I’d never go as far as saying that Pilates is the Queen of all exercise- as a teacher of Pilates based exercise and owner of a business centred around Pilates that would be biassed. BUT I will say, that Pilates is incredibly unique in that it’s a form of movement that can adapt to all levels of fitness and mobility, shapes, sizes, joint restrictions and health conditions.
To help you understand better what we do in our personalised sessions I thought it might be useful to hear my story….
Pilates for me: then and now
My Pilates origin story is not too out of the ordinary in that I started out in the ‘dance world’- although it might change your perceptions of Pilates teachers generally.
Through my childhood and teens I’d always had niggles, aches, pains and sore bits, and quite specifically lower back pain. In my first 3 years of professional dance training these became more frequent, I had my fair share of strains, sprains and dance related injuries, but again my lower back was the most consistent problem. When I moved into my final year of training in 2007 my lower back ‘niggles’ transformed somewhat into unbearable pain that saw me sitting out of class for months and unable to put together a performance piece for my final dissertation. I became a regular at the physio with no improvement in pain, and I sought specialist advice with no one able to tell me what was ‘wrong’ with my back.
How was it possible to have such a high level of fitness, and move so well yet over the course of a few months my movement became so restricted I couldn’t even lean over the sink to brush my teeth?
In 2008 towards the end of the academic year I was introduced to Rob, who introduced me to Pilates on the equipment. By this time I was an anxious mover, untrusting of my body, my world had shrunk, and before I started was already convinced that nothing would ‘fix’ my back.
However Rob coached me through Pilates exercises on the reformer and trapeze table in a way that I’d never moved before- his knowledge of biomechanics, pain and how to cue movement allowed me to experience pain free movement for the first time in months. It took some time, financial commitment, and an open mind but I completed my degree- albeit with a written dissertation.
Fast forward to 2024……
No longer a 19 year old ‘super fit’ full time dance student, I am now using Pilates to support my body in a very different way. I live with a trifecta of health conditions that cause extreme fatigue, joint and nerve pain, anxiety, palpitations, dizzy spells, headaches, and pelvic pain. On the outside, I appear healthy, but some days I have joint and nerve pain that limits my daily activities, and on my dizzy days I need to be on my back with minimal positional changes, and other days I’m exhausted far beyond tiredness, and have nothing to give.
The average Pilates or group fitness class can’t accommodate my needs- there’s a lack of understanding on how to modify for my limitations- even with my own knowledge of the human body instructors are uncomfortable with me in their class, and it can feel dispiriting sitting things out, and frustrating if I ‘push through’ anyway and feel worse later.
BUT when the focus of exercise is on the individual and the multifaceted quality of movement rather than quantity there’s room to work some magic. And this is how Pilates works for me…I can move in a way and pace that suits my energy on the day, I can build strength and resilience gradually and without having to ‘keep up' with a crowd, it also allows me to experience the benefits of exercise on days when any other form of exercise is off the cards.
Instead of disheartened I feel empowered, and embodied, and capable.
So you see- a frozen shoulder, neurological condition, endometriosis, heart condition, osteoporosis, dysautonomia or whatever it is that stops you from accessing the average group Pilates class- we’re here for it. You’re exactly who we want to work with in our personalised sessions.
Book an Initial Consultation to experience truly personalised Pilates and movement training.