Pilates in Print and on Film: Some Recommendations
You can´t learn Pilates from a book. Pilates is about precise movement and you simply can´t learn that from static pictures of someone else´s body. That said, books can be a great resource for some people to reinforce their learning.
There are SO many pilates books and DVDs around that it´s hard to know what to chose. Here are a number of resources which we recommend. They teach the same type of pilates that you learn at the studio so that you can make sure you are not going to be confused by two contradictory sets of instructions.
The first thing to do is to look at the Kinetic Pilates Youtube channel where we have put some videos of people doing classical pilates. There are some of the old films of Joe Pilates teaching and training as well as some modern people.
There are SO many pilates books and DVDs around that it´s hard to know what to chose. Here are a number of resources which we recommend. They teach the same type of pilates that you learn at the studio so that you can make sure you are not going to be confused by two contradictory sets of instructions.
The first thing to do is to look at the Kinetic Pilates Youtube channel where we have put some videos of people doing classical pilates. There are some of the old films of Joe Pilates teaching and training as well as some modern people.
 | Pilates: Body in Motion by Alycea Ungaro
A very clear book which gives you instructions on how to do the mat exercises from basic up to most of advanced as well as the wall and some magic circle exercises. It gives an introductory, basic, intermediate and advanced workout and has flow charts of the different level exercises which makes it really useful for home practice. Advanced students should be aware that the order given for the advanced mat here is slightly different to the one currently officially taught by Romana´s Pilates. James´ top recommendation for someone who wants to get one book on pilates to help them train on their own. |
The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning by Philip Friedman and Gail Eisen
This was the first modern book on pilates, published in 1980 by two students of Romana Kryzanowska. It is wonderfully full and contains a number of exercises not normally found in books on mat pilates. Maybe not your first book (the exercise orders in Ungaro are much more useful and in tune with the way we work), but a very good second book for the more advanced and interested. |  |
 | A Pilate's Primer: Return to Life Through Contrology and Your Health by Joseph Pilates
The original and classic book on Pilates. It is extremely interesting and valuable as a record of Pilates thinking in the mid 1940s, and gives you a taste of his slightly "quackish" tone. Pilates continued to develop his work for over 20 years after this book was written, so it is by no means the "last word" on what pilates is and some of the exercises have evolved a little in the 60+ years since it was written. |
Conquering Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Repetitive Strain Injuries by Sharon Butler
With more and more computer use and texting, repetitive strain injuries are becoming more common. The "nuclear option" of surgery doesn´t always turn out well, but often people turn to it as they don´t know what else to try. This book is based on the idea of stretching the fascia, the "glue" which holds the body together. The author is trained in Hellerwork, a therapy which is based on the manipulation of fascia, and she writes from her own experience as a former sufferer of carpal tunnel. This was the book which helped me regain pretty much full use of my hands/wrists after I developed Carpal tunnel during my PhD. I still use a few of the stretches when my forearms and hands tighten up. It may not be the answer for everyone, but it is certainly worth a try. |  |
