Pilates

A system of movements that can be adapted to anyone, focusing on posture, core control and muscle balance.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a concept that was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20^th century. These days Pilates can be classes as all exercises that follow his original 6 principles: breathing, concentration, control, centering, precision and flow. Pilates is designed to improve flexibility, build strength and develop control and endurance throughout the entire body.

Pilates is one of our most popular activities here at Club La Santa. We offer 4 different types of Pilates classes and our qualified and experienced instructors, guarantee that you will receive the very best Pilates experience in magnificent surroundings.

Pilates – Matwork

Pilates is a system of movements that can be adapted to everyone and consists of low impact flexibility, muscular strength and endurance exercises. It emphasises proper postural alignment, core control and muscle balance.

Our classes have options for all levels, and they bring your mind and body together to work as one.

Pilates will make you look better, move better and feel better!

Fitness Pilates

Fitness Pilates is a training option that focusses on the body as a human kinetic chain. It adapts and modifies the original 34 Pilates exercises, so they are suitable for everyone and puts them into a fitness class.

Fitness Pilates aims to teach correct movement patterns which will eventually become automatic in everyday life.

Pilates with Equipment

This class takes the basic mat-work exercises and modifies them by using foam rollers and small Pilates balls to add variation.

This small equipment may assist in some exercises so they are easier to perform and make others more challenging.

Pilates Reformer

In this class you will perform Pilates exercises on a reformer machine. The reformer has a horizontal carriage that glides forwards and backwards on rollers, with resistance and assistance provided by springs to achieve proper muscle length in an organized way.

This highly versatile piece of equipment provides almost limitless options and variations to assist in strengthening for the original Pilates matwork exercises as well more athletic, toning and sports specific benefits.

We have 25 machines available for classes in our Dance Studio or Laguna Aerobics area.

About Joseph Pilates

Joseph Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1883. He suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever as a child but his drive and determination to overcome these ailments led him into gymnastics, body-building and martial arts.

Joseph moved to England in 1912 and during World War I where he was interned along with other German citizens in Lancaster Castle. It was here that he began refining and teaching his minimal equipment system of mat exercises that later became known as ‘Contrology’.

In the early 1920’s he emigrated to the USA and he met his future wife Clara on the voyage. The couple opened a body conditioning studio in New York in 1926 and it soon became very popular, particularly in the dance community, as a way to improve technique and recover from injury.

In 1932, he published a book called ‘Your Health’ followed by another in 1945 called ‘Return to Life Through Contrology’. These books and his students ensured that his method was passed on after his death in 1967 aged 83. His method was called ‘Contrology’ throughout his life, only after his death it became known as Pilates.