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The Body Control Pilates Method has evolved from the work of Joseph Pilates. We have created a repertoire of exercises – many unique to our approach – that teach the movement skills needed to gain maximum benefit from Pilates, whether on mat or machine.
The Development of Body Control Pilates
A Brief History of Pilates
What Makes Body Control Pilates Different?
Body Control Pilates: What the Experts Say
Body Control Pilates: What the Clients Say
Body Control Pilates: What the Teachers Say
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The first Body Control Pilates company was founded in London in 1995 and our first matwork teacher training course was held in South Kensington in 1996, shortly before the publication of the ground-breaking book ‘Body Control The Pilates Way’ (Lynne Robinson and Gordon Thomson, Pan Macmillan). This was the world’s first curriculum-based course for prospective Pilates teachers. Since that time, almost 1,000 students have chosen Body Control Pilates as their training provider, many of them having enrolled for one of the increasing number of courses held in conjunction with our training partners outside the UK.
All Body Control Pilates teachers are members of the Body Control Pilates Association, a ‘not for profit’ organisation that exists to safeguard the standards and quality of Body Control Pilates teaching, as well as to provide a unique support network for the 800 Body Control Pilates teachers worldwide.
The work of our teachers is supplemented by a wide range of books (Lynne Robinson and co-authors) and DVDs (Lynne Robinson) that are available internationally, total sales of which are approaching 4 million units.
The Pilates Method of exercise has its origins in the work of the late Joseph Pilates, who was born in 1880 near Düsseldorf, Germany. He was a frail child and turned to physical fitness programmes to improve his body image, becoming a keen sportsman, developing talents in sports as varied as diving, gymnastics and boxing.
Interned in the war years because of his nationality, he developed a fitness programme for his fellow internees in order to maintain their health and fitness levels whilst being held in confinement - he always claimed that his regime was the reason why not one of these internees died from the influenza epidemic that killed thousands in 1918!
Returning to Germany, he came into contact with the world of dance, in particular through contact with Rudoph von Laban, the originator of 'Labanotation', which is the most widely used form of dance notation. Hanya Holm included many of his exercises in her programme and, to this day, they are still part of the celebrated 'Holm Technique'. At the same time as working with dancers, Joseph Pilates was also instructing the Hamburg police force in self-defence!
He was, in fact, asked to train the new German army, but declined and decided to emigrate to the United States of America. On the boat trip, he met a nursery teacher, Clara, whom he later married - and with whom he set up his first fitness studio in New York, at an address he shared with the New York City Ballet.
His studio soon began to attract the 'elite' of New York with leading ballet dancers coming to him because his exercises perfected and complemented their traditional exercise programme. Actors and actresses, sportspersons, the rich and the famous were all attracted to a workout that built strength without adding bulk, balancing that strength with flexibility, and achieving the perfect harmony between mind and muscle.
In the past, screen legends such as Gregory Peck and Katharine Hepburn used the Pilates Method and, today, it is the preferred work-out regime for leading personalities from the worlds of entertainment and sport. Yet, until the late 1990’s, Pilates remained essentially unknown to the general public – how things have changed in that short space of time as an estimated 25 million people now take regular Pilates classes in the USA and some one million in the UK.
Pilates today is taught in several forms, directly reflecting the legacy of Joseph Pilates, who developed the method some 80 years ago. He did not lay down a formal training programme, with the result that, on his death, his 'disciples' continued teaching by adding their own variations to the core philosophy and exercises. This flexibility in approach is one of the reasons why Pilates has been so successful over this time period.
Body Control Pilates exercises have been developed for both mat and machine work. They are adapted from the ‘classical’ exercises developed by Joseph Pilates. We believe that many of these classical exercises are often not suitable for the average person and the average body. In order for someone to work safely and effectively and to gain the full benefits of Pilates, these classical exercises should be broken down to establish good movement skills thus building the best possible foundation upon which to progress towards the classical, more advanced work. This is the essence of the Body Control Pilates Method.
Body Control Pilates is remarkably effective - and medically-approved. It is of an holistic nature, being based upon a well-constructed philosophical foundation. Central to the Method is 'awareness of your own body' and each and every exercise is built around its eight basic principles:
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Relaxation
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Concentration
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Co-ordination
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Centring
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Alignment
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Breathing
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Stamina
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Flowing Movements
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By working on the deep architectural structure of the body, 'core stability' is achieved, and then maintained, through increasingly complex movement sequences. Specific problem-areas can be targeted by an exercise, but always in relation to the rest of one's body.
Your body awareness is heightened by bringing together mind and body - Body Control Pilates literally teaches you to be in control of your body, allowing you to handle stress more effectively and achieve relaxation more easily.
The Body Control Pilates Method can work for everyone, regardless of fitness level! Exercises can be mat or machine based, but mat-work exercises have a great attraction in that they need no special equipment, and are particularly safe for those with back problems (and don't forget that 95% of the UK population has, or has had, backache). Its consistent success rate in solving such problems has brought it to the attention of osteopaths, chiropractors, physiotherapists and homeopathic doctors.
In fact, many osteopaths and physiotherapists are now setting up Pilates studios as part of their practices.
 The Body Control Pilates Association (BCPA) is Europe's foremost professional Pilates organisation, being the membership body for qualified Body Control Pilates teachers. It was established in February 1997 and currently has 983 teaching members in the UK and abroad. It is a non-profit making body governed by a Council that includes elected members from amongst the teaching community.
Members must also work to a strict Code of Practice which, amongst other items, defines that all members shall:
· hold relevant and valid qualifications, issued by a recognised Pilates body
· only work within the scope of such qualifications and will not instruct in areas in which he/she is not formally trained and certified
· hold adequate and valid insurance cover, provided by a recognised organisation
· hold a current certificate in CPR (resuscitation)
· give full attention to the comfort and safety of clients at all times.
· where a member leads a group class, such classes will normally have a maximum of twelve participants, except where the member is assisted by another qualified teacher
· only prescribe exercises that are wholly suitable for the age, experience and physical condition of the client
· treat all information received from a client, or about a client from a practitioner, as wholly confidential. Such information shall not released to a third party without the full consent of the client
· handle all enquiries in a courteous and business-like manner
continue to develop their professional knowledge and competence in Pilates and related subjects by attending recognised events each year, supplemented study and by development work with other teachers.
 Body Control Pilates is celebrating its 10th Anniversary.
“Our mission has been to bring the benefits of Pilates to everyone. To this end, we have created a method that is effective and safe, measured and challenging: a method that is taught by teachers with unrivalled skills, knowledge and integrity. I am proud of what Body Control Pilates has achieved in its first ten years.”
Lynne Robinson
Co-founder of Body Control Pilates
 "I'm a great fan of Body Control Pilates. It has helped to tone my body and improve my overall health and wellbeing. The exercises are now an established part of my daily routine."
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
"Body Control Pilates exercises with their particular emphasis on building core strength and flexibility are now an essential part of our training programme."
Matthew Pinsent (Great Britain Rower. Olympic Gold Medallist)
James Cracknell (Great Britain Rower. Olympic Gold Medallist)
Toby Garbett (Great Britain Rower. Double World Champion 2000/2001)
Josh West (Great Britain Rower. Double Silver Medallist 2002/2003 World Championships)
Steve Williams (Great Britain Rower. Double Silver Medallist 2002/2003 World Championships)
Rick Dunn (Great Britain Rower. Double Silver Medallist 2002/2003 World Championships)
Ed Coode (Great Britain Rower. World Champion 1999/2001)
"I see the Body Control Pilates method, with a focus on muscle balance, as an important aspect in the prevention of injury."
Alan Hodson MA MCSP SRP Head of Sports Medicine, The English Football Association
"The last few years have seen an acceptance that good core stability assessment and exercise prescription are essential considerations in the treatment of any spinal (and, in many cases, peripheral) mechanical complaints and in the management of injury prevention of those involved in sport. However, the approach developed by Joseph Pilates was addressing many aspects of core stability, and a great deal more besides, over 80 years ago! The fact that his system has evolved into what we now know as Body Control Pilates is a testament to both the vision and talent of Joseph Pilates and those, like Lynne Robinson, who have promoted his work and refined it into something which is rapidly becoming the osteopaths first choice recommendation to patients recovering from almost any injury. The knowledge base and level of continued personal development of those involved in the Body Control Pilates Association are of a standard that many other therapy approaches could do well to emulate. I would honestly say that, once you've seen (and experienced) how powerful Body Control Pilates can be, you'll wish you had taken it up years ago!"
Jonathan Betser DO Chairman of the UK Osteopathic Sports Care Association
"The advanced exercises were some of the toughest exercises I have ever done and I've done every fitness workout imaginable. These stretches and exercises are still in my weekly workout routine."
Pat Cash (former Wimbledon Singles Tennis Champion)
"After persistent back problems earlier in the year I found Pilates exercises, in conjunction with sound orthopaedic advice, to have been enormously beneficial. The exercises are now a daily routine for me and I am sure that they were, in a large way, responsible for me being able to continue my cricketing career"
Mike Atherton (former England cricket captain)
"Body Control Pilates is an ideal exercise system for sports people. It establishes a strong (postural) base, from which they can develop their sporting technique more safely and efficiently. If only more of them started it before, rather than after, they get injured!"
Dr. Charlotte Cowie MBBS, D Sport Med., DM-S Med., MRO
(Doctor, sports physician, Chief Medical Officer Team Great
Britain Holding Camp, Sydney 2000 Olympics)
"Some patients referred to Pilates teachers never need further regular treatment, and many only begin to maintain improvement once they take up Pilates"
Piers Chandler DO Osteopath
"An excellent book to recommend to patients to reinforce and complement the exercises which we teach I shall certainly be recommending this book to my patients as a complement to what they have learnt in the treatment room. I look forward to Pilates teaching becoming more common, so that I can safely refer my patients to an exercise class confident that they will not re-injure themselves"
Physiotherapy MagazineUK (reviewing "Body Control: The Pilates Way")
"It is wonderful to have found a method of exercise to help us uncoil, to lengthen, to iron us out. I know that many of my patients would benefit enormously from these exercises"
Richard Husband MB, Ch.B., DRCOG
"Women today …. are often physically unfit for pregnancy and labour …. Pilates exercises, breathing and relaxation will help the journey through labour to safe delivery of the child."
Lisa Marshall Midwife, RGN RM Diploma in Health and Professional Studies
"Body Control Pilates, with its emphasis on good postural alignment, breathing and core stability, is perfect for the pregnant mother. It can help prevent joint instability caused when ligaments become lax through hormonal changes. The exercises are ideal for keeping both mother and baby fit and healthy."
Jacqueline Knox MCSP SRP (Physiotherapist)
© 2000-2007
All quotes remain the exclusive property of the Body Control Pilates Group and the individuals concerned, and may not be reproduced with prior permission from the Body Control Pilates Group, London.
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“ I started Body Control Pilates for posture and I gained a waist! Pilates is now an integral part of my “fit for life” quest.”
Kathleen Munro, triathlete, Scotland
“Having originally taken up Pilates to help me recover from a back injury, I now find it’s invaluable in helping me to unwind during tournaments and to ease the effects of a hard match. A Pilates relaxation session after a long-haul flight has also become an indispensable part of my travel routine.”
Pat Cash, former Wimbledon tennis champion
“Body Control Pilates has improved both my muscle tone and core stability … The different levels and my teacher’s ability to adapt exercises according to need or injury is fantastic. Thank you!”
AB-L, Surrey
“Body Control Pilates is the only form of exercise that we have enjoyed and wanted to continue with. It makes you very body aware and can be done by any age group at any level. It’s a fantastic form of relaxation, combined with challenging exercises which stimulate both mind and body.”
Fiona Harrison and Jacqui Binns, Alderley Edge
“Body Control Pilates has changed my life …. I have experienced back and neck problems for 20 years and seen various specialists, none of whom have been able to relieve my pain ….. After several Body Control Pilates sessions one-to-one I joined a group and have never looked back. My neck problems have settled completely and my back is much improved. I feel fitter and stronger than I have for years …. I would recommend Body Control Pilates to anyone with similar problems and indeed have sent several friends and colleagues to see my teacher with good results.”
SJ, West Yorkshire
“Since doing Body Control Pilates, I feel fitter and stronger. I have become more body aware and I know that I move better. I look and feel more toned which makes me feel more confident in myself. Unlike previous attempts at getting fit, I thoroughly enjoy my Pilates classes.”
Liz Davies, Surrey
“Body Control Pilates has really helped with stretching overworked muscles. I no longer suffer with sciatica, which was a huge problem.”
AB, Kent
“I discovered Body Control Pilates six years ago when I was waiting for a hip replacement. Used to being very active with my work as a physiotherapist and my sports, I needed an activity to keep me physically and mentally fit ….. Pilates has helped me immeasurably and is now a way of life for myself and many of my patients. I am now an international classifier with the Paralympics and again cross country riding for pleasure. Thank you!”
LL, Shropshire
“Pilates helps me to feel good about myself! It provides me with an exercise routine that is both varied and fun and that maintains flexibility, tone and stamina in a supportive environment.”
Lillie Barlow
"Body Control Pilates has been a truly life-changing experience for me. Since starting Pilates … my confidence, strength and quality of life have improved immeasurably. I am fitter, healthier and able to do many things that I had been unable to do since my back problems began in 1999.”
Lucy Beaumont, Essex
“The exercises have given me improved flexibility and posture, better body awareness, and strengthening …... Also friendship and support from class members.”
Fiona Linford, Surrey
“When my life needed a new direction and focus, I began my studies and practice of Body Control Pilates. Six years on I continue to be inspired, fulfilled and challenged by my work as a Body Control Pilates teacher. I am longer, stronger and move with a greater confidence, and have never before felt so positive about my life.”
Liz Hatch, Body Control Pilates teacher, Shropshire
“I first experienced Body Control Pilates at a workshop for physiotherapists …. Despite a six-hour return journey, I was hooked after one day! It’s a privilege to watch my clients grow in confidence. Without a doubt, if people put in the time to practice, Pilates truly improves quality of life. I appreciate the support that the Body Control Pilates Association provides for its teachers by organising and encouraging attendance at workshops and conferences. I have great fun teaching and continue to learn a great deal from clients through their feedback.”
Jackie Prosser, Body Control Pilates teacher and chartered physiotherapist, West Yorkshire
“Initially, I took up Pilates to help improve a hip injury caused by years of dancing but it quickly became crucial to my overall sense of well being. My first year of teaching was a steep learning curve – usually fun but not always easy, sometimes frustrating but never boring! Body Control Pilates continues to challenge me physically, emotionally and intellectually. I’m constantly amazed and delighted at how it changes people’s lives – everyone has their story to tell.”
Lynne Cavanagh-Cole, Body Control Pilates teacher, Newcastle
“I love teaching Body Control Pilates as the reward of seeing bodies move and stand so much better, getting stronger and perhaps releasing pain and stress, is a pleasure for me. I never stop learning with Pilates; the thirst for knowledge is a passion.”
Sarah Hunt, Body Control Pilates teacher, Scotland
“Within a short time of doing Body Control Pilates, I knew it was the catalyst I needed (to change). Thanks to Body Control Pilates, I learnt to teach – which was the best thing I ever did. I have looked back, but never with regret, only to see how far I’ve come. I have a good client base, many of who mare referrals from doctors, physiotherapists and chiropractors. I know that what I do makes a difference to people’s lives, you can measure it. I still train regularly with senior Body Control Pilates instructors and attend workshops and conferences as I think it is important to continue to inspire my clients with the same things that I’m inspired by, and I can thank Body Control Pilates for that.”
Sarah Young, Body Control Pilates teacher, Colchester
“To teach, you have got to believe in what you are teaching and there is nothing more gratifying than watching people benefit, usually not only physically, but mentally and emotionally too. From personal experience, it is a must – a great stress management and a mind and body health lift.”
Angela Mead, Body Control Pilates teacher, Kent
“Pilates has changed my life! ….. When I discovered Body Control Pilates, before even trying a class I know “this was for me”. I understood the concept, and felt thst this was the first time exercise made sense. I am not just doing it, I understand why, and what it is doing for me!
I feel that Pilates is a journey of discovery, not only of your own body, but everyone you teach…. I find teaching Body Control Pilates extremely fulfilling in many ways. I can be feeling not so great and my students (I have never called them clients as I feel it’s impersonal) lift my spirits. I have now completed five years of teaching and still have many of my original students. I learn as much from them as they do from me! The journey goes on ….
Candice Eales, Body Control Pilates teacher, Berkshire
“Since qualifying as a Body Control Pilates instructor in 1998, my life has changed completely. I have met lots of interesting people, many of whom are my clients and now friends too … through Pilates I have learnt a great deal about myself, mentally and physically. It has enabled me to be creative when planning lessons and playing around with exercises. It has enabled me to continue learning – for as many Body Control Pilates courses as I attend, I will never know everything about the human body …..
…. For the last few years there have been two constants in my life – my partner and my Pilates!”
Yassamin Amir-Ahmadi, Body Control Pilates teacher, Dorset
© 2000-2007
All quotes remain the exclusive property of the Body Control Pilates Group and the individuals concerned, and may not be reproduced with prior permission from the Body Control Pilates Group, London.
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