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Pilates DVD will be ready next week!

Priya Tew

DRUMROLL please………

Our first EVER Pilates with Priya DVD master has just been driven off to the man who will make it into many DVD’s and add all the artwork. It’s all quite exciting, in fact I’m having to make myself breathe and sit down with a cup of tea whilst I write this.

We’ve kept the DVD quite simple, like my classes, easy to follow, easy to listen to and perhaps even easy on the eye (that may be taking it a bit too far – it’s me on the DVD).

The DVD is designed for use at home in between Pilates classes, suitable for those with a little Pilates experience at a beginner or intermediate level.

It will retail at £12.50 for current studio clients (BARGAIN) or £17.50 for everyone else plus £2.50 P&P if you aren’t local.

I shall be adding a way to pay through the website and am taking pre-orders now.

Whoop Whoop!

Priya

Toddler Ballet to start Wed mornings

Priya Tew

I’m excited to announce that after the success of our Adult Ballet classes we’ve asked the lovely Chrissy to extend the ballet love to the little ones. So we shall be offering a Toddler Ballet class on Wednesdays at 9.30am. Cost £4 per class.

These will be small classes, a maximum of 5 per class and spaces need to be booked.

 Come and laugh lots and we’ll help wear your toddler out!

Here’s mine practicing 😉

 

 

 

Pilates with Priya DVD Menu

Pilates DVD is almost complete.

Priya Tew

Some of you know that I’ve been working on my first Pilates DVD, pretty exciting. It’s all come about because some of YOU asked for it, I love that, so you asked for it….and now I’ve done it!

I’ve so far only got the pre-approval version in my happy hands and now I have to work out how to duplicate and make DVD sleeves etc… however I’m hoping that we shall be offering a weblink to those of you who are 1) Eager Beavers and want it NOW or 2) techno savvy and want to watch it on your tablet/phone rather than use a DVD player.

So here’s  a sneak preview of the menu (excuse the bad photo, taking a photo of your computer screen leads to this):

Pilates with Priya DVD Menu
Pilates with Priya DVD Menu

The video was shot in my studio. Then we did a voice-over afterwards so you get a cool, calm, collected version of Priya with no muddled lefts/rights/arms/legs and other words that my regulars will know all about….I’m far from perfect, yet I know it.

Here’s a pic of us doing the voice-over:

Pilates with Priya voiceover 1
Pilates with Priya voiceover 1
Pilates with Priya voiceover 2
Pilates with Priya voiceover 2

So copies will be on sale soon…. get ready people.

Pilates to RELAX.

Priya Tew

One of the reasons I love Pilates (and there are so many reasons I love it) is that it CAN be relaxing. Note the CAN. Generally my classes include a lot of hard work, concentration and often a bit of laughter thrown in as well. Or today’s classes….oven cleaning tips! Most random but actually I learnt quite a lot 😉

Evening classes in particular can be well loved for the ability Pilates has to destress, relax, work the body and sort out those aches and pains as well. I must admit tonight I did almost sink into a little nap during our relaxation and stretch section.

So if you need help relaxing, but still want to work out….please come along. However be warned, if I catch you dozing there may be a penalty of press ups 😉

 

 

Enter the New Website of Glory!

Priya Tew

I’ve been a little quiet for a few weeks, a few of you have probably been relished the peace and quiet! I thought I’d just let you know what I’ve been up to….

First exciting project has been THIS WEBSITE, you’re on it now, take a look round and see what you think. It’s been given a make over by Michael of Rocket Man Media. I’d love your feedback, there’s now a class timetable, an instructors page and some lovely photos!

Secondly again with the help of Michael I’ve been working on the first Pilates with Priya DVD. Some of you have been waiting a long time for this (sorry!) and I appreciate your patience. It should be ready very soon and I’ll let you know when the official DVD signing is (joke!).

Thirdly some of you know I’m not just a Pilates instructor but I’m also a dietitian and run DietitianUK, a nutrition business. I recently won an award from Theo Paphitis (from Dragons Den) and it’s certainly been keeping me busy. If you want any nutrition tips, recipes and advice you know where to come! There are often ideas on my blog 🙂

So hopefully now it’s time to get into the swing of classes, relax, put my feet up afterwards and have a cuppa (whilst chasing a one year around of course!). See you at class soon!

New Ventures

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This week it’s been all go in the studio. The redecoration of one wall has been completed (rest of the walls will be done in stages as my handyman has to work around classes!). It’s looking fresh and I’m itching to get something arty on it. Ideas welcome.

The filming of our first Pilates video has been completed too. It’s currently being edited and then I need to do a voice over on it, but so far the edited bits I’ve seen look good. This video is for all of you who come to classes and want to do some Pilates in the week and also for anyone who is interested in trying Pilates out at home. It’s not aimed at taking the Pilates world by storm but is more about catering for those who aren’t that into big fitness fads and just want a friendly voice to talk them through their exercise at home. Here’s a few photo’s of the film star in action….

CAT
CAT
Roll Back
Single Leg Stretch

Excitingly this week a new instructor has also started working with me – Faye is taking the Wed 7pm class. She is also an advanced Level 3 instructor with a caring, lovely nature who will talk you through Pilates and ensure you do it correctly. In fact I’d definitely say she is nicer than me! I’ve been quite mean in my classes this week with planks to side plank rotations and some nasty variations on press ups 😉

New ventures being planned include a makeover on my website and the studio is going to have some proper storage built in, so long wobbly bookcases!!

I’m excited….can you tell?

Pilates for Bumps.

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It’s now been 16 months since my bump became a baby and just 2 months since I started teaching AnteNatal Pilates. Teaching this class has reminded me how much Pilates helped me when I was pregnant. All those aches and pains were so helped by some simple exercises such as standing in a neutral spine position, shoulder bridges, pelvic tilts and side lying exercises.

Pilates can also help strengthen the pelvic floor, strengthen the core muscles and help you prepare for birth. We practise strengthening and relaxing the core muscles. The exercises also help you focus on your breathing and build your body awareness. Bands and upper body strength are also worked on to prepare you for when baby arrives 🙂

Ante Natal Pilates

Currently I have 2 ladies who are both around the 37 week mark, those babies will be making an entrance to the world very shortly, and it’s exciting to work with these mummies to be. Last week we focused more on standing Pilates and then moved to the Birthing Balls. Most pregnant ladies seem to have these balls but few really know how to use them.

Here’s a photo of the beautiful ladies, bumps and balls. I’m hoping some of them will move into my post natal class later on so I can meet the beautiful babies too.

Ladies, Bumps and Balls

So if you you are pregnant or know anyone who is, why not suggest some Pilates to them?

Happy Birthday Post Natal Pilates!

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I’ve just realised that February saw the Birthday of my post-natal Pilates class. I know it’s now March but it felt like this needed marking.

This class came about because I had a baby…. which highlighted to me how difficult (but not impossible) it can be to exercise with your little one in tow. I knew I needed to get back into Pilates for my health, fitness and peace of mind, so why not do it with other mummies. Also having received an extremely poor information sheet  in hospital about how to do pelvic floor exercises, I felt I could do better myself!

Our first few classes were held in a community centre with the babies at one end of the room with Daddy day-care rocking them in their car seats. All except my little one who tended to fall asleep in the sling before class started and I taught with her attached. (Health and Safety Note – do not do this yourself unless you know what you are doing, it’s a lot harder!!). I’ll admit it, these first few classes were hard, I was tired, my baby was 3 months old and a breast feeding milk monster so sleep was not forthcoming, but I was also determined and teaching classes kinda keeps me going 😉

Moving venue in April to our new home based studio was such a relief. Even though my studio is tiny, we suddenly we had more space as the babies hang out in the lounge with Daddy day-care. We have access to lots of toys, all manner of baby bits so if anyone forgets anything we can help out and there’s no pressure to rush away so the kettle goes on at the end of class. This has led to lovely moments of mummies supporting each other, sharing tips, books, sling demonstrations, many baby cuddles and even weaning talks from the dietitian who happens to be there every week (that’s me – Dietitian UK). It literally becomes a community of it’s own and many mummies transition into evening classes when they go back to work.

I have absolutely LOVED this class over the past year and look forward to many more classes, baby cuddles and cups of tea.

Amazing improvements in people with Pilates.

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Here’s some feedback from one of my Pilates ladies…. Pilates has been pretty amazing for her, not only has her pain reduced and her mobility improved but she has lost toned up and her pelvic floor muscles have strengthened.

“With regards my back, I have been suffering with problems since July 2003.  I initially hurt it bending over to lift up a laptop at work, and on other occasions, just simply getting up from a sofa, sneezing, getting washing out of the washing machine or just turning have been enough to start an episode.  In the past, I have also suffered with a trapped nerve, leading to sciatica down my left leg and have often found myself laid up for a week, unable to go to work as the pain was so intense. The chiropractor diagnosed it as sacroiliac joint injury and I have attended whenever problems have flared up ever since 2003.

The most recent episode was last February, when I hurt my back loading A3 photocopier paper into the lowest drawer on the machine.  I was unable to move without assistance, was taken home and had to have 3 days off work on painkillers.  After this, I was seeing the chiropractor every week fortnightly, the chiropractor felt that there was a need for further action.  She suggested I start Pilates classes and that if this didn’t help after a few weeks, she would book me in for an x-ray to see if there was any obvious damage to my lower spine. At this point, although I was not experiencing acute pain, I had low-level pain on a daily basis, coupled with regular painful muscle spasms in my back which seemed to occur for no reason and was unable to perform routine tasks, such as dressing, unaided.

I then started Pilates with Priya.  Within two weeks, I was noticing an effect and was able to bend / lift my legs more easily.  I am now able to dress myself and can (with care) do tasks such as loading and unloading the washing machine / dishwasher.  I am no longer seeing the Chiropractor at all. I have also noticed a big improvement in my pelvic floor muscles and no longer have ’embarrassments’ when I cough or sneeze!  My husband has commented on the reduction in size of my stomach and I have begun to notice a line of muscle running down my abdomen that I have never seen before!”