Pilates (pronounced Puh-la-teez) has swept the nation. Oprah and Madonna are singing its praises, books and DVDs line the shelves in bookstores, and Pilates is found in most major cities. Yet many are still not completely sure what Pilates is and what it can do for them. This unique form of exercise, developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900's, was originally called "Contrology."

The Pilates Method comprises more than 500 exercises, performed as a mat-based workout or using special resistance equipment developed by Joseph Pilates and emphasizing spring resistance.

The central concept of Pilates training is strengthening the "Core" of the body - the deep abdominal muscles, buttock muscles, and the muscles around the spine. A training program based on Pilates will stabilize the pelvis and shoulder girdle, stretch and strengthen the entire body, all with movement initiating from "the Core."

Recent studies show that outdated traditional methods of exercise (the gym & weights) tend to promote a "mind-less" form of movement and produce short, tight, bulky muscles (the type most prone to injury & pain). Pilates and Gyrotonic elongate muscles, mobilize the spine and joints, increase mind-body awareness, and bring ease and joy of movement back into one’s life. Pilates and Gyrotonic also: focus on mindful movement coordination; develop balanced strength without bulk by integrating major muscle groups; develop highly functional abdominal and core strength and stability; improve breathing, concentration and posture; eliminate or reduce muscular discomfort and joint pain; aid in the prevention of injuries; release stress and tension; and improve muscle tone ... And, it’s fun!

"Pilates & Gyrotonic with Steve and Laura has given me a deeper understanding of my body. Not only has it given me the ability to move with ease, it elevates my spirit. Thank you!"

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born near Düsseldorf, Germany in 1880. As a child, he suffered from a number of physical ailments including Rickets, Asthma and Rheumatic Fever.

Pilates, determined to overcome these health issues, began a lifetime dedication to physical fitness beginning with gymnastics, body building, and skiing. He also studied eastern methods of training such as Yoga and Zen meditation. By the time he was a teenager, he was in good enough physical condition to pose for anatomical charts - quite a transformation!

Pilates left his native Germany for England in 1912, where he earned a living in various ways - as a professional boxer, circus performer, and even teaching self-defense to members of the police force at Scotland Yard. He continued to develop his system of exercise whilst interned during World War I. The origins of the modern day "Reformer," with its spring resistance and sliding carriage, are to be found in equipment that Joseph Pilates developed during this period to enable bed-ridden patients to continue to exercise and develop strength and flexibility, working with springs taken from their beds.

Pilates opened his first dedicated 'Pilates' studio in New York during the 1920's. From the beginning, his greatest fans were drawn from the world of the performing arts. Leaders of the dance world such as Martha Graham, George Balanchine and Hanya Holm used The Method to improve performance and prevent injury.

Pilates continued to teach and develop equipment and exercises with his beloved wife Clara until his death in 1967. He was fond of speculating that he was 50 years before the times in his theories and ideas. Given the universal popularity of Pilates training across the world at the start of the new millennium, he seems to have been right!

Traditional methods of training and developing the body tend to produce short, tight, bulky muscles - precisely the type of musculature most prone to injury. Traditional exercise also focuses on the large muscles of the body while neglecting the small (yet huge in their importance) stabilizing muscles around each joint (including the spine). Pilates elongates muscles (both large and small), mobilizes the spine and peripheral joints, and increases the elasticity of muscles and the flexibility of joints. This balance between strength and flexibility drastically reduces the potential for injury and helps to recover from past injuries.

Pilates emphasizes flowing movements requiring the use of multiple muscle groups simultaneously, with precision and control. Controlled breathing and concentration are essential, making Pilates truly a workout for the body and the mind. It avoids the tendency of many exercise forms to emphasize large movements of the big muscles which are stronger and to neglect those which are already weaker.

In this way Pilates can help your body to regain efficient patterns of motion - a great benefit to those recovering from injury, professional athletes and performers, or anyone seeking good posture and optimal health.

An all-gain, no-pain system of exercise is quickly gaining popularity worldwide as injured and aging baby boomers trade in repetitive, high-impact workouts for a more methodical system of exercise. The contemporary approach to Pilates, known as STOTT PILATES is also finding favor with physical therapists, professional athletes and personal trainers. According to fitness specialist Moira Stott-Merrithew, program director of STOTT PILATES, this low-impact neuromuscular system of exercise yields such significant results and feels so good to do that people become hooked very quickly.

Developed by former professional dancer Moira (Stott) Merrithew, with input from leading sports medicine and physical therapy professionals, STOTT PILATES™ is the contemporary, anatomically-based approach to Joseph Pilates' original exercise method. Its exercises safely deliver optimal strength, flexibility and endurance, without risking injury or adding bulk. The STOTT repertoire consists of over 500 systematic mat & equipment exercises that can be performed on a mat or using dedicated Pilates equipment (Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair, Ladder Barrel, etc.).

Joseph Pilates designed the original series of exercises in the early 1900's. Even though his system was awesome, we have learned many things about how the body works since then. Classical Pilates (many times referred to as "The Method") promotes exercises in a flat back position. Joseph Pilates noticed that his children were born with no spinal curves (as are all children) and thought that as adults our spinal curves equaled bad posture. He thus set out to return the spine to this "original state" using exercises done in an "imprinted" position and with "chin to chest" to flatten the low back and neck curves.

We now know from current sports medicine and spinal rehabilitation research that spinal curves are necessary for a healthy spine. Too flat of a curve or too much of a curve can lead to pain, poor posture, compensation, and risk of injury or spinal degeneration. STOTT PILATES™ incorporates modern exercise and therapy principles into the original series of exercises designed by Joseph Pilates, including

contemporary thinking about spinal rehabilitation and performance enhancement, designed to restore the natural curves of the spine and rebalance the muscles around the joints. In addition, STOTT places more emphasis on scapular stabilization and neck placement as well as unique preparatory exercises and modifications to make STOTT PILATES safer and more effective…for everyone. We have further enhanced the Stott approach to include cutting edge spinal and pelvic stabilization, biofeedback, somatic movement awareness training, and more! Much as medicine, science, and modern life have evolved, Pilates has also evolved.

The Pilates & Movement Center of Kona is the only fully equipped and certified STOTT Pilates studio on the island. In addition, many of our instructors are also licensed massage therapists. As therapists we combine our training in STOTT PILATES (and GYROTONIC® Methodology) with additional advanced training in Biofeedback, Spinal Rehabilitation (from Australia), Pelvic & Core Stability (from Canada), Manual Therapy, and Therapeutic Postural & Movement Analysis to further build upon and enhance the STOTT approach to Pilates.

We are unique in this combination of advanced training as massage and rehabilitation therapists, STOTT certified instructors, and movement instructors. Our backgrounds are quite similar to Joseph Pilates himself and include: teaching martial arts and boxing for over 10 years while holding two advanced black belts, professional dance training and performance, teaching Yoga and Meditation, along with work in the fields of psychology, eastern thought, physical therapy, and more.

For students who are new to Pilates and for those who have studied Pilates for years, our unique approach will deepen your understanding of this incredible system of exercise as well as enhance your mind-body connection both in the Pilates studio and in your life.

We specialize in private, duet and small group equipment-based training in Pilates (Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair, Barrel, Ball etc.). While we incorporate matwork into our sessions (versus a stand alone mat class), our students inform us that our equipment-based classes are their favorites for variety, fun, challenge, and, most of all…results.