ("contrology" was the name that Pilates himself gave to his system); concepts covered here include posture, body mechanics, and breathing. Pilates' later publication, RETURN TO LIFE THROUGH CONTROLOGY, provides an overview of his method itself. This book provides detailed descriptions of the 34 original mat exercises in the system, complete with Joseph Pilates himself demonstrating via black and white photos. Those who have never read any of Pilates' original writings before will note that his passion about his work comes across as a certain smugness and conceit; in both publications, he makes extraordinary claims about the benefits of the Pilates method and seems convinced it is the ONLY way to attain true health and fitness. Personally, I found Pilates' writing style a bit dry and thus sometimes difficult to slog through, yet it was still fascinating to read about the technique from the founder himself.In Part III of this book, "21st Century Pilates Evolution," authors Robbins and Van Heuit-Robbins begin providing an overview of how the Pilates method developed post-Joseph Pilates. They briefly review some of the most relevant first generation and other master Pilates instructions, along with their contributions to expanding the system. In particular, the authors focus on how Pilates exercises have evolved from the 34 classical matwork moves and exercises performed on the various in-studio Pilates apparatus to the inclusion of a wide variety of props in modern Pilates manifestations. Given this, Robbins and Van Heuit-Robbins present eight equipment-specific chapters, each featuring guidelines for practice, exercise instructions, and resource recommendations. Some of the props highlighted include the Pilates Magic Circle, weights, mini stability ball, elastic resistance, and unstable surfaces such as the foam roller. In the final two chapters, the authors review fusion exercises and how Pilates can enhance sports performance; they conclude the book a Glossary and Index.Although the new material offered in this volume is fairly short (just over 70 pages), this book is a worthwhile investment for Pilates enthusiasts, as it provides a convenient reference manual, and I would recommend it.

Excellent with the original text plus some new stuff on Pilates.

Who better to learn pilates from than the creator of pilates himself.

I bought this during my studies and read it entirely!Good introduction and overall knowledge of Pilates.Was recommended with my studies.

very informative-a good guide to how we have arrived at these same exercises today

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