Alona Pilates Studio, located Westin Beijing Chaoyang Hotel on the 5th floor offers the best in Pilates training. We utilize not only mat techniques, but also special equipment to help you get in your best shape ever! Everyday life wreaks havoc on our bodies. Sitting at a computer for hours, carrying a child on one hip and a heavy bag on the other shoulder, or playing tennis and golf. These everyday demands on our bodies are often repetitive and one-sided, causing us to favor one group of muscles over other groups. This creates imbalance in our movement and body structure. WHAT IS PILATES Pilates is a stretching and strengthening system of movements developed by Joseph Pilates over 75 years ago to help wounded soldiers regain strength and flexibility during WWI. Pilates incorporates the most effective elements from eastern and western disciplines of mental and physical conditioning. Made popular today by movie and sports stars, Pilates has been used by dancers for years to achieve the long, strong and flexible bodies that are essential to their work. Today, many of the world’s Olympic athletes incorporate Pilates into their training routines. Deceptively simple, the movements are intense.