Caged Lion: Joseph Pilates and His Legacy

The surprising story of Pilatesthe man and the method. Part biography, part history, and part memoir, "Caged Lion" untangles for the first time Joseph Pilatess opaque life story and the perilous journey of his exercise program known the world over as Pilates. This is the story of Joseph Pilates, a gifted man who immigrated to the United States at forty-three with no assets or credentials. He not only invented an exercise regimenwhich today is practiced by more than ten million peoplebut in the process, reinvented himself. John Howard Steel brings Joseph Pilates and his eponymous exercise regime to life from his unique perspective as a student, friend, and confidant. Joes influence profoundly changed Steels life; in turn, Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joes legacy. Steels vivid account traces the expansion of Pilates from a small cadre of dedicated adherents, through two periods of near extinction, to the global sensation it is today. Steel describes Joseph Pilatess years as a prisoner during World War I, Joes motivation to discover his system of exercises, his inspirational teaching technique, and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method. Its quite a story.