Well, I don’t know why I’m surprised that there’s an animated History of Pilates in existence, but I’m certainly glad to have found it! I haven’t fact-checked everything that’s said in the video, but am led to believe they did do their homework, for the most part, in putting this together. The only thing that really jumps out at me, only because of some recent reading, is the Yoga part.
Did Joe study Yoga? Sure, one example might be the boat pose vs. the teaser, but it seems evidence suggests that he did not: “Many claim that Joe Pilates studied Yoga, while in fact, no evidence exists that he did – in fact, he never mentioned Yoga in his publications or to any of his students. He frequently talked about boxing, martial arts, gymnastics, and acrobatics as his early influences, but there are no references to Yoga – except, possibly, for when he talks about the best sitting posture in an article in 1934, “shown by those people of the East, who habitually sit cross-legged on the ground”. Since Yoga did not become popular in the US until the 50′s, long after Pilates was developed, it is questionable whether he could have had the exposure. Of course, there is no evidence that he did NOT study Yoga, either, but for what we know today, it is highly unlikely.”(http://benjamindegenhardt.com/2011/10/28/pilates-and yoga/) There is a recently released (online only) new biography out on Joe that is supposed to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the man, and dispel any myths out there. More on that later! Yep, that’s a teaser. 🙂 For now, watch the animated video!
