Pilates was pioneered by the late Joseph Pilates (1880-1967), it’s a mind-body exercise system to strengthen the weak and challenge the strong. Exercises combining physical fitness with breath control and mental acuity to increase strength and flexibility.
Joseph Pilates was a German expatriate who first made his mark in England during World War I whilst working as a hospital orderly. He developed a series of resistance exercises to help rehabilitate patients using equipment fashioned from bedsprings.
After the war he along with his wife Clara immigrated to New York where he opened his first Pilates studio. Joseph Pilates designed a series of more than 500 mind-body movements or exercises to develop strong, flexible muscles without adding bulk. The professional dance community discovered his conditioning techniques could help them, his emphasis on breathing and torso strength ensured improved posture, reduced stress and risk of injury. Early devotes of Joseph Pilates included George Balanchine and Martha Graham, today followers include dancers, elite athletes, physiotherapists, fitness trainers and health care professionals.
It is said that Joseph Pilates believed “we are old as our spines”.
The STOTT PILATES® approach preserves the essence of Joseph Pilates teachings while enhancing them with contemporary knowledge about the body and how it functions.
A progression in pilates that incorporates modern exercise science and rehabilitation principles that is a safe and highly effective low impact way to stretch, strengthen and streamline your body. STOTT PILATES® is internationally renowned for the quality of its training and STOTT PILATES® certified instructors are amongst the most sought after pilates teachers in the world.
Caroline runs her own successful fully equipped Pilates Studio (8 x reformer, 8 x chair & other apparatus) plus a private consultation room with a reformer, chair, barrel and Cadillac from Balance Studios, which is based in the scenic rural town of Witney, West Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire Pilates Limited
Balance Studios
Bridge Street Mill, Bridge Street, Witney
Oxfordshire OX28 1YH