Rating: 
Summary: excellent book, but not my style
Review: I bought materials to learn pilates and yoga at the same time. This this book is well written and explains the approach well. The set up contains excellent routines with clear photos and good instructions. The book was infinately better than the pilates video tapes I also purchased, but I found working out with the book was cumbersome and I liked the yoga more than pilates. It is an excellent choice for a person interested in pilates, however, at this time, that is not me.
Rating: 
Summary: Strenghtens the muscles, relaxes the mind!
Review: As someone who loves to do outdoor sports, but occasionally stays indoors because of bad whether, I was looking for a book with exercises. I hate doing the gym-like exercises because they're repetitive and therefore boring. This book however contains exercises on which you have to mentally focus. Breathing and coordination are very important. Even after a long day at work, I find myself doing the exercises, because they're relaxing - it takes your mind off everything. After a session you have the idea that you've been working out without feeling exhausted. Every exercise is accompanied by a stepwise description and a series of photos. In addition, tips, do's & don'ts are briefly given. It also has a cartoon as a reminder (what to focus on). I like the fact that you can follow a program as a beginner, and gradually add "intermediate" exercises as you progress. I find myself doing the exercises moreoften than I initially intended!! Therefore I could really recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Time-Saving Workout
Review: I originally bought this book because I had a lot of business travel planned and Pilates seemed like something I could do in a hotel room. Not only was I right about being able to do Pilates anywhere, doing the exercises changed my shape so drastically that I continue to do this specific Pilates work out even when I returned home and resumed my normal gym and running routine.
Rating:
Summary: Beware beginnings...
Review: While agreeing with most of the critiques listed here - positions are demonstrated thoroughly via photography - I'd list one point of caution: the editing. The first 30 pages are a bit too preachy, and for the most part, not necessary. The subject matter is itself highly fragmented, drawing in buyers who are "pre-sold" on pilates and/or health. The trick for the reader is to allow no more than five minutes for reasons why, then get down to work. Work being participative and not being talked at.
Rating: 
Summary: Power Pilates!
Review: As a beginning Pilates gal, this book was excellent in helping me begin my adventures! The pictures demonstrated exactly what each exercise looked like for those times when I was lost and confused!
Rating:
Summary: This is the best book you can buy!!
Review: I started doing Pilates 6 mos ago w/a video tape. I started out in pretty good shape, Ive been working out for 5 years. I started pilates because I heard most pro-sports teams have a Pilates and Yoga trainer on staff. Let me tell you THIS WORKS!! Weights allways left some areas unattended. Pilates works it all! Its fun to do, and you can see results after every workout. It becomes addictive. Weights became very monotonous, but pilates is never boring. I dropped 2 inches in my midsection and am becoming ripped as heck. This book in particular works like a charm. If you look at the pictures of JH Pilates in the book at age 72 and 82, you'd swear you were looking at a 30 year old below the neck. I'll have Pilates for the rest of my life. In my opinion it is the best exercise availabe.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!!
Review: Having no previous experience of "Pilates" I found the book very helpful in teaching me the fundemental principles of this extraordinary technique. The book layout is very easy to follow and guides the reader seemlessly through the basic principles to the more advanced. You never feel overwhlemed and each excercise is subtley structured to take you on to the "next" stage. The author seems to have judged the audience very well. Having had a personal session with Brooke at the re:AB studio in NYC I can say that the book is just as good as being there!. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for the "perfect" mind and body!
Rating:
Summary: A TIP
Review: Although I have not read or looked at any other pilates books before this one, I do agree that Siler provides very comprehensive descriptions and form pointers for each exercise. One reviewer complained that this great detail made it difficult to learn from a book (the problem of switching from performance to reviewing technique out of a book became awkward and cumbersome...) For others having this problem, or for whom this problem might make them hesitate before buying the book... one trick that helped me overcame this problem was reading the descriptions into a tape recorder which I then play as I practice each exercise. I found that it made the exercises much more fluid and I could feel the muscle groups (especially core muscles) working much more because my focus and concentration improved greatly.
Rating:
Summary: The best Pilates book out there!
Review: Clear pictures, diagrams and explainations of even the most difficult of the matwork-based Pilates moves. Pilates can be one of the most fun ways to get your body in shape -- if you can't find classes near you, pair this book up with "The Method" series on Video. You won't regret it!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Wonderful!
Review: I am a Pilates instructor and this book is wonderful for helping with verbal cues and visualization. I think that it is also a great book for beginners. This is a must have for anyone interested in Pilates.
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