Tina Bergen, 31, owner and operator of Firefly Pilates Studio, gives her client Shauna Brittenham, 26, a private Pilates session on Friday, June 13, 2008. The Pilates Method (or simply Pilates), is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates during the First World War with the proposal to improve the rehabilitation program for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed mental and physical health are essential to one another. 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. As of 2005 there are 11 million people who practice the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States.