Anyone on here do it?

I did some Astanga Yoga while I lived in the city and I enjoyed it. I moved back home, and found that there was only an Iyengar Yoga class and a Pilates class.

I tried the Iyengar first, but it wasn't that great. So I had a look at the Pilates, and was pretty impressed ( I plan to go once I tie my part time college up in a few weeks).

I also recently got a book about Pilates for men. It has some great routines in it.

Things I have found interesting about Pilates so far:

i) Joseph Pilates (the creator of the system) was a boxer and acrobat. He was also influenced by animal movements. He was fascinated by the way a creature such as a tiger could keep itself strong and healthy in such a confined space.

ii) Although strongly dominated by women, back in the day when J Pilates opened his first studio in New York, most of the attending members were men who were gymnasts, boxers and wrestlers.

iii) He use to call his system controlology, and amongest other things he talked about breath control during movement. I found this very interesting as some of the excercises in Pilates I have tried were similar to Systema excercises I had done at a seminar!

My brother works in the fitness industry. He said on numerous occasions he has been training a male client, and has made a suggestion that the client should incorporate Pilates classes into their routine (especially men with certain injuries). More oft than not he was scoffed at. Like he said, there's no helping some people...

Interestingly enough, the author of the book I read was a former Powerlifter and Jiu Jitsu player. He said he had incurred many injuries through doing both that stayed with him. He also said that regular study of Pilates had, amongest other things, completely healed him of those injuries.

Any thoughts?

Joseph Pilates taught self-defence to the Metroploitan Police in Britain. He was doing this when the war started and he (being from an enemy country) was interred. He was allowed to work in a hospital with wounded soldiers, where he developed many of his ideas.

When he opened up in NY he was also teaching members of NY ballet, I believe... and there are few people fitter than ballet dancers!

Never done it, but I'd like to. The only question i have is whether it is really necessary to do the thorasiac breathing, as opposed to the abdominal (which my art requires)?

Pass on the breathing. I have encountered different breathing methods in Qi Gong and Taiji and yoga too. I think it depends what you are doing and perhaps what shape your body is in.

I would recommend giving Pilates a go though!