Welcome to a Pilates exercise centre with Heart

Hearts and Bones Pilates offers customers the benefits of world class Pilates exercise programmes and training. We are based in Wellington, New Zealand.

We aim through this site to inform you about personal Pilates training, options for equipment classes in Wellington, and high quality instructor workshops and training around the Australasia-Pacific region.

We hope that we can help with your inquiries about Pilates exercise, workshops and training.

Sincerely
Tania Huddart
B. Phil (Hons)
Dip Ballet
Manager

History of Pilates: Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates was a performer and a boxer living in England and, at the outbreak of WWI, was placed under forced internment along with other German nationals in Lancaster, England.

There he taught fellow camp members the concepts and exercises developed over 20 years of studying yoga, Zen, and ancient Greek and Roman physical regimens before devising the system of original exercises known today as "matwork", or exercises done on the floor. He called this regimen "Contrology." A few years later, he was transferred to another camp, where he began devising equipment to rehabilitate his "patients," taking springs from the beds and rigging them to create spring resistance and "movement" for the bedridden.

Joseph and his wife Clara immigrated to New York from Europe in 1926. In the USA Pilates and Clara further developed his method of exercise. Pilates is a method of exercises designed to stretch, strengthen and balance the musculoskeletal system of the body. It focuses on postural alignment, breath control, the integration of abdominal strength with stabilisation of the pelvis, spine and shoulder girdle as well as muscular flexibility and joint mobility. The whole body is trained to work as an orchestrated whole, instead of isolating muscle groups and training them individually.

In 1945 Pilates wrote:

"Contrology" is complete coordination of body, mind and spirit. Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your mental and subconscious activities."

"Return to Life through Contrology" - page nine.