Pilates

Pilates is a system of exercise and body conditioning built around stabilising the core muscles (the abdominal, gluteal and paraspinal muscles, which support the trunk) while the body moves through a controlled range of motion. It was developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates in the 1920s as a conditioning method for both body and mind.^[1] The Victorian Government's Better Health Channel describes it as a series of exercises inspired by calisthenics, yoga and ballet.^[2]

Description

Principles

Pilates exercises follow six principles: centring (working the core muscles of the trunk), concentration, control of posture and alignment, precision in technique, flow from one movement to the next, and focused, coordinated breathing.^[1] Each exercise has a set placement, rhythm and breathing pattern, and muscles are rarely worked to exhaustion.^[2] Compared with yoga, Pilates traditionally focuses more on control of movement and muscular endurance.^[2]

Mat and equipment

Contemporary Pilates includes more than 500 exercises. They fall into two main groups: mat work, and exercises on large apparatus that gives adjustable spring resistance, such as the Reformer, the Trapeze Table (or Cadillac), the Wunda chair and barrels. A session may use the mat, small apparatus, large equipment or a mix.^[1] Mat-based Pilates uses body weight and gravity for resistance, while the reformer is a movable carriage that the person pushes and pulls along its tracks.^[2]

A session

Pilates teachers use cues, by demonstration or spoken direction, as well as imagery, metaphor and non-invasive hands-on assistance, to help people do each exercise correctly. Classes are usually taught in small groups or individually, and are commonly 60 to 90 minutes long. They are held in Pilates studios, gyms and allied health practices such as physiotherapy clinics, and can be adapted to gentle, moderate or high intensity or tailored to an individual. After supervised sessions, people may also follow a home exercise program.^[1] Better Health says exercises are usually repeated five to ten times, and that the method is taught to suit each person, with exercises re-checked regularly.^[2]

What the evidence says

The evidence for Pilates' effects is generally of low certainty. A 2015 review for the Australian Government found no reliable evidence that Pilates was effective for any clinical condition. The 2022 systematic review for the Natural Therapies Review found moderate-certainty evidence that Pilates reduces disability and improves overall quality of life in people with chronic low back pain, and improves incontinence-related quality of life in men after removal of the prostate. It found low-certainty evidence of benefit for some other outcomes, such as pain in people with low back pain and neck-related disability in people with chronic neck pain, and moderate-certainty evidence of little or no effect on functional capacity in people with low back pain. For several other conditions the effect was very uncertain or unknown.^[1]^[3] Its searches ran to June 2020, so later studies were not included.^[1] This matters for anyone reading claims about Pilates: even a method recommended for private health insurance eligibility again had moderate-certainty evidence for only a few outcomes in a few conditions.^[3]

Scope

What it includes

Mat exercises, using body weight and small apparatus^[1]
Exercises on spring-resisted equipment such as the reformer^[1]^[2]
Group, small-group and individual sessions, and home exercise programs^[1]

What it is not

Pilates is not a cure. According to the 2022 evaluation for the Australian Government, it does not change the course of disease; it is intended to address general signs and symptoms of a condition, or to help manage the side effects of treatment.^[1]
Pilates is not the same as yoga, although the two are often confused (see Principles above).^[2]

Traditions and lineage

Joseph Pilates' early method focused on building strength, much like boxing training, and was aimed mainly at dancers. From the late 1930s he taught group classes to particular groups, semi-private studio sessions using his own equipment, and individual programs for people with a range of problems.^[1] Better Health says he was inspired by health problems he had as a child and by different forms of movement, and that he brought his method to America as a way to help injured athletes and dancers return to exercise safely.^[2]

Pilates was first taught mainly to gymnasts, dancers and boxers. Since the late 1980s it has spread to the general population, and second- and third-generation instructors have reinterpreted and modified the original method, refining it in line with current knowledge of anatomy, physiology and human movement.^[1]

Context

Within Spiritualism

Spiritfold has found no published source linking Pilates with Spiritualism.

In Australian Spiritualism

Spiritfold has found no published source linking Pilates with Spiritualism in Australia.

A Spiritualist perspective

Pilates is a system of body conditioning for body and mind, not a spiritual path, and a Spiritualist would see it simply as one of many sensible ways to keep fit. That is no small thing. Spiritualism teaches personal responsibility, and caring for the physical body is part of living this life well.

Some of its principles, such as concentration, control and focused breathing, will sound familiar to anyone who has learned to meditate or sit in a circle. A Spiritualist might find that the steadiness built in a Pilates class carries over into their quiet time, but that is a personal benefit, not a teaching of our religion. Learn it from a qualified instructor, tell them about any health conditions, and check with your doctor if you have concerns. These simple steps are the same ones the health guidance below gives, and a good teacher in any field would ask the same of their students.

Pilates in Australia

A 2013–14 survey estimated that more than 197,000 Australians take part in Pilates each year.^[1]

Training and associations

Australia has two main industry bodies for Pilates professionals, the Australian Pilates Method Association and the Pilates Alliance Australasia. Training varies, but accredited member instructors typically hold a diploma or an industry equivalent. The professional bodies provide codes of conduct and ethics and continuing education.^[1] The Australian Government's healthdirect service suggests the Pilates Alliance Australasia as a way to find an instructor.^[4] Better Health, in its page produced with AUSactive, advises finding a properly trained and qualified Pilates instructor.^[2]

Regulation

None of the natural therapies examined in the Natural Therapies Review, including Pilates, is regulated in terms of who can provide it.^[3] Because anyone may call themselves a Pilates instructor, the advice from Better Health and healthdirect to look for a properly trained instructor carries real weight.^[2]^[4]

Private health insurance

Since 1 April 2019, Pilates has been one of 16 natural therapies that private health insurers can't cover.^[5] The Natural Therapies Review 2024 looked at the evidence again. Its Chair, Professor Michael Kidd, recommended re-inclusion for therapies with moderate-certainty evidence of effectiveness for at least one health outcome in one condition, and Pilates was one of the seven therapies he recommended should become eligible again.^[3]

Safety and good practice

Pilates is a form of exercise, so the usual precautions for starting exercise apply. Better Health advises seeing your doctor before starting any new fitness program, especially if you have a medical condition or haven't exercised for a long time. Although Pilates is low-impact, it says some people should get professional advice first, including people who have recently had surgery, pregnant women, men aged 45 and over and women aged 55 and over, people with heart disease or musculoskeletal injuries, people who are very overweight, and anyone found to be at risk in a pre-exercise screening.^[2]

healthdirect advises beginners and people with an injury or health condition to learn in a class with a qualified instructor, to start slowly, and to stop and ask the instructor if they feel pain. People new to the reformer should learn how to adjust its springs before a class, and beginners or people with an injury may need a one-to-one session so the instructor can assess them. It says Pilates is safe in pregnancy, although some positions may need to be changed.^[4] The 2022 review did not assess safety.^[1]

Related modalities

References

↑ ^1.00 ^1.01 ^1.02 ^1.03 ^1.04 ^1.05 ^1.06 ^1.07 ^1.08 ^1.09 ^1.10 ^1.11 ^1.12 ^1.13 ^1.14 Health Technology Analysts Pty Ltd. Pilates for preventing and treating health conditions: an evidence evaluation. Evidence evaluation report prepared for the National Health and Medical Research Council, August 2022. Published by the Australian Government Department of Health as "Natural Therapies Review 2024 – Pilates evidence evaluation" (accessed 11 October 2026).
↑ ^2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 "Pilates – health benefits". Better Health Channel, Department of Health, State Government of Victoria. Produced with AUSactive; reviewed 7 July 2022 (accessed 11 October 2026).
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 Kidd, Michael. Letter to the Minister for Health and Aged Care, 16 February 2025, with Natural Therapies Review 2024 – Report and recommendations. Australian Government Department of Health, published 27 March 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 "Health benefits of yoga and Pilates". healthdirect, Healthdirect Australia. Last reviewed April 2025 (accessed 11 October 2026).
↑ "Natural Therapies Review 2024". Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. Last updated 1 June 2026 (accessed 11 October 2026).