Twenty-two years ago there were only a handful of studios teaching the method of Pilates. Today there are hundreds of studios, not to mention countless numbers of books and videos vying for consumers, and even battles for copyright and trademarks.
While celebrities like Madonna, Sex and the City’s Sarah Jessica Parker, Liz Hurley and tennis player Pat Cash certainly have spread the word, the boom has more to do with the fact that this is an exercise technique that can work for everyone - from the professional dancer or athlete, to those rehabilitating from injuries or ill health, to computer

potatoes with bad backs.
Everyone? Well, anyone who is interested in becoming balanced, toned and limber and developing body awareness that can be used in everyday life.
What is Pilates?
“Pilates method teaches you to be in control of your body and not at its mercy” Suzanne Farrell, former principle dancer, New York City Ballet.
Developed by the exercise pioneer Joseph Pilates, who was born at the turn of the 20th century, the Pilates method combines the mental focus of Eastern disciplines such as yoga and t’ai chi ch’uan with the Western emphasis on strength and stamina. Practised correctly, the exercises improve posture by re-

balancing muscular strength and flexibility.
The exercises are non-impact and non-weight bearing. Many are done lying down so that