What is Contrology?
By Francine Rodrigues & Daniela Escobar
We get this question almost every day. You see printed on our t-shirts, the name of our classes and even the name of the apparatus we have in the studio. Then we realize that even though we, Pilates instructors, know the history behind the name, our clients don’t. So here we go…
Most people are not aware that this method of physical conditioning we all practice, which we now know simply as “Pilates”, was invented by a man called Joseph Hubertus Pilates, who immigrated from Germany to the U.S. in 1926. You’ve all seen many pictures of him throughout the studio. The interesting thing is that when Joseph Pilates was alive, he didn’t call his method by his name. He called it Contrology.
The Contrology system of exercises was heavily inspired by Greek culture, which highlights the mind through its philosophical authors and the body through the physical culture reflected not only in the creation of the Olympic Games but also in the famous Greek sculptures depicting uniformly developed bodies. However, Joseph Pilates realized that in our modern times, there was a huge disconnect between our minds and bodies.
In his book “Return to Life through Contrology,” originally published in 1945, he explains that Contrology is “the complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit,” in which the mind and physical health are complementary to each other and work in harmony. He states that “Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind and elevates the spirit”. The control your body would gain from practicing Contrology at least 4 times a week would help you not only with your everyday activities but also improve your performance in sports or any other leisure activities.
What actually blows our minds every time we think about it is that Joseph Pilates was way ahead of his time when he created his method. He began to observe a world in which people paid attention only to their brains and left their bodies in second place. Especially because of their work demands, at the end of the day, people ended up with no energy to do the things they enjoyed, and he was a big proponent that everyone should enjoy life no matter how: going hiking, playing golf, having dinner with their friends, or having the time to read a good book. Therefore, the practice of Contrology or Pilates, as we know it now, would prepare our minds and bodies to perform daily activities with ease and leave us energized to enjoy life as a whole and ultimately return to life.
So keep moving and enjoy life!