The founder of the principle of the original Pilates was Joseph Pilates born (1880) in Dusseldorf Germany. He was interned on the Isle of Man because he was German during World War I. The moves he invented and practiced were originally named Contrology then later named after him to Pilates.
His original 34 moves are still used today although some of them have been slightly modified so they can be more easily practiced.
Back in the 1920’s Joseph Pilates gave us a method that prioritised the building blocks of core stability and rehabilitation. It has been in the last couple of decades that sports science research has helped us see more clearly why some ideas work brilliantly on injured bodies, while others are at odds with current best practice.