Caged Lion: Joseph Pilates and His Legacy
- Downloads：9742
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-24 09:53:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：John Howard Steel
- ISBN：1733430725
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
The surprising story of Pilates—the man and the method。
Part biography， part history， and part memoir， "Caged Lion" untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates’s 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 regimen—which today is practiced by more than ten million people—but 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。 Joe’s influence profoundly changed Steel’s life; in turn， Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe’s legacy。 Steel’s 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 Pilates’s years as a prisoner during World War I， Joe’s motivation to discover his system of exercises， his inspirational teaching technique， and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method。 It’s quite a story。
Part biography， part history， and part memoir， "Caged Lion" untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates’s 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 regimen—which today is practiced by more than ten million people—but 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。 Joe’s influence profoundly changed Steel’s life; in turn， Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe’s legacy。 Steel’s 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 Pilates’s years as a prisoner during World War I， Joe’s motivation to discover his system of exercises， his inspirational teaching technique， and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method。 It’s quite a story。
Reviews
Shawna
，
I have been a student of Pilates for over 15 years and it's something that never gets easy。 There are always ways to tweak the exercises to make them more difficult。 Reading this book， I fell in love with Pilates all over again。 I loved reading about Joe and how his teachings are still being practiced。 Pilates is my "therapy" and I get downright crabby when I don't do it。 Any student or instructor should pick this book up and be prepared to have a new appreciation for the work Joe Pilates did。 I have been a student of Pilates for over 15 years and it's something that never gets easy。 There are always ways to tweak the exercises to make them more difficult。 Reading this book， I fell in love with Pilates all over again。 I loved reading about Joe and how his teachings are still being practiced。 Pilates is my "therapy" and I get downright crabby when I don't do it。 Any student or instructor should pick this book up and be prepared to have a new appreciation for the work Joe Pilates did。 。。。more
Amanda Jones
，
If you are a Pilates devotee， you will love this book because it explains so much。 The exercises， the philosophy， the business side， the equipment。。。all of it。
Beth
，
Not the Pilates you thought you knew。。。interesting dive into the history and the man himself。
Jeanique
，
As must read if you're a Pilates practitioner I have always wanted to understand Joseph Pilates。 The man behind the work that makes me wake up every day with poise and pleasure to earn my living。 So that I can say thank you！ So thank you， Joe。 But also， thank you， John Howard Steel， for putting this book out into the world， it means a lot to me， and I am sure for other people too， to put the story straight for other generations to come。 It's important to know what it took for Pilates to survive As must read if you're a Pilates practitioner I have always wanted to understand Joseph Pilates。 The man behind the work that makes me wake up every day with poise and pleasure to earn my living。 So that I can say thank you！ So thank you， Joe。 But also， thank you， John Howard Steel， for putting this book out into the world， it means a lot to me， and I am sure for other people too， to put the story straight for other generations to come。 It's important to know what it took for Pilates to survive today。 I am optimistic that we can all continue to work together to move Pilates forward。 。。。more
Alex Moore
，
Seems like an Autobiography of bitterness in a fantasy worldWhen I first saw this book advertised， it looked great and something different that wasn't out there。 I thought it might give some real background to Pilates， and in particular how Joseph Pilates created his system。 There was barely any of this。 More so it was like an autobiography of the reader。 Theres more about his life of studying law and not liking his wife at the time， his journey of doing the classes and how he became friends wit Seems like an Autobiography of bitterness in a fantasy worldWhen I first saw this book advertised， it looked great and something different that wasn't out there。 I thought it might give some real background to Pilates， and in particular how Joseph Pilates created his system。 There was barely any of this。 More so it was like an autobiography of the reader。 Theres more about his life of studying law and not liking his wife at the time， his journey of doing the classes and how he became friends with Joseph Pilates， and also how he was with him in his dying days。 All well and good， but who really cares？As the book develops it feels like the author becomes more and more bitter about anything that may go against this Pilates figure。 The author makes some strange claims， about other exercise routines， such as aerobics classes "stiffening ligaments and tendons"。。。 aren't tendons meant to be stiff？ Then other claims about aerobics eventually ruining your backs and knees。。。 no research provided to back this up at all。Then the bitterness against other people， romana， Sean Gallagher。。 I'm not really sure why， something about them trying to steal the Pilates name。 He may have a point， but who wants to read a bitter book。But the main point， it all seems a bit of a fantasy world。 He claims that millions and millions of people are doing Joe's method。。。 but are they really？ Or are people just doing an exercise class named after his surname， based on what the author says then the majority of pilates classes are a world away from what we see today。The imaginary conversation with Joseph Pilates at the end has to be the most strangest part of any book I've ever read。Could have been much better， but this should make what people realise is， whatever Joseph Pilates did has long gone。 。。。more
Erin Swan
，
Great book that taught me so much about something I’ve grown to love over the past 8 months。 Inspiring and especially surprising how such a popular form of movement came to be。 Well written and would definitely recommend。
Stephanie Beeson
，
I’ve been practicing pilates for 42 years and teaching it for over 20。 I started to teach two years before the landmark decision was made and have experienced first hand the explosion in the popularity of Pilates。 I’ve loved hearing John’s first hand account of what happened during that time。 For those of us who make our living based on the teachings of JP， knowing the facts of how we have all come to benefit from the efforts of those who came before us is important。 There are still many out the I’ve been practicing pilates for 42 years and teaching it for over 20。 I started to teach two years before the landmark decision was made and have experienced first hand the explosion in the popularity of Pilates。 I’ve loved hearing John’s first hand account of what happened during that time。 For those of us who make our living based on the teachings of JP， knowing the facts of how we have all come to benefit from the efforts of those who came before us is important。 There are still many out there making false claims and generating division within our industry。 We should all be eternally grateful for the efforts of John Steel and， the others，who managed to keep the flame of Pilates burning。 JP is still a man of mystery and we may never know how the man came up with Contrology but does it really matter？ The method works。 People love it。 。。。more
Ashley Farrar
，
Loved everything about this book！ Definitely recommend to any Pilates enthusiast。
Nicole Turner
，
This is eye opening， completely different story than the one I had learned in my training。 Not only about Joe， but Romana， the lawsuit， and everything in between！ Great read。
Amy
，
I haven't written a review in a looooong time！ But for this one， I just had to。 I was super excited to read this book， to learn more about Joseph Pilates and his work。 But I felt that I didn't really get a sense of Pilates history and his work at all。 I guess the author was just being honest drawing from his own experience， but he didn't portray Joseph is a very appealing light。 As a new Pilates instructor， I wanted to learn more to have a sense of pride about this amazing system Joseph created。 I haven't written a review in a looooong time！ But for this one， I just had to。 I was super excited to read this book， to learn more about Joseph Pilates and his work。 But I felt that I didn't really get a sense of Pilates history and his work at all。 I guess the author was just being honest drawing from his own experience， but he didn't portray Joseph is a very appealing light。 As a new Pilates instructor， I wanted to learn more to have a sense of pride about this amazing system Joseph created。 But we don't even find out how Joseph created his Contrology method。 I guess I should have read the back with more detail。 Because this book is really about what happened after Joseph died and who carried on the Pilates Method。 The author doesn't really portray Romana Kryzanowska in a very good light， or some of the other main instructors， like Ron Fletcher。 And then others， like Kathy Grant， Lolita San Miguel， and Mary Bowen we learn nothing about。 I am a newbie in this industry but I felt like there was a slight agenda to this book。 Especially about the entire court case over the trademark use。 So after I read the last chapter， I felt the book was a let down。 The back of the book states: "the surprising story of Pilates and the man and the method"。 I felt with that statement the book didn't live up to this claim。 I was hoping to learn more about Joseph's history， and more about the earlier years of him teaching his method。 And I was hoping to learn more about all the 1st generation teachers， not just a couple。 I give the book 3 stars because it was entertaining and in the end I couldn't put it down until I reached the end。 。。。more
Emily
，
A first-hand and interesting account of the later part of Joseph Pilates' life and the beginning of the Pilates exercise movement。 Left me with more questions than I started with。 A first-hand and interesting account of the later part of Joseph Pilates' life and the beginning of the Pilates exercise movement。 Left me with more questions than I started with。 。。。more
Steph Hay
，
I enjoyed this book， read it as I feel it's intended as an interesting memory of a man who knew and was taught by Joe Pilates。 I found it well written and interesting。 There are contradictory stories to his story but I don't think this detracts from this book。 I enjoyed this book， read it as I feel it's intended as an interesting memory of a man who knew and was taught by Joe Pilates。 I found it well written and interesting。 There are contradictory stories to his story but I don't think this detracts from this book。 。。。more
Carrie R
，
This book was more a memoir of Jonathan Steel and an historical account of how Pilates came to be than a biographical sketch of Joseph Pilates。 That is not a criticism， more like an unexpected surprise。I have been practicing Pilates for about two years and wanted to know more about its creator。 When I picked up this book， I expected either a dry tome or a superlative-laden hagiography。 Happily， Steel has created an engaging story that starts with his first encounter with Joe Pilates in 1963 - "a This book was more a memoir of Jonathan Steel and an historical account of how Pilates came to be than a biographical sketch of Joseph Pilates。 That is not a criticism， more like an unexpected surprise。I have been practicing Pilates for about two years and wanted to know more about its creator。 When I picked up this book， I expected either a dry tome or a superlative-laden hagiography。 Happily， Steel has created an engaging story that starts with his first encounter with Joe Pilates in 1963 - "an inauspicious but important beginning" - and takes you along for all the twists， turns， and almost dead ends as dedicated students try to keep Controlology alive after Joe Pilates dies in 1967。 It is a fascinating read and Steel is a good story teller。 Through Steel， I feel like I have a much better sense of who Zoe and Clara Pilates were when they poured everything they had into teaching Controlology in their small NYC studio。 But the biggest surprise of the book comes when Steel looks into where Controlology came from and how Joe Pilates developed it。 Many of the "origin stories" still circulating today - the equipment made from prison bed springs and the like - are almost assuredly untrue。 Steel makes a compelling argument from what little is known about Joseph Pilates' time prior to coming to the U。S。 that Pilates wanted to start over with a clean slate。 We may never know the true beginnings of the practice that is now referred to as Pilates but thanks to Steel’s book we know how modern-day Pilates came to be。 。。。more
Jen
，
My presumptions were completely wrong about this thing’ I’ve done for some 15 years or more！ ！ This was a fast and fascinating read- felt a bit ill mannered in the recounting of some individuals， but also felt as if I was having a conversation over coffee with the author。 Recommend for any practitioner of Pilates -
Mary
，
Trying to figure out why this book got such amazing reviews。 Terrible writing， terrible editing， repetitive， boring narration。 Sorry， but I couldn't finish it。 Trying to figure out why this book got such amazing reviews。 Terrible writing， terrible editing， repetitive， boring narration。 Sorry， but I couldn't finish it。 。。。more
Diane Sapitro
，
Great insight into the understanding of how and why Joseph Pilates created this amazing workout。
Lisa
，
If you’re a Pilates enthusiast， be prepared to read this in one sitting。
Dawne
，
I have been a student of Pilates for over 10 years and this book provided so much inspiration to continue the journey。 I appreciated the personal stories but also the perspective of John Howard Steel as the lifelong Pilates student。 The legacy of Clara and Joe was beyond their time but his vision for health and wellness was truly revolutionary。 I would recommend that any student of Pilates dive into this book。 It articulates all the things we feel and the reasons why we keep at it。 It's addictiv I have been a student of Pilates for over 10 years and this book provided so much inspiration to continue the journey。 I appreciated the personal stories but also the perspective of John Howard Steel as the lifelong Pilates student。 The legacy of Clara and Joe was beyond their time but his vision for health and wellness was truly revolutionary。 I would recommend that any student of Pilates dive into this book。 It articulates all the things we feel and the reasons why we keep at it。 It's addictive and FUN！！ 。。。more
Nancy
，
One of many perspectives on Mr。 Pilates。 Easy read。 Good to add to the list in my Pilates library。 I've watched legacy interviews with 2nd generation students on an online Pilates service， so this was not earth-shattering， but enlightening in a different way。 Thank you， Mr。 Steel， for sharing your experience knowing and working with Mr。 Pilates。 One of many perspectives on Mr。 Pilates。 Easy read。 Good to add to the list in my Pilates library。 I've watched legacy interviews with 2nd generation students on an online Pilates service， so this was not earth-shattering， but enlightening in a different way。 Thank you， Mr。 Steel， for sharing your experience knowing and working with Mr。 Pilates。 。。。more
Miryam Rosenberg
，
A must read for Pilates aficionados As I’ve been doing Pilates for several years， I found this book fascinating。 The author did a great job in describing Joseph Pilates’s personality。
Melissa Silva-Ross
，
A must read for any Pilates practitioner！ Caged Lion has deepened my knowledge and appreciation for the foundation of pilates。 Thank you Mr。 Steel for sharing your lifelong journey with Pilates with us。 I am truly inspired。
Ray Norberto
，
Interesting deductions on Pilates’ creation With so little known about Joseph Pilates before he came to the US and how he was inspired to create the exercise flow that bears his name， this memoir from one of his last students is interesting detective work。 The emergence of the program we now know as Pilates from 1967 to now was a fascinating journey。
Lia Hatz
，
An interesting book with a lot of personal touch from the author that is worth reading if you are interested into Joseph Pilates afterlife story 。 But half of the book is just speculations of the author 。 Make sure to read the preface which is an important part of the book。
Gina Jackson
，
Excellent。 Absolutely Delightful。 I laughed loudly more than once， gasped a few times thinking， "no， he didn't say that" and texted two teacher/friends （and found） the identity of the body/student in the courthouse。 An excellent read and rounding out of a story that rings very clear about the work， the man and principals involved in creating an industry that I love being a part of。 Thanks for telling the story， John 👌🏽Gina Jackson Pilates4fitness Excellent。 Absolutely Delightful。 I laughed loudly more than once， gasped a few times thinking， "no， he didn't say that" and texted two teacher/friends （and found） the identity of the body/student in the courthouse。 An excellent read and rounding out of a story that rings very clear about the work， the man and principals involved in creating an industry that I love being a part of。 Thanks for telling the story， John 👌🏽Gina Jackson Pilates4fitness 。。。more
Susana Garcia
，
Fantastic beginning backstory with anecdotes from Steel’s time with Pilates and his experiences in the pilates world after。 Second half of the book focuses on the “what ifs” and is filled with mostly Steel’s own speculations。。。 which become repetitive。 Overall and enjoyable read， but not as much concrete insight into the history of Pilates as I was initially hoping for。
Johanna Charlotte
，
I enjoyed this book - entertaining， interesting， and controversial。 I felt that it read and flowed well。If you read the book， The Preface should be read in its entirety。 This will place context for the book。I've seen some comments elsewhere （e。g。 not on Goodreads） and I strongly feel that in reading some of these comments - the owners of the comments firstly didn't bother to read The Preface in its entirety， （I'm going to take a guess） perhaps don't understand what a preface is / it's function a I enjoyed this book - entertaining， interesting， and controversial。 I felt that it read and flowed well。If you read the book， The Preface should be read in its entirety。 This will place context for the book。I've seen some comments elsewhere （e。g。 not on Goodreads） and I strongly feel that in reading some of these comments - the owners of the comments firstly didn't bother to read The Preface in its entirety， （I'm going to take a guess） perhaps don't understand what a preface is / it's function as it pertains to the structure of a book， etc。 and are thus， then confused。I will say that， in general， I've noticed that a number of individuals skip the preface， and then just skip around and read selected passages。 If you do this， for this book - I feel you will do yourself a disservice。I read the book in its entirety， end to end （which says something for me， because I taste books like I taste wine - if I don't like it， I put it down）。 I quite enjoyed it and recommend。 。。。more
Linda Rosenfeld Magid
，