As Pilates teachers we have honed, perfected and excelled in our use of language to express our intentions and communicate. We may use visual demonstrations as another tool to enhance a participant’s understanding of an exercise, but what about the power of targeted tactile cueing to provide invaluable feedback and sensory input? To further clarify, I don’t just mean “hands on correction”. I believe this can create a negative response where the only time physical touch is used is because there is something wrong or incorrect. Rather with the power of our hands, we can help to create a deeper t ..read more

Sarah Gorman is a fitness and wellness educator who has been working within the fitness industry for the past 20 years. She is a personal trainer, class instructor, fitness educator and presenter with a social media presence to influence and guide people on their fitness journey. Her background in dance and acting led to her training as a Pilates instructor over 20 years ago and Pilates has stayed firmly rooted at the heart of all the disciplines that she teaches. Whilst living in the USA, Sarah trained under some very influential fitness gurus in LA. She has trained actors and celebriti ..read more

“Find your neutral spine” “Am I in neutral? ” “Keep your pelvis in neutral” are all often heard in a Pilates class but what does it actually mean, is it important and does it have any value? (Just a quick note from the start to say that I don’t use the term “neutral” as I don’t think it is really understood and people tend to just go where it’s comfortable, as well as for the reasons below!) To understand “neutral” we need to consider what purpose it serves us in movement. The neutral position is often taught from an understanding that it gives us stability, an ideal position to move from.&nbs ..read more

A long time ago (around 1996) in a galaxy far, far away……. the Core was born! Emerging from studies which demonstrated a change in onset timing of trunk muscles in persistent back pain and back injury, a whole industry based on the importance of core stability and training was brought to life. Pilates was one of many disciplines which evolved to promote and embed the assumption that training specific muscles of the trunk at a certain level would ensure the disappearance of back pain. But it is widely accepted that these findings were flawed and are now invalidated, the assumptions strongly ref ..read more

This is a question we are so often asked as Pilates teachers. Many people come to Pilates looking for a solution to long term pain- sometimes even unrealistically promised Pilates will solve their pain.  I say unrealistic as we can’t promise to even reduce pain as pain is complicated, no-one fully understands how pain works, pain is different for everyone and is multifactorial. If we consider that about 90% of low back pain is non-specific, meaning that the pain experience can’t be accounted for by tissue damage, pathology or disease, then the search for something being “broken” or “misal ..read more

“We retire too early and we die too young, our prime of life should be in the 70s and old age should not come until we are almost 100” Inspirational words by Joseph Pilates, who thoroughly lived and breathed his Method, remaining strong and vigorous well into his 80s. As people are living longer than ever before, Pilates offers the perfect exercise system to encourage healthy and active ageing. The benefits of Pilates for healthy ageing are: Increased physical capacity such as improved strength, mobility, stamina and flexibility Improved static and dynamic balance to help fall prevention Enha ..read more

Lisa is the owner of Designed Pilates and teaches group and 1-1 classes in her local area close to Cambridge.  Lisa is a keen runner who found Pilates during the pandemic, and qualified with a Level 3 Diploma in Mat Pilates with JPilates. Ongoing CPD education has continued with JPilates which includes: Pilates for Pain Management, The Pilates Hand, Small Equipment, Pilates for Breast Cancer and Pilates for Children. Also qualified to train clients on the Wunda Chair and Tower.  Lisa will be offering Business and Marketing/PR support to the Pilates community from September 2023 ..read more

Reflecting on my trip to New York, I can officially say it was the Pilates experience of a lifetime! Even 4 weeks later, I am still processing the influences and inspiration I gained from the amazing people I met.  The tour began in the most auspicious way when my copy of  “Get to Know Joe Pilates” by Cathy Strack arrived the day before I left. This biography is a must read for every Pilates teacher and Pilates enthusiast. I could not put it down and read it all during the flight to NY. It recounts in fascinating detail the life of Joseph Pilates and his work, completely changing man ..read more

I absolutely love reading the stories, anecdotes and memories of Joseph Pilates, it adds colour, depth and a stronger understanding of what and why we teach his Method. I was so excited to read Cathy Strack’s highly anticipated book, “Get to Know Joe Pilates” and it did not disappoint. I was delighted when Tracey Waples, a wonderful Pilates teacher and author, offered to review the book. Get to Know Joe Pilates- A Review by Tracey Waples I’d heard good things about this book . Like many other Pilates devotees, I’m interested to learn about the life of Joseph Pilates. When I first trained as a ..read more

“In childhood, habits are easily formed-good and bad. Why not concentrate on the formation of only good habits and thus avoid the necessity later on in life of attempting to correct bad habits…the proper development of body and mind, through the new science of “Contrology” is what must [be taught to]* the child”  Joseph Pilates  In his book “Your Health” Joseph Pilates shares his vision of teaching Pilates to children from a very young age, in all schools and colleges. He strongly outlines his dream of educating children in correct breathing, posture, unlimited natural exercise, corr ..read more