Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I attend a private session before I start?

Why can’t I just “drop-in” to a class?

What type of person benefits from Pilates?

What is the relationship between Pilates and Yoga?

What if I can’t do it?

Why the recent popularity of Pilates?

How does the Body Control method relate to the broader world of Pilates?

What does “Level III” refer to?

How did Joseph Pilates establish the method?

Why should I attend a private session before I start?

There good reasons for my wanting to start your Pilates course with at least one private session. Firstly, it allows me to familiarise myself with your personal needs and goals, and allows you to ask any questions you may have. You will complete a client enrolment form that will help me to keep track of your progress.

Secondly, it gives me time to explain in detail the basics of the method, ensuring minimal disruption to subsequent classes. Most importantly, we can go over any medical conditions and assess and any injuries thoroughly, ensuring professionalism and compliance with Health and Safety regulations.

In summary, beginning your course with a one-to-one session ensures the best use of time and quality of service for you, myself and your subsequent classmates.

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Why can't I just “drop-in” to a class?

One of the defining charcteristics of Pilates is it's progressive nature. In the first few classes you will begin with the learning of deceptively simple and small movements, which will be mastered before building on more complex exercises. Having been developed via an understanding of anatomy, the movements are very precise, and would not be fully understood in a drop-in session. Therefore the classes are streamed to allow maximum benefit to the clients, ensuring effective progression at their own pace.

One of the other advantages to this feature of Pilates of course is that it never gets boring!

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What type of person benefits from Pilates?

From an aid to rehabilitation for RSI and back pain sufferers to performance enhancement for professional sportspeople looking to gain an edge, via everyday people who enjoy the relaxation, confidence and sense of well being that it imparts, Pilates can be for just about everyone. Being low-to-zero impact, it is ideal for the elderly, and can be beneficial for those with osteoporosis. Actors and performers find that it helps with centering. Office workers tied to their desk for most of the day enjoy the improvements to their posture. M.E. sufferers say that it helps with energy flow. Pilates is also considered to be useful in assisting post-natal recovery.

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What is the relationship between Pilates and Yoga?

In the the development of his method, Joseph Pilates drew on many sources, having himself excelled in boxing, gymnastics, skiing, and diving. He took what he considered most useful from the many forms of training that he undertook and combined them to create his own method. Certainly, there appear to be some very yogic principles in Pilates: precise movements, controlled breathing and mental focus. However, there are great differences. It is up to the individual to assess what they are.

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What if I can’t do it?

Pilates is about working with your body and not against it, and it is certainly not competitive. Your course will be tailored to you, and your needs.

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Why the recent popularity of Pilates?

Largely due to celebrity endorsement. For many years Pilates was the dance world’s best-kept secret, and as more sportspeople became aware of the performance-enhancing benefits of the method, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood got on board. So it gets talked about in magazines, and awareness of the technique enters into the mainstream. Advocates from the world of sport and entertainment include Uma Thurman, Katharine Hepburn, Martina Navratilova, Sigourney Weaver, Tiger Woods, Danny Glover, Madonna, Hugh Grant, Bill Murray, Sarah Jessica-Parker, Elizabeth Hurley, Mike Atherton, Helena Bonham-Carter and John Cleese.

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How does the Body Control® method relate to the broader world of Pilates?

The Body Control Academy® was set up in 1996 by Lynn Robinson and Gordon Thompson, and has since become Europe’s largest professional body for Pilates teachers. Lynn was introduced to Pilates in Australia as a treatment for back pain. She completed her training with Gordon Thompson in London and the two subsequently developed a version of the method that gave the general public easier access to the benefits of Pilates.

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What does “Level III” refer to?

With the recent massive increase in demand for classes, leading Pilates groups and government bodies working with the exercise industry have recognised the urgent need for a formal national standard that:

  • ensures the quality and safety of Pilates teaching
  • helps enthusiasts check that their teacher is properly qualified

It is strongly recommended that, when starting (or even when continuing with) Pilates classes, you check that your teacher is a member of an established organisation and that they are recognised against the new “Level III” Pilates standard.

You can do this by consulting the Pilates Register maintained by the Register of Exercise Professionals at www.exerciseregister.org

A “Level III” instructor covers the teaching of Pilates matwork in groups or on a one-to-one basis and requires that all student teachers:

  • are given comprehensive training in the theory and background of Pilates
  • undertake an extended period of practical, supervised training
  • are also able to assess clients and adapt exercises to the particular needs of that client

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How did Joseph Pilates establish the method?

Joseph Pilates continually developed his movements, tailoring them to meet the specific needs of the individual he was working with. It was through these individuals that Pilates was handed down to other teachers by apprenticeship.

Some of the prominent first generation teachers are Ramona Krysanowska (who took over as director of the Pilates studio in New York where she still teaches today) Carola Trier, Eve Gentry, Kathy Grant and Ron Fletcher. It all progressed in a very unofficial manner, and as a consequence there were later to be some isssues with trademarking of the name. However, the fact that the method was handed down for so long in this way is surely a testament to its efficiency, and this process helped to contribute to the many schools of Pilates that exist worldwide today.

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