Another book about Joseph Pilates? Yes, please!
And the Caged Lion, penned by John Howard Steel, isn’t merely another download of historical research; for perhaps the first time ever, we get to hear from someone who not only met Joseph and Clara Pilates, but also knew them on a personal (and business) level for a long stretch of time. Additionally, and this is important, we rarely get this kind of insight into the life and work of Joseph Pilates from someone who didn’t go on to become a Pilates teacher or figure in the industry.
Needless to say, we are extremely drawn to this book for many reasons and believe it is worth paying attention to.
His accounts on what it was like to practice Pilates back in the day and the required commitment to becoming independent in one’s practice from the start are simply wonderful to read. Clearly, the work has imposed some inexplicable magic on those who decided it can’t just disappear but must be kept alive.
There are many highlights in the book, but its true power is in getting a glimpse into the culture of Pilates; the way the work was practiced, the commitment required to become part of the Pilates Gymnasium, the way Joseph and Clara Pilates were as people… not just as teachers. But perhaps the most shocking insight is in his detailed breakdown of exactly how Pilates transitioned into a movement that existed in the absence of Joseph (and later Clara) Pilates.
We don’t want to give anything away, but it’s really no secret that there is a long tradition of “rearranged truths” in the Pilates story, starting with Joseph Pilates himself (birth year changes, war-hero fairytales, and more). They became the foundation of our industry and the self-imposed hierarchies therein. And still, we hold up most of the beliefs born from these non-truths.
The book, then, offers an exciting opportunity to question everything we think we know about the Pilates method. And in questioning “what if it’s all true?”, it allows us to let the past be the past, and decide how we want this work to be presented and represented in the future. John Steel himself is offering one of the best explanations we have read as to why Pilates, the method, stood the test of time (minor spoiler: it’s not necessarily because of Pilates, the man).
We are grateful to John Steel for publishing this book and sharing sides of the Pilates story that we haven’t heard with such clarity before. Just in case you didn’t notice… we highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of the book right now!