Carola Trier: The first woman ever to open a Pilates studio - Portrait of an extraordinary journey - Plus: Photos of her Mat and Reformer Exercises

The author has been scrupulously careful and accurate in documenting and describing the life of Carola Trier, as well as providing a bibliography that Pilates and Trier enthusiasts can use for further study. I admire and appreciate his efforts. Interestingly, although his attention to factual accuracy means that the text uses few modifiers other than those in the quotations, his admiration and regard for Carola Trier come through plainly. We are fortunate to have this resource.

I was excited to learn that the author had published a book about Carola Trier. While I knew quite a bit about Romana Kryzanowska, the most well-known of Joe’s teachers, and a little about Kathy Grant and Ron Fletcher, Carola Trier was a mystery. I knew that Carola had operated her own studio while Joe was still alive, with his blessing. Both Romana and Kathy Grant had taught at the studio. I relished the opportunity to learn more about this unique woman, and I was not disappointed. In addition to her contributions to the Pilates world that should not be understated, Carola lived a fascinating life, overcoming overwhelming odds to survive and thrive during a period that was fraught with difficulty.One of the wonderful things about it is that much of the information within comes directly from Carola herself. In researching the book, Reiner delved into the Carola S. Trier Collection from the Leo Baeck Institute in New York, a huge repository of materials pertaining to the Jewish communities of Central Europe. The collection spans a timeline of five centuries and contains a wealth of information about Carola and her family, prominent Jews of German origin.After Carola’s arrival in the United States, a knee injury led to her to Joseph Pilates. Convinced of the brilliance of his method, Carola opened her own studio with Joe’s blessing and remained close with Joe. She was faithful to Joe’s teachings, although she ran her studio very differently. The Carola Trier biography does a wonderful job shedding light upon the life of a woman whose journey was equally as compelling as that of her teacher, Joseph Pilates. Her biography is interesting not only because of her contributions to the Pilates world, but also in its own right. It is the tale of a woman who overcame overwhelming odds (her sex, religion, nationality, career choice and imprisonment!) to achieve prosperity and to make her own mark on history. Pilates Teachers and fans worldwide will enjoy this inside look at the life of Carola Trier.

I enjoyed reading Carola’s story in her own words. I found myself more interested in her personal life than her contributions to Pilates. There were a few unanswered questions the author left out - what happened to Marcel? Did he die in Europe? Did he ever make it to the US? Perhaps we don’t know the answer but the author leaves us hanging because Carola ends up marrying someone else. From here this book takes a turn from a chronological timeline of events swiftly into her contributions to Pilates. I wish the story was a little more masterfully told. It reads as more of a research project than a masterful memoir. Carola’s life was fascinating - it could be a Hollywood film.The photos of her performing the exercises were very interesting and a testament to her abilities.

This was easily one of the most pedestrian books I have ever read. It feels like a self-published vanity project. The book largely consists of quotes interspersed with author commentary. There is no flow or larger sense of the story. It needed a professional editor to make the story cohesive. As it is, it is pretty unreadable.The photos at the end are washed out. The author notes this issue, but a photo shop editor could have cleaned up this book tremendously.I felt like I was reading a high school project, and not like a professional published book.It’s unfortunate because Carola Trier’s story is fascinating and I would have liked to know more about her life. Sadly, I got stuck on the poor writing and couldn’t get past it to get a sense of her life.

Beautifully written on one of the Pilates elders

I originally ordered this book because of my interest in Joseph Pilates, hoping to gain more insight into his life, maybe even some untold secrets that could shed light on the authentic revolutionary.. Ive known the author for a few years in the Pilates community and hold him in high regards, I know some of the people in the book and have enjoyed their wealth of knowledge and experience helping me to grow as a student many moons ago and also as a teacher, you can never know everything and I am thirsty for Pilates knowledge to ensure my students have the best of the best knowledge passed from those who are the best.. why not !What I was not expecting from this book was what I found ...What an awesome life story 🥰 wow .. I couldn’t put the book down .. what a life .. a piece of history that can not be forgotten.. what a roller coaster of events..as far as Pilates I found many similarities in style of teaching also some gems that I will add to my teachings .. the roller skating touched a spot .. I love my skates.. but the one difference is mine has only caused many injuries which stopped me in my tracks as I couldn’t attend one of my Pilates Teaching exams 6 months until I could retake ! 🤦‍♀️ Yet The skates in this story saved a life ! Bravo ..I would most definitely recommend this book.. absolutely perfect 👌 thank you Reiner for all the hard work and investing your time to track down all of these lost words , thank you for taking the time to interview all who contributed

Mal ein ganz anderes Pilates-Buch von Reiner Grootenhuis: hier erzählt er für uns eine Geschichte. Die Geschichte von Carola Trier, der ersten Wegbereiterin für Pilates-Studios, wie wir sie heute kennen. Man merkt sofort, wieviel Liebe zum Detail und zur Geschichte von Pilates hier eingeflossen ist. Anhand von Originalbriefen und Aufzeichnungen leidet, sehnt und freut man sich mit Carola mit. Was für eine Frau, was für ein Leben! Wie wir es von seinen Trainings-Manualen schon kennen, hat Reiner natürlich auch dieses Buch gründlichst recherchiert und in der gewohnt hervorragenden Qualität präsentiert. Obendrein gibt es nach der mitreißenden Geschichte im Anhang noch eine Foto-Übersicht von Carola Triers Matten und Reformer Übungen. Für jeden Pilates-Fan eine echte Bereicherung im Bücher Repertoire!

Großartig ist dieses Buch. Danke für so viel Informationen von vielen Pilateskollegen*innen. Ich freue mich auf eine Fortsetzung. Bitte weitermachen. Danke

This wonderful book provides an insight into Carola, her family, career and her journey from Germany to America. You also get a feel for her studio space in New York, the apparatus in the studio, her teaching style how she trained and inspired so many of todays Amazing Pilates teachers. There are also beautiful pictures of Carola performing the Pilates Mat and Reformer repertoire. Congratulations to Reiner, the author, for bringing her story to life.