PILATES IS FOR EVERYONE EVERYWHERE for EVERYTHING as long as you are

open-minded to learning. Joseph H Pilates started this codified method for muscular conditioning in the 1920s using the name Contrology. Combining posture and core stability with muscle and joint mobility, the focus is on stabilizing, correct muscle initiation, and then quality movement. This leads to efficient muscle memory systems for your body to use in your life. Running, walking, dancing, cross fit, barre, HIIT, swimming, soccer, basketball, subway steps, yoga, cycling, cycling for your soul, skiing, looking good apres skiing, jumping, trapezing, playing, sleeping, cooking, writing, horseback riding, knitting, football, watching football, boxing, baseball,

singing………

As a tool for body conditioning, rehabilitation, or injury prevention, Sports Specific

Training the list continues:

Dancers/Martial Artists/Yogis

Office workers

Post or Pre-Natal Women

Beginning a new exercise regime

Struggling with chronic stiffness or injury

Sciatic Nerve Pain

IT Band Syndrome

Recurring Sprain/Strains

Osteoporosis

Arthritis

Muscle Atrophy

Back pain (Spasms, Disc Herniation)

Post Rehabilitation

Strength Training

Joseph Hubertus Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. As a child, he suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever, but overcame these challenges by dedicating himself to physical training in disciplines such as diving, skiing, bodybuilding, gymnastics, and boxing.

His success brought him to England, where he worked as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. During World War I, while interned with other German nationals, he began developing his rehabilitation system by attaching springs to hospital beds—allowing patients to exercise and rebuild strength. This innovation became the basis for the specialized equipment and apparatus still used in Pilates today.

In the 1920s, Joseph Pilates opened his first studio in New York City, introducing what he called “Contrology” —a method centered on the mind’s ability to consciously control muscle movement. His approach quickly gained popularity among dancers, performers, and athletes for its focus on strength, precision, and alignment.

Over the last 25 years, the once “secret” method of Pilates has become widely embraced by the general public, physical therapists, and medical professionals around the world.

In a first private lesson at BASI Pilates Academy – NYC, you should expect to review your intake form, including goals, strengths, weaknesses, past or current injuries, and restrictions. We hope that you gain a fundamental understanding of your neutral alignment and ignite core muscles throughout the body while learning a combination of mat and apparatus exercises. An open dialogue is most important to us so that we can program your sessions according to your intentions. Since Pilates can work a spectrum of goals, from being high-intensity strength-based, pre- or post-rehabilitation, or with more focus on alignment, we rely on this communication.

Pilates requires you to feel comfortable first and foremost. While form-fitting, breathable clothing that allows for a full range of motion and helps instructors observe your alignment is great, we do not require that and can still see

• Avoid clothing with tassels, ties, or drawstrings, as these can get caught in the equipment and pose a safety risk.
• If wearing loose shorts, you are encouraged to wear tighter shorts underneath for added coverage during movement.
• Choose clothing that is both flexible and comfortable — and make sure it stays in place as you move.

Sticky Socks Required

For safety and hygiene, sticky socks are required for all Pilates sessions. If you don’t have a pair, you can purchase them at the studio for $20.

We do share notes with the clinic on your injuries, treatment, and progress — but only with your permission. This kind of collaboration allows for truly comprehensive care and helps you get the most out of working with like-minded practitioners at Physio Logic.

It’s all about finding the right pieces of your wellness puzzle and discovering which disciplines work best for you. Our communication is key to understanding what supports your progress.

Because we are separate entities, the Pilates studio uses a different system and will require you to fill out a brief set of our own paperwork.

We offer dynamic small group reformer, mat, and jump board classes of 5-7 people. We designed our group class curriculum in levels with progressions. Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced is not simply defined by your technical execution of the repertoire. It has a lot to do with your ability to take cues and corrections and to make any personal modifications. Use our class descriptions as a tool to self-evaluate which classes would be appropriate for your body on a daily/weekly basis. Feel free to give us a call, drop us a line, or book a private lesson to discuss the best choice for you.

Our studio is a full Pilates studio with all of the apparatus, the reformer being one of them. Our group classes are reformer and mat-based. Joseph H Pilates designed the reformer in the early 1920s when he also got the first patent filed. His method of body conditioning precedes this invention and was long researched by his own experiences and he taught it daily for his camp of over 24,000 inmates during WW1 while he was stationed at Isle of Man for the duration of the war. He then designed the reformer and made his way to America. He replaced his early design, which used a weight stack, with coiled springs and added handles so he could do rowing exercises. He called his work “corrective exercise” and then later “contrology” the ability to control your muscles with your mind.

There is no such thing as “reformer Pilates.” The reformer, along with all of the Pilates apparatus, is meant to aid in achieving the classic Pilates matwork. For example, if you can’t do the “roll up”, a classic may exercise, there are a variety of exercises to lengthen and strengthen the back, gain articulation in the spine and the abdominals as well as strengthen the legs in order to coordinate the body to then execute the roll up. When working on the apparatus, you can really tailor the exercises to suit the needs of the student, especially when working on gaite correction, injuries, or sports-specific training.
The reformer allows you to work with and against gravity, not weight bearing on the joints, while safely loading and adding weight or resistance for strength building. Every spring has a starting pound conversion and additional pounds are added for every inch
you extend the spring with the given movement. You not only get both resistance and assistance in every exercise, you also get feedback from the springs, pulleys, carriage, and shoulder rests as you are in motion. If something doesn’t feel right, or you are losing resistance, then it means you aren’t executing the repertoire correctly or with the correct movement quality.

If you need to cancel your appointment, please contact us by email at nyc@basipilatesacademy.com or call us at 718-852-8349 ext. 3 to cancel or reschedule.

Please note that we have a 24-hour cancellation policy. If you cancel within 24 hours of your scheduled appointment, you will be charged in full.

This policy applies to all Pilates private sessions, group classes, and massage appointments.

We do have expiration dates for all Pilates private packages, group class packages, and
massage packages. Expiration periods vary depending on the size of the package, typically ranging from 8 to 50 weeks. Please be aware when you purchase a package of what your expiry
date is.

If you have any questions or would like more details, please email us at nyc@basipilatesacademy.com