Pilates was designed by Joseph Pilates, a gymnast born in Germany of partly Greek ancestry.He designed a system of exercises during the First World War with the proposal to improve the rehabilitation program for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed that mental and physical health are inter-related. He recommended a few precise movements emphasizing control and form to aid injured soldiers in regaining their health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilizing key muscles. Pilates created “The Pilates Principles” to condition the entire body: proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement.