THE PILATES STORY The form of exercise called Pilates was developed by the German-born Joseph Hubertus Pilates in the early 1920s as a holistic approach to physical health by integrating the connection of mind with body. Mr Pilates developed many of his techniques using the springs and trapeze attachments of a hospital bed while working at a British health camp following WWI. [ This content has been abbreviated because your browser does not support iFrames. Download a more recent web browser to view the complete site. ]