Understanding Pilates Principles: From Joseph to Modern Methodologies

Walk into any Pilates class today and you’ll likely hear words like control, breath, or flow tossed around as “Pilates principles.” But where do these ideas actually come from? Are they truly part of Joseph Pilates' original system—or are they interpretations that evolved over time?

With the term “Pilates” now widely used across many fitness trends, from reformer bootcamps to Pilates-yoga fusions, it’s worth asking: What defines Pilates as a method, and how do principles guide that definition?

Ever since a 2000 U.S. court decision ruled “Pilates” a generic term, an explosion of fitness hybrids has claimed roots in the original method. From high-intensity springboard workouts to fusion classes that blend Pilates with yoga or strength training, the identity of the method has become blurred.

Often, enthusiasts refer to the “principles” of Pilates to answer these questions. But even here, things get complicated.

The six most often-cited Pilates principles are:

1. Breath

2. Concentration

3. Control

4. Precision

5. Centering

6. Flow

While these are treated as gospel in many teacher training programs, they weren’t created by Joseph Pilates himself. Instead, they were first articulated in the 1980 book The Pilates Method of Physical and Mental Conditioning by Philip Friedman and Gail Eisen—students of Romana Kryzanowska.

In addition to the original six, you may have also come across another set of ideas known as the Guiding Principles, created by the founders of the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), particularly Kevin Bowen, as they prepared the PMA certification exam in the early 2000s.

These include:

1. Whole Body Health

2. Whole Body Commitment

3. Breath

   
   

Today, many Pilates schools and teacher training programs create their own interpretations of what the “principles” are. Some keep to the original six, others expand the list to include ideas like Alignment, Rhythm, Efficiency, and Mindfulness.

Joseph Pilates wrote two key texts: Your Health (1934) and Return to Life Through Contrology (1945). While his writings are passionate and visionary, they’re not laid out in a linear or easy-to-reference style. There’s no bullet-point list titled “My 6 Principles.”

However, Return to Life gives several clear hints at what Pilates considered essential to his method. In it, he emphasizes:

• The conscious control of all muscular action

• Harmonious functioning of the body and mind

• Knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics

• Use of breath to fuel movement

• Awareness of gravity, balance, and posture

• Continuous movement that stretches and strengthens every muscle

  
  

Joseph Pilates didn’t develop Contrology from textbooks. His method was shaped through years of observing movement—first as a child in Germany, studying animals and athletes, and later while interned during World War I, where he trained fellow prisoners using makeshift equipment and mat-based exercises.

In a way, the evolution of the Pilates principles reflects the method itself: adaptable, resilient, and deeply personal. Whether you resonate more with the classical six, the PMA’s guiding trio, or a modern interpretation rooted in biomechanics, the key is to stay true to the intent of the work.

Because at the end of the day, the real principle might just be this: do the work, and let it transform you.