Category: Classes

New classes for September. Book quickly!

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I shall be launching 2 new classes in September to keep up with the demand! Exciting stuff.

The new classes will be:
Thursday evening 8-8.45pm
Saturday 9.30-10.15am

Both classes will be mixed ability so suitable for beginners but with added elements for those who have done Pilates before.

Let me know if you would like a space, Thursday evening is already pretty full and looking like a fun group, some beginners and some old faces from my post natal class who are back at work.

Pilates is a great way to exercise and relax at the end of a busy week so come and join us 🙂

The Pilates time test

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It’s fair to say that I know most of my Monday night class quite well because they have been coming to my classes for some time. So that means I’m always on the lookout for new class ideas to stretch and enthuse them and am also able to try new things out with them, be a bit more experimental. This week at a request from a class participant we did a time test. I designed a class where the majority of the exercises could be measured in some way, so we looked things like the number of press ups that could be done and how long the plank could safely be held for. We worked though all the main muscle groups in the body rather than concentrating on the core alone including resistance bands to work the arms and deltoids. I’m hoping that when we repeat this in a few weeks we’ll see improvements.

The initial feedback from the class was how hard it was to time exercises and have an aim to hold things for a 60 seconds, it seemed to make people work harder. However I was also aware that people may push themselves a bit too hard and compromise on the quality of the move. In Pilates we like quality rather than quantity. At the very least this made a fun, different way to teach a class but hopefully it challenged the class and will encourage them in a few weeks when we redo some of the exercises and see improvements.

Mobility changes in just 3 weeks!

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Yesterday was the 3rd week of my Thursday classes and it’s lovely to see people becoming more and more used to Pilates.

I have 2 ladies coming who have both had double hip replacements. Their aims include building strength, mobility and flexibility. Usually 1 of these ladies is unable to roll down through her spine, bend her knees and come down to the mat. Instead she uses the windowsill to lever herself down. So it was exciting to see her manage to come down to the mat for the first time! I’m looking forward to seeing some significant improvements in these 2 ladies.

I saw similar progress in the afternoon class with a lady who had been unable to get up from the mat from a kneeling position, now able to do so. This particular lady was also looking stronger in her core and less wobbly.

Other feedback I have had from these classes is how relaxed Pilates makes people feel, that they are becoming a bit more body aware and how it is making them think about their posture at other points of the week. All this in just 3 weeks! I can’t wait to see what 3 months does 🙂

What others think about Post Natal Pilates.

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Below is a blogged post from a lovely mummy who attends Post natal Pilates…. Lucy you are awesome.

Since February I have been attending post natal pilates classes with this lovely lady.

There are 3 of us who regularly attend the classes, although this is about to increase to 7.We bring our babies with us and we can pop in and out of the class as and when our babies need a feed or a change. Sometime the babies come into the studio with us, and sometimes Priya’s husband becomes “Daddy day-care” and looks after them.

While Pilates alone won’t help me lose weight (only aerobic exercise and a healthy diet will do that) it does tone muscles. Pilates focuses on your core muscles, and I’ve found over time that my posture has really improved. I’m now standing taller and straighter. It’s also helping me to become aware of my body, posture and core muscles when I’m doing my other exercises, especially when I go for a run.
The other thing I love, is how invigorated and refreshed I feel afterwards. It really spurs me on and motivates me to exercise more.

But if I’m honest, what I love the most about these classes is the good company. As we are all mummies with similar aged babies, it’s great to exchange stories and share handy hints and tips while we work on toning up our post pregnancy tums!

So this is what makes me love teaching Pilates…

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It was week 2 of my new Thursday classes yesterday which meant I got to catch up with people and hear their feedback on their first Pilates session. I love feedback, I find it really helpful to know what’s working and what’s not. The classes I teach aren’t for me they are for my clients, so need to be hitting the right balance of enjoyment, challenge, and hard work.

The feedback I had yesterday was how relaxed and well people had felt after their first session and how the second session was much easier in terms of they felt they understood more of what to do. Being a beginner in Pilates is hard! There’s so much to learn, a whole new language of exercises, ways to hold your body, breathing, muscles to find and people to meet. It takes a while for all of that to become second nature, but once it does it is well worth it. But often after just 1 session Pilates makes you feel different, I love that. I also love the fun of teaching beginners as they discover a whole new way to exercise and think about their body.

The other thing I love is getting to know people. Teaching small classes and one to one’s means you get a chance to talk to people and build friendships. Friendships also start up between class members and classes that start out quiet with no talking turn into laughter and jokes over the weeks.

Do you need a new challenge? Some new people to get to know?

Back to Basics

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So the new classes have started off really well. 7 new people have come along to try out Pilates along with some old faces who have done it before. It’s always a bit nerve wracking teaching new people, wondering if they will like it, what their style is and what their capabilities are. Wanting to push them not too hard but just hard enough. Hopefully I will get to know the new people over the next few weeks and help them fall in love with Pilates.

 

Teaching new people has made me go all the way back to the basics of Pilates  and its been a good reminder on how much there is to remember and do for each exercise – the breathing, the posture, the movement, the muscles to tense, the muscle to relax, the muscles to notice working. Somehow after a while this all becomes second nature but there is also always improvement to make. I’m finding that with my teaching technique, the longer I teach for the more aware I become of how people’s bodies move, what needs correcting and how to talk through exercises. It also makes me go back to doing some of the basic exercises in preparation for the class, I like to remind myself of how the exercises feel by doing them. Some things like simple knee folds and the star are basic exercises but still challenging if done correctly, the joy of a good Pilates class, everyone can join in at their own level.

As for me, I’m working on my Teaser at present….it’s flipping hard work!

Tomorrow is the launch day for new Pilates classes!

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So tomorrow I am launching 2 new Pilates classes, I’m very excited. There’s a brand new 45 minute Mixed Ability morning class at 9.55am and then the restart of the 5.30pm Beginners class.

The studio has been swept and the mats given an extra clean in anticipation. I’m a little bit on edge about the baby and whether she is going to stay asleep for the morning class, but my husband is around in case! I’m looking forward to seeing some new faces and learning about some new body types. Teaching Pilates can often be challenging as you face the need to reducate people on postural issues and body shape issues in a gentle but effective manner. It’s a hands on job and one in which I am constantly learning from my clients. Very rewarding when you see someones body shape change over a number of weeks or see their excitement as they realise how strong they have become in a certain area.

I still have 1 space for June in the morning class and 2 spaces in the afternoon class. So let me know if you’d like to come along.

Pilates rejuvenated me today

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So having a 6 month old baby can be tiring.. as gorgeous and well behaved as she is there are times where the sleep deprivation and constant nature of a baby can take it’s toll and leave you feeling rather knackered. After a few nights of 4 hours or less sleep I was feeling particularly weary today and baby brain was setting in fast.

It was time for post natal pilates, a small class today but my goodness was it a good one! Working with people over time means you get to know their personalities, their bodies, their abilities and their attitude to exercise. So today I was able to push the class hard and push myself as well. As the instructor I don’t expect to be able to do that much of a class, but sometimes it just works that I can. This was one of those days, in fact its been one of those weeks! We focused on core strength and the triceps plus the outer thigh (abductors). By the end of the class I felt totally refreshed and like a new woman.

An extra bonus today was the babies were stars and happily played with James for the entire session! Yay babies 🙂

Thursday morning Pilates has only 1 space left for June, 3 spaces for Thursday afternoons.

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So it appears you people wanted a morning Pilates class as I’ve had a great response and now only have 1 space left for most of June! I do have odd weeks when I’m not full so do contact me on an ad hoc basis if you’d like to drop in for a session.

I have 3 spaces left for the Thurs afternoon class so would love to hear from you if you want to give Pilates a go. Once you try it you’ll be a convert!

Priya

Challenging yet fun.

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I so enjoyed teaching this evenings class. It’s great working with a bunch of people who I know well enough to be able to push that little bit further and who enjoy having a giggle together, but who also work hard. Tonight we tried a roll up with bent legs from the floor….this is where you start lying on your back with feet on the floor knees bent, feet  further away from you than a sit up position. You inhale and take your arms over your head then as you exhale you slowly curl your spine off the mat to end up in a seated position (Don’t try this unless you’ve been shown how please as my explanation is not a full one!). It ended up in giggles as I was the only one who could manage it, but its a good thing to work towards and I was pleased to see people realised they couldn’t do it as they knew their bodies limits rather than hauling themselves up without using their core muscles properly. I class that as a success 🙂

We also tried some preparation work for a roll over. A slightly crazy exercise that we will never attempt in its truest, fullest form, but the variation we did was a great challenge and add some spice to the class as well as working the triceps for us. The quote of the night for me was in response to my demo of the roll over….”You wouldn’t be able to do that with a flabby tummy as the flab would get in the way”. This certainly caused some amusement 🙂 Who says exercise has to be dull?