My First Ever Blog

As this is ‘my first ever blog’ I felt it should give a little insight into my Pilates journey so far. That does mean mixing it up the past and personal a little but I hope the positive in that shines through. 

I was advised to take up Pilates in my 30’s to help manage the stress that was beginning to have a serious impact on my health. At the time, my retail business was battling cash-flow issues, I had a brood of very young children and my marriage was in serious trouble. I read a quote the other day that really resonated with me, ‘everyone has a chapter they don’t talk about’. I think that is very true. For some of us talking helps, while others prefer to deal with things in private. Whichever way you decide to cope, these chapters are always some of our most defining. I am very conscience that we are all shaped by our life experiences and if sharing mine helps anyone at their own crossroads then I would always be very happy to do so. My daughter told me the other day while stuck in gridlock traffic to ‘stay calm and practice my Pilates breath’. I am very proud that they are absorbing such positive messages. Pilates may have provided me with a new living but it has triggered many healthy habits. 

I believe that my road to Pilates gives me a great deal of empathy with my clients. When I first trained as a Pilates Instructor, I was a desk bound working Mother trying to squeeze gym session into the week with never enough time to stretch or relax afterwards. My body was challenged by all the frustrations I regularly see in my classes, tight hips, sloped shoulders, weak ham-strings, achy lower back. I learnt very quickly that these things can’t be fixed quickly (sorry!) but with commitment and consistency great changes can be achieved. The stronger I became physically, the more I was able to manage emotionally as well. When you exercise, you are more conscience of your diet, you sleep better, you have more mental clarity. 

I think given this is a new blog, it is also worth mentioning that I am very dyslexic. When I was at school this really wasn’t recognised in the same way as it is now and we just had to muddle through. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the content and aren’t too judgmental of the grammar & punctuation. 

So, that is quite a scattergun introduction to me and how Pilates Philosophy and ‘strength from Within’ came about. In future blogs I will try to stay on-point and be as informative as possible. I hope you enjoy.