Why is Pilates so hot?

Pilates exercises are designed to improve posture, strengthen muscles, increase flexibility and promote overall physical and mental health.

What is Pilates? Pilates in English is Pilates (Pilates Method), that is, Pilates (or Pilates technique), is a German Joseph Hubertus Pilates (Joseph Hubertus Pilates) named after the last name of an exercise method and skills.

Pilates is first and foremost an exercise. It is mainly to exercise the body's deep small muscle groups, to maintain and improve the appearance of normal activity posture, to achieve body balance, to create the trunk and limbs of the range of activities and activities, emphasizing the control of the core muscle groups, to strengthen the human brain on the limbs and skeletal muscle tissue of the neural sensory and innervation, and then with the correct breathing method of the whole body coordination of a movement.

Pilates is becoming a way of life.

Born in Germany in 1883, Mr. Pilates was weak and sickly since childhood, and then determined to strengthen his body and study a variety of exercise therapy, at the age of 14, his body was strong enough to be a model in the anatomical pictures. Afterwards, he continued to develop a systematic exercise therapy through practice.

Born in Germany in 1883, Mr. Pilates was weak and sickly since childhood, and then determined to strengthen his body and studied various kinds of exercise therapy, and at the age of 14, he was already strong enough to be a model in the anatomical pictures. Afterwards, he continued to develop a systematic exercise therapy through practice.

In 1912, at the age of 29, Pilates moved to England and came to the public's attention during the First World War when he helped rehabilitate a large number of prisoners using Pilates as a unique and effective exercise therapy.

In 1926, 43-year-old Pilates immigrated to the United States of America, New York, and in the ship to the United States met his nurse fiancée Clara; in New York, Fifth Avenue, the Pilates couple set up a Pilates studio (The Pilates studio), specializing in the famous dancers, actors, athletes to provide targeted sports therapy training, due to the remarkable effect, since then full of reputation in the United States, and later More gradually gained the recognition and affirmation of the world and all walks of life.

“Pilates is a functional training system for rehabilitation, the whole exercise system is based on anatomy and medicine, by exercising the deep small muscles of the human body to maintain and improve posture, achieve body balance, strengthen the body muscle strength and flexibility, help heal old injuries and prevent injuries.” Tang Meiyan, founder of Return Yoga, told Xiaokang Magazine and China Xiaokang Network.

“It is a training method suitable for everyone. One of the principles of Pilates is to focus on the core of the body, suitable for shaping, physical therapy, rehabilitation, for people with special injuries, maternity, children, the elderly and other people with a variety of needs, especially the lack of exercise, long hours of computer-facing office workers, as well as preparation for pregnancy, prenatal assistance, postpartum rapid body trimming mothers, can achieve the effect of shaping, fat loss, enhancement of athleticism, sports therapy and correcting the posture, and so on. “ Tang Meiyan said.

Why is Pilates so hot that it has even become a way of life for urbanites?

A 2014 study published in the Timisoara Journal of Physical Education and Rehabilitation analyzed and compared fitness data and motivation scales of 58 women and found that the top motivation of practitioners was curiosity and experiential nature of Pilates. In addition to this, according to GYMSQUARE, a professional platform in the industry, more and more people prefer Pilates because of the personalized training experience.

Compared to other sports, Pilates training is more focused on the individual. In terms of teaching mode, private tutoring and small group classes are the main ones. In terms of training equipment, there are aids such as Reformer, swing beds, Wander Chair, spinal correctors, etc., which can bring personalized advanced exercises to users.

Mr. Pilates has mentioned that the main purpose of developing Pilates courses is to cultivate the way practitioners properly understand and use their bodies. The purpose of practicing Pilates is neither for fat loss and shaping, nor for Pilates asana, but to return to life itself. He points out that the purpose of Pilates exercise is to improve posture, strengthen muscles, increase flexibility and promote physical and mental health.

“Pilates makes me feel happy, and my body and spirit are very full after every class.” Mrs. Liu, an 80-year-old girl who has been practicing Pilates for a long time in Beijing's Return Yoga & Pilates, said, “Moreover, every time I take a class, I feel that my body is more upright, my legs are straighter, and my belly is tighter.”

Mrs. Liu's good friend, Zhu Yating, an 80-year-old girl who lives in Shenzhen, said she enrolled in Pilates private tutoring three months after giving birth in order to improve her chesty and hunchbacked physique, and after one year of private tutoring, she began to take training classes for in-depth learning of the system. Now, her physique and posture are even better than before pregnancy. “Because the principle of Pilates is muscle control science, the exercise is deep muscles. It mainly relies on breathing and spinal adjustment to achieve the purpose. So as long as you do a set of movements under the guidance of an experienced instructor, you can immediately improve the back pain caused by daily hunching over your chest.” Athena Chu said.

“Pilates can make the body tighter and look thinner.” “I just finished practicing Pilates and I feel taller and my legs are longer.” “Practice it, it's good for the body and mind!” On Little Red Book, there are many notes about Pilates every day. Pilates has become a hot word on online social platforms and a popular word for socializing among contemporary young people.

Fire out of the Circle: Opportunities Presented

In June 2015, Tang Meiyan founded Return Yoga and opened the first Return Yoga studio in Beijing Fangzhuang area. 2016, her sister Tang Meihua joined the company, giving Return Yoga wings. At that time, Tang Meihua, who had been living abroad for many years, would often see professional Pilates studios on the streets of foreign countries, and she was very interested in them. After founding Return Yoga, both she and Mei-Yan Tang noticed that members practicing yoga at the venue would often ask if they were planning to offer Pilates classes.

Soon after, Tang Meiyan and Tang Meihua decided to incorporate Pilates into the venue, and began importing professional Pilates equipment from abroad, and invited professional Pilates experts from abroad to teach at Return Yoga. And the signboard of the yoga has also become the yoga & Pilates.

The intersection of yoga and Pilates practice is indeed the presentation of opportunities. With the gradual diversification of the preferences of the sports crowd and the evolution of venues towards integration, there is a great opportunity for the future of yoga and Pilates to be complementary and integrated. And the fire of Pilates out of the circle, so that it surpasses yoga, become the most popular fitness program in the city.

According to the data of Guanyan.com, as of 2021, the market size of China's Pilates industry has reached 16.8 billion yuan, and the penetration rate has increased from 1.05% in 2017 to 2.43%. Overall, China's Pilates exercise market started late but developed rapidly. It is expected that the market penetration rate of the domestic Pilates industry will reach 7.2% in 2029, and the market size will exceed 50 billion yuan.

“I love Pilates, and I'll keep practicing until I'm old.” Mrs. Liu, a veteran member who has been practicing for three years at Return Yoga & Pilates, lamented. For her and most of the white-collar workers in the city, Pilates will never be a short-lived sport, but a sport that can be practiced all the time and benefit both the body and the mind.