Born in Germany, Jospeh Pilates suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever as a child. Determined to overcome these weaknesses, he studied a variety of techniques, including yoga, bodybuilding and gymnastics, becoming one of the first to combine Western physical studies with Eastern mind-body techniques. In 1926 he immigrated to the U.S.A. and with his wife Clara founded his first Pilates studio in New York City.
