Do You Know the Original 34 Pilates Exercises?

If you’ve had a chance to read Joseph Pilates’ 1945 book, Return to Life Through Contrology, you’ve seen where his Original 34 Mat exercises come from.

In Return to Life, Joe included photos of himself demonstrating each exercise along with his written instructions. Reading his words is incredibly eye-opening. You start to notice things you may have never considered before. The way he describes the exercises, the emphasis he places on certain movements, and even the language he uses can feel surprisingly different from how many of us teach and practice Pilates today.

But let’s be honest: working out with a book can be hard to follow and slow.

That’s why I started a project to bring the Original 34 to life.

We asked several of our teachers to lead workouts based on Joseph Pilates’ Original 34 Mat exercises. Each teacher brought their own unique perspective and understanding of Joe’s work, resulting in classes that are faithful to the original sequence while highlighting different aspects of the method.

What I love most about these workouts is that no two are exactly alike. They all come from the same source material, yet each one reveals something new.

The Original Mat with Jay Grimes

Jay Grimes takes you back in time with his own first-hand memories of Joe’s studio.

Jay teaches the mat the way Joe taught him. In Joe’s world, there was no counting repetitions and no announcing what exercise came next. Students were expected to know the order and move through the sequence with focus and intention.

Keeping repetitions to just three to five per exercise creates a completely different experience. Instead of doing more, you’re asked to do each movement better. The result is a workout that demands concentration, precision, and efficiency.

It’s a rare opportunity to experience the work through someone who learned it directly from the source.

Archival Mat Workout with Simona Cipriani

Simona Cipriani’s mat workout is infused with her deep knowledge of Joseph Pilates’ archival work.

The class begins with standing exercises sourced from rare footage and historical materials before moving into the Return to Life sequence. Along the way, you’ll discover subtle differences that may seem small at first but completely change how the exercises feel in your body.

For teachers, it’s a fascinating look at how historical research can deepen our understanding of the Pilates method. For students, it’s simply a chance to experience familiar exercises in a whole new way.

Uncle Joe’s Mat with Chris Robinson

Join Chris Robinson for a journey through the original mat sequence exactly as it appears in Joseph Pilates’ book.

Chris teaches with an athletic style and emphasizes flow throughout the workout. The transitions keep moving, the energy stays high, and you’ll quickly understand why Joe considered the mat work a complete conditioning program.

This is a challenging class that will make you sweat while giving you a deeper appreciation for the strength and stamina required to perform the Original 34 as a continuous sequence.

The Original 34 Word-for-Word

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear Joseph Pilates teach?

In this class, I read Joe’s exact instructions aloud from Return to Life Through Contrology while demonstrating the exercises.

Hearing his words brings a completely different perspective to the work. Some of the cues may surprise you. Others may make perfect sense. But almost everyone walks away with a deeper understanding of what Joe was trying to communicate through his method.

It’s one of the closest experiences we can have to stepping back in time and hearing the work directly from Joseph Pilates himself.

What Will You Discover?

Every time I revisit the Original 34, I find something new.

Sometimes it’s a cue I’ve overlooked or a detail in an exercise that changes the way I perform it. And sometimes it’s simply a reminder of how brilliant and complete Joe’s original system really was.

I can’t wait to hear what you discover when you do these workouts.

Whether you’re a teacher looking to deepen your understanding of the method or a student curious about Pilates history, these classes offer a unique opportunity to experience Joseph Pilates’ work through several different lenses.

Dive in, stay curious, and let us know what stands out to you!