FAQ

You don't need any experience at all; my Pilates Essence classes are designed for beginners. However, I recommend you join me for an online introductory session that will take you through the fundamentals.

The group classes have been designed to be booked as a block. Therefore, each week's exercises can build upon the ones from the prior week and give you a few new challenges. This way, as you gain strength and mobility, you'll be able to see and feel the changes in your body. If block booking, please do so in advance (find term dates on the Timetable page on my site). 

If you're new to Pilates, you can book a one-to-one or a one-off class (providing there's availability). ​

There's no more than 12 people to a class. The smaller class size allows me to give some individual attention if needed regarding correct alignment and movement.

Yes! In my one-to-one sessions, you'll receive individualised feedback, and we'll adapt and tailor the exercises to you. This is a little harder to do in my group classes, so the one-to-ones are great if you're looking to progress faster and really target specific movements.

While both are low-impact forms of exercise that focus on body awareness and breath, Pilates emphasises core strength and controlled movements, whereas yoga often includes more flowing movements and poses.

Please arrive five minutes early; this ensures we've got enough time to set up, and you can let me know if you've got any recent health issues that I should be aware of. 

In addition to getting your body moving, the goal of my Pilates Essence classes is to increase your awareness of how your body moves in space. Poor posture and mobility can be caused by a plethora of things these days, including jobs, screens, stress, accidents, and illnesses. Poor muscle recruitment can result from the above factors, and over time, the body starts to feel normal in these patterns. This is where Pilates can help us retrain our muscle recruitment patterns to restore good postural alignment and natural movement.

It's often said that practicing Pilates 2-3 times a week will give you the best results. Though once a week is still beneficial. The more consistent you are with it, your body will develop more strength and flexibility.

To provide the highest standard of teaching possible, Body Control Pilates teachers go through a thorough and demanding training program. The small class number allows the instructor to actively teach you how to breathe, move, and correct any alignment or postural problems in addition to simply demonstrating the movements. As a result, your proprioception—or awareness of the position and movement of your own body—will quickly increase. This will enable you to safely and effectively build your strength, flexibility, and core stability.

Please bring along a mat. Pilates mats are thicker than yoga mats, so make sure it's an 8–15 mm one. If there's any issues, I do have a couple spares. A water bottle is always good to bring too!

Wear comfortable, stretchy clothing that allows for movement. Try to avoid super baggy clothes, as they can hinder my ability to see your form.

This movement approach was initially created by Joseph Pilates as a rehabilitation aid. Pilates helps areas of the body that may have been out of alignment because of an injury to regain strength, stability, balance, and symmetry. Please get your doctor's clearance before beginning the Pilates program if you have recently sustained an injury. I will email an enrolment form for you to complete, on which you can detail any health/fitness issues.