FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What are the benefits of Pilates?

Pilates helps you build strength, improve posture, and move with more ease and control. It’s especially good for supporting the spine and strengthening the deep core muscles that help stabilise your whole body. People often find it improves balance, coordination, flexibility and body awareness, which makes it a fantastic support for other forms of sport and movement. It can also be a great tool for managing pain, preventing injuries, and feeling more connected to how you move day to day.

What makes private sessions different to group classes?

Private sessions are tailored entirely to you. We work one-on-one, using a combination of apparatus, such as the Reformer, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel and Tower, to meet your specific needs, goals and movement patterns. Group classes follow a general structure and move at a shared pace, so they can’t offer the same level of personalisation. Both have their place, but if you want a more focused experience, or you have specific aims, or you're working with an injury, private sessions are ideal.

How often should I PRACTISE?

This depends on what you're looking for and what fits into your life. Once a week is great, twice a week is ideal for seeing progress more quickly, three or more is fantastic. Some people take privates on an ad hoc basis as a way of checking in on their form. Others practise more often, especially if they’re training for something specific or using Pilates to support rehabilitation. I often recommend that private clients supplement their weekly studio sessions with mat classes taken from home, which is a convenient and affordable way of increasing the frequency. The beauty of at-home mat practice is that you can do it wherever and whenever you like. It’s important to find consistency and a routine that works for you. 

Which is harder, the apparatus or mat?

They’re both challenging in different ways. Mat Pilates can feel especially tough given you’re working with your own body weight, no external support. The apparatus uses springs, straps and other features that can assist, add resistance, challenge stability or provide feedback depending on how you use them. Basically, both can be as accessible or as challenging as you like, but it’s not a case of one or the other: Pilates is a whole system of deeply interlinked work, and the original intention was for people to practise all elements together.

Do you teach the traditional work?

I teach the original exercises created by Joseph Pilates, but I do so in line with my training through BASI Pilates. While I love and deeply respect classical Pilates, which closely follows the original technique and order, my teaching follows a contemporary approach integrating modern science. I programme sessions using the BASI Block System, which gives me the flexibility to create balanced, thoughtful sessions that respond to the individual. My aim is always to work to the body in front of me while staying true to the essence of the method.

What is BASI Pilates and the Block System?

BASI (Body Arts and Science International) Pilates is an internationally renowned training school founded by Rael Isacowitz, with headquarters in Newport Beach, California and training centres all over the world. The method honours the original work of Joseph Pilates, while drawing on modern movement science and anatomy. BASI is also known for its Block System, a programming framework that ensures sessions are balanced, thoughtful and adaptable to the individual, while moving the whole body through all planes of motion. I attained both my mat and comprehensive certifications through BASI.

Is Pilates suitable for men?

Yes, absolutely. Pilates was created by a man, German former boxer Joseph Pilates, and was taught to a near-exclusively male client base in its early days. It’s a method that builds control, strength, mobility and precision, which benefits everyone, meaning I work with clients from all walks of life: all genders, shapes and sizes, cultural backgrounds and abilities. My male clients tend to find that Pilates helps them address areas they may not train in other forms of exercise, which often leads them to continuing with Pilates on a long-term basis. They’re some of my most dedicated regulars.

Will Pilates help me lose weight?

Pilates can support a healthy lifestyle, improve muscle tone and encourage better movement habits, however it’s not a weight-loss programme. I’m also not qualified to give advice in this area, so I suggest doing careful research or speaking to a registered dietician. Instead, I encourage people to focus on how they feel and what their body can do: the benefits show up in improved strength, control, confidence, and ease of movement.

Is Pilates just stretching?

No, Pilates is much more than stretching. It’s a full-body method based on principles such as control, concentration, centring, precision, breath, and flow. While it definitely helps improve flexibility, Pilates combines stabilisation with mobilisation, and helps you build awareness of how your body works as a whole. You’ll develop strength, coordination, stability, and mobility through mindful, controlled exercises. 

is it like yoga?

Pilates and Yoga are entirely different practices. Both use the mat, both emphasise breath and body awareness, but they come from different origins and have different aims. Yoga is rooted in ancient philosophy and spiritual traditions. Pilates is a 20th-century method focused on physical conditioning, alignment and control. They can complement each other beautifully, but they’re not interchangeable.