Pilates with Priya Blog. | Pilates with Priya

Pilates helps Back Pain

3 February, 2012 Priya TewLeave a Comment

As my Pilates classes have grown and my networking has increases I’ve had more and more people being referred by Chiropractors or Physio’s. A lot of these people are coming because of back pain. What’s so exciting is to then hear and see the improvements in people after just a few sessions. So what is it about Pilates that works so well for back pain relief?

Pilates addresses the underlying structural imbalances in the body that lead to back pain. Issues like lack of core support, pelvic instability, muscular imbalances, poor posture, and lack of body awareness all affect back health.

Pilates Helps Correct Posture

In Pilates, we pay a lot of attention to how our body parts are lined up in relation to each other, which is our alignment. When alignment is off, uneven stresses on the skeleton, especially the spine, are the result. Pilates exercises, done with attention to alignment, allow movement to flow through the body in a natural way.

For example, one of the most common postural imbalances that people have is the tendency to either tuck or tilt the pelvis. Both positions create weaknesses on one side of the body and overly tight areas on the other. The spine can’t form its natural curve and you get aches and pains all up the spine and neck. Doing Pilates helps you focus on holding a “neutral spine” which means the proper placement of the spine and pelvis. Strengthening your core creates the inner strength to support the natural curves of the spine.

Pilates Develops Core Strength

Having core strength means that all of the muscles of the trunk of your body are strong, flexible, and working together to support and stabilize the spine. This goes deeper than the big surface muscles, it’s not about building “6 pack” I’m afraid! The core muscles include the muscles that are below the surface musculature. Some of these less obvious but very important core muscles are the muscles of the pelvic floor; and the psoas, which play a huge role in keeping us upright and in hip bending; which are small muscles that weave along the spine; and the transverse and oblique abdominal muscles. All of these muscles play crucial roles in the support and stability of the spine.

Pilates Promotes Flexibility

A healthy spine can curve forward and backward, twist, and move side to side, and do so in a way that reveals all the subtle articulations that our many vertebrae allow us to have. Pilates exercises are easy to modify so that we can develop spinal flexibility at our own pace. This is one of the things about Pilates that makes it easy for people with back pain to work with. In my classes there are different options for exercises so you work at your level.

Pilates Increases Body Awareness

Back pain is a messenger letting us know that we have to pay more attention to our bodies. The Pilates method is full attention exercise. You can’t do Pilates without becoming extremely aware of your alignment and how your body works. This is extremely important for people with back pain because Pilates not only improve physical functioning, but makes you more aware of what you are doing in day to day life. So as you are walking, bending and sitting you start to think about your alignment and core.

Do you have back pain? Try out Pilates! It really does work.

Ante-Natal Pilates is starting soon!

13 July, 2014 Priya TewLeave a Comment

I’m so exciting to say this….. ANTE-NATAL PILATES STARTS 15th Jan, woohoo! I’ve been really wanting to run this class for a while but it’s taken me a while to build up my confidence and take the plunge. These classes are going to focus on strengthening core muscles, keeping backs, hips and bodies healthy throughout pregnancy as well as help prepare for birth with breathing, relaxation and strength. Mums can then move into post-natal classes when they are ready 🙂

I’m purposely keeping these classes small so get in contact quickly if you would like one of the few remaining spaces, £25 for 4 weeks.

Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Pilates supporting the NCT.

15 December, 2011 Priya TewLeave a Comment

A new exciting development for Pilates with Priya in 2012…. we will be running not just Post -Natal Pilates classes but also Ante-Natal classes. Pilates was a complete saviour to me not only during pregnancy but also during labour and very much so post-birth. All those pregnancy aches and pains were minimised through Pilates. So I am so looking forward to being able to work with some mummies to be and help them with their pregnancy and prepare with labour and beyond. We will be doing exercises that are safe for your stage of pregnancy, using relaxation and breathing techniques that can help you in labour, and preparing your body for post-birth too. Pilates is safe to do all through pregnancy.

These classes will be supporting the Southampton branch of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). This branch has done so much for me….we attended an NCT ante-natal course and then in the past year have been so well supported by the NCT groups and community. I have made some great new friends, been helped so much with my journey into mummyhood and am amazed at how much work my local branch does….so this is one way I can help give something back to help them do even more.

You do not have to be a member of the NCT to attend these classes or in fact any of the NCT groups that run across the city.

Classes will be Sundays 9.30am starting in January, please let me know if you would like to come along, £25 for 4 weeks.

Pilates is for Physio’s too ;)

1 December, 2011 Priya Tew2 Comments

Recently I’ve had 2 physiotherapists join one of my Pilates classes. Oddly they both work together, in fact sit opposite each other and have both found and joined the same class without chatting to each other about it.

I myst admit I did feel rather apprehensive when I found out I had a physiotherapist in my class, surely they already know what to do, how to do it and are more qualified than me? If I get anything wrong they are going know and pick up on it? Cue a moment of low confidence in me and my Pilates ability.

What I have found instead, is that these 2 ladies are lovely. Yes they do know more than me, but that doesn’t mean they don’t also need to practise what they preach and doing that with someone else to prompt you and challenge you can be the best way. Both ladies needed to strengthen their core and chose Pilates as they know the benefits of it from their profession. They have actually been an encouragement to me commenting on how good my teaching skills are, a real compliment. Plus I get to pick their brains and ask them Pilates and alignment questions 😉

So if Physiotherapists feel they need to attend Pilates surely that shows just how much we all need to be doing it? Come along and try out a class, taster sessions are £5.50.

Point, Plie and Pirouette

26 March, 2012 Priya Tew1 Comment

Last night saw the launch of a new class for Pilates with Priya, something a little different but so, so great… Adult ballet 🙂 A great compliment to Pilates.

Now before you squirm there were no tutus, no sequins and ballet shoes optional. I’m not qualified to teach ballet, but luckily Chrissy is and she certainly put us through our paces! Focused around a barre this is a class that is focused on strength, toning and core stability. Inner thighs, outer thighs, quads and gluts are worked hard, the element of balance means your core gets activated and the positions used increase flexibility. Sounds hard, well yes it was, but in such a good way, plus it was a lot of fun. Cue much laughter and a room full of smiling ladies. No photos to show you I’m afraid, think I’ll have to wait a few weeks before a photo is allowed. None of us are going to cut it as prima ballerina’s but we are going to have fun working out and toning up. Plus in my opinion it’s a great chance to break out the legwarmers 🙂

Here’s a few comments from last night’s class:

“LOVED ballet, my thighs! I could barely drive home. They felt wibbly. “

“I hope my muscles forgive me. Ballet hilarious. Hard work but fun.“

Stretching is great :)

22 July, 2025 Priya TewLeave a Comment

This week has been my first full week back doing full-on cardio classes at the gym. As many of you will know I don’t just teach Pilates… currently I teach 8 Pilates classes and then I have a back to back Step Aerobics followed by Spin session on a Tuesday and a Step followed by a Body Conditioning class on a Thursday. I love teaching these classes but they can be quite tiring so I’m trying to look after myself in between classes with good nutrition, plenty of hydration and hopefully some sleep! Having a baby means I have to dash back from classes as quickly as possible, jump in the shower and quickly feed her so she can get to sleep. What I noticed today was due to the rush home I hadn’t stretched fully and suddenly had tight, tight hamstrings…. ouch.

Tight hamstrings can affect your posture, your movement, stop you using your abdominals correctly and lead to tight back muscles. If you usually have tight hamstrings it lead to a tucked under pelvis as part of the hamstrings function is to keep the pelvis aligned. When muscles are tight, they are weak. This means they can’t hold the pelvis in position properly 🙁 So you end up with a tilted pelvis, you can’t use your core muscles properly and your body compensates, meaning it all comes out of line and you get backache.

Hoe do you know if your hamstrings are tight? Good question. According to these guys http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/hamstrings/tighthams/hastringstretches.php you should be able to lie down, with one leg extended on the mat and the other leg in the air, foot towards ceiling, this leg should go to 80-90 degrees comfortably. Give it a go. Is your leg staying down on the mat? Check your spine, are you still in neutral? If the answer is No, you need to take the raised leg further away from the body and do some hamstring stretches.

So tonight at the end of Pilates we stretched out using resistance bands. It felt good. After everyone had gone I went back in the studio and had a good long stretch using a band….oh my, that was needed 🙂

If like me you rush around and sometimes, (well actually in my case often) forget to devote proper time to stretching try and build some in this weekend. Be it in front of the TV, whilst out in the garden or whilst waiting for your roast dinner to cook…your body will thank you for it!

Let me know how it goes…comment below or send me a tweet (@dietitianuk).

No classes Thursday, Friday and Saturday :(

16 November, 2014 Priya TewLeave a Comment

Hopefully all you regulars know this but there won’t be any classes this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Usual service will be resumed Monday and I have a couple of spaces Monday 5.30pm and Monday 6.30pm if you would like to come along then instead.

If I don’t see you then make sure you get some practice in…knee folds, shoulder bridges and press ups please!

Wednesday night classes….

31 March, 2012 Priya TewLeave a Comment

Due to popular demand and a slight change around of my hours I’m going to be putting on a Wednesday 5.30pm class. This will be a class for beginners and also those with a little experience of Pilates. Three of my current clients had been coming along to a Thursday class which I have had to move to a Monday…. they weren’t keen on Mondays, so I’ve put on a special class for them and it’s almost full already. The perks of coming to small community classes, you get to have a large say in what the class does, how it’s run and therefore it ends up being well-suited to you 🙂

The Pilates initiated baby will be joining in with this class, so come expecting some entertainment too.

Pilates can definitely help hips!

13 July, 2014 Priya TewLeave a Comment

For the past few months I’ve been working with 2 lovely older ladies who have both had double hip replacements. I must admit I was a little dubious as to how things were going to work at the start of our time together, as I hadn’t worked with this type of hip issues before, but we have become good friends as these ladies really enjoy their classes. In fact when I had to cancel the other week they not only missed the class but felt a noticeable difference in their strength over the week.

What excites me about working with these ladies is seeing the functional difference in them. Both ladies are noticeably stronger now, their balance is improving and they feel more confident doing things like getting in and out of chairs and cars. Very excitingly both ladies can now get down to the floor unaided and one of them can get up from the floor unaided! This is a major achievement and has shown how Pilates can really strengthen bodies and change your day to day living. I’m hoping that in a few months time both ladies will be even stronger and have less pain, more mobility and flexibility too. They will be climbing mountains soon!

Sad Goodbyes and Happy Hellos

31 March, 2012 Priya TewLeave a Comment

After about 6 months of having a certain 3 mummies and their babies in my post natal class the time has come for them to return to work 🙁 Its been such a pleasure having them in the class and learning with them as our babies grow and as the class moved location and developed. In the early stages the babies all sat in their car seats and slept (well mine was in a sling), and over the months they have progressed to laying on mats, rolling over, sitting up and now crawling and standing. We have had classes where its been feed, feed, feed, other memorable moments where there have been epic dirty nappies (!) and times when all the babies have cried at once 🙁 then occasionally, and more frequently as they have got older, there have been times of peace. In those moments we have often looked at each other, savoured the time and wondered how long it would last! These 3 mummies and babies have become firm friends of mine and of each others, showing how friendships can blossom as you exercise, especially in a small class. Special thanks must go to them for supporting me and coming along, sharing their top tips and to their babies for being stars! Extra mention must go to the fabulous Daddy day-care for his expert care of our babies too.

It seems I’ve got these mummies hooked on Pilates as they have all transferred over into different classes, in fact I put new classes on to cater for them 🙂 and they are enjoying the difference of Pilates without babies.

So although it is very sad to see faces leave post natal Pilates I’m pleased to see these ladies progress and move forward, plus I have been able to take new mummies and gorgeous babies into the class. Today saw 3 new mummies come along and I got to have lovely cuddles. I’m looking forward to getting to know them and help them strengthen their bodies and tone up their core.

Here are a few photos of the babies who have moved on….