Return to Life Through Contrology : Mockingbird Press : 9781953450463 : 1953450466 : 02 Apr 2021 : Is it possible to achieve peak physical health without a gym, workout equipment, or even space to run? If the exercise plan in 1945's Return to Life Through Contrology is followed, it may be. Written and compiled by Joseph H. Pilates and William J. Miller, this short exercise book demonstrates a series of movements at the core of what we now call simply "Pilates." Before it became mainstream, the practice was called Contrology, and it was much simpler than its current, equipment-heavy iteration. Creator Joseph Pilates was born in Germany, a sickly child who suffered from asthma and rheumatic fever, which caused joint and muscle pain. His father introduced him to gymnastics, body-building, and martial arts at a young age, and Pilates devoted the rest of his life to fitness and bodily health. As a young man, Pilates was a body-builder and gymnast. After immigrating to England in 1912,