Caged Lion

Joseph Pilates and His Legacy

The surprising story of Pilates—the man and the method.

Part biography, part history, and part memoir, Caged Lion untangles for the first time Joseph Pilates’s opaque life story and the perilous journey of his exercise program known the world over as Pilates.

This is the story of Joseph Pilates, a gifted man who immigrated to the United States at forty-three with no assets or credentials. He not only invented an exercise regimen—which today is practiced by more than ten million people—but in the process, reinvented himself.

John Howard Steel brings Joseph Pilates and his eponymous exercise regime to life from his unique perspective as a student, friend, and confidant. Joe’s influence profoundly changed Steel’s life; in turn, Steel was crucial for the survival of the Pilates Method and Joe’s legacy. Steel’s vivid account traces the expansion of Pilates from a small cadre of dedicated adherents, through two periods of near extinction, to the global sensation it is today. Steel describes Joseph Pilates’s years as a prisoner during World War I, Joe’s motivation to discover his system of exercises, his inspirational teaching technique, and the unique attraction of the Pilates Method. It’s quite a story.

Produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.

©2020 John Howard Steel (P)2021 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC

Entertaining and full of surprises

Love the story telling about Pilates bio and the friendship with the author. I love it so much that I bought the book too. i always thought he was a bit strange too. Thank you for the answers I found in this book.

Soul balm

John H. Steel’s sweet voice brings light to the history of Joe and Pilates. His recollections and genuine care for the work are infectious.

A rare treat to an insiders lens of the life of Joe

I thought I knew and understood the legacy of Joseph Pilates before I was fully immersed into this insiders take on the life of Joseph Pilates. As an instructor I am so appreciative of the stories and in depth explanations of how Pilates came to be and how Joseph meant for it to be felt. I also am thankful for the underrating of the evolution of the teachings and the battle that needed to be overcome to make it accessible to all. I will listen to this again and again!

Great insight to Pilates

I loved hearing the narration straight from the author. It was as like listening to your father/friend telling you a story coming from his heart. I'm about to take a Pilates teacher training and I'm glad I got this book. It sheds more light on the history of Joseph Pilates as a human being, as well as how his technique continued, thanks to the people responsible for keeping the gym and the practice alive, as well as to those who were generous enough to train others how to teach it. It gives more light about the person falsely claiming to be "his protege" and her elitist and selfish motives rooted only on self glorification instead of the common good, as well as her supporting the opportunist that would've prevented the Pilates legacy from flourishing as it is at present. Makes me grateful for the people who persevered against them who believed that Pilates should be accessible to everyone as Joe would've wanted it to be.
Thank you John Howard Steel for this gift!

A Must Read for All Pilates Instructors

Excellent book diving into the history from direct perspective. I really enjoyed listening to Mr. Steel‘s respectable elder voice retelling his experience and his perspective with end of Joe Pilates. I even enjoyed his theory on Joe’s history. This is a book to be treasured with gratitude.