Pilates is a type of gymnastics focused on posture control. Practicing Pilates benefits from regular execution of the spine and balance control. Unlike many types of gymnastics, the Pilates method strictly follows principles founded on a precise philosophical and theoretical basis. It is therefore not a simple set of exercises, but a real method which has continuously developed and perfected over the years. The goal of its creator, Joseph Hubertus Pilates, was to make people more aware of themselves, their body and their mind. In a certain sense, he tried to merge the best aspects of Western physical disciplines with those of Eastern techniques, even if the method – initially called “Contrology” – has always had a strong conventional scientific orientation – therefore essentially opposed to the esoteric teachings of the of the Rising Sun.