Is Pilates for beginners?
Yes. We will begin our journey together going over the basics and starting at the beginning – even if you have previous Pilates experience.
The power of Pilates is in solid foundations and from there we can build better movement for you.
What equipment do I need?
You will only need a mat on the floor at home – or you can lie down on the carpet.
Sometimes we’ll use additional props to help make an exercise easier to accomplish but I’m a big fan of working with what’s available not sending you off on shopping trips for gadgets to
gather dust.
Can Pilates help you lose weight?
Strictly speaking no, however over my years of teaching I have found that as people move more easily and see themselves making progress with the exercises they feel better in themselves.
That has a ripple effect on other areas of their lives which has frequently resulted in weight loss. You start to feel that you’re worth looking after.
Can Pilates help back pain?
Yes. A high percentage of people that I’ve looked after over the years, use Pilates to manage back pain. It’s useful in helping to get you moving regularly and confidently – many people have told me they’ve restricted activities after an episode of back pain as they are worried about ‘doing something wrong’. So
they move less, get stiffer, lose strength and confidence in what they’re able to do. I’d like to work with you to get you moving optimally.
As we progress through your journey of improving movement and decreasing pain we will both learn how your body responds best to the exercises. Everybody is different and will respond differently to this new stimulus of Pilates. We’ll work together to get a few ‘first aid kit’ exercises together that you can do so that when you experience a ‘flare up’ you are in charge of being able to soothe that and decrease pain. In addition to that I’ll encourage you to do ‘3 for me’ in between our sessions to develop your confidence in movement and put you in charge of how your feel.
Typically people will start to tell me they felt better after the initial session and as the week carried on they ‘felt that pain again’. As the weeks progress that changes to feeing fine for a few days after our session and a return of pain maybe only at the end of the week rather than every day. Gradually it shifts over time till you’re no longer in pain on a daily basis and when you do experience a ‘flare up’ you have the knowledge and confidence to manage it and know that it will pass.