Blog

  • How to learn what you don’t know

    This weekend I got to thinking about the clients I have and how much through this year they have progressed. Yes you read that right. Because of Lockdown some of my students have been coming 2-3 times each week via zoom. They have learnt the order of the mat repertoire and we have been able…

  • Pilates in the Social Media

    For those of you who follow Pilates Facebook Groups or Instagram accounts you may or may not know, that a few weeks ago accounts went mad. People were feeling insulted and let their annoyance be known. Resulting in a long in depth conversation about the science behind strength training and as teachers it might be…

  • Virtual Classes

    For the first 2 months of lockdown I and my clients found ourselves teaching and practising Pilates online. It was a learning curve for us all. For my clients it was a case of moving in different surroundings and without the use of equipment. It also meant that whilst being able to be directed in…

  • Exercise- It’s not what you can’t do; It’s what you can do!

    I have begun a Pilates 10 day challenge which I am enjoying teaching. We are on day 3 and I am lucky enough that those bodies joining I do already know and so I have built my 10 day programme with the aim of being able to do the transition from Leg Pull Front to…

  • Breath-The New Science of a Lost Art

    Breathing is an important part of Pilates for many reasons. Personally I use it to a help in connecting my muscles, on exertion to complete a move that I may need more strength for, or indeed to actually find that strength. It aids my concentration and focuses my attention on the task at hand namely…

  • Why is Pilates a System?

    We are all different shapes and sizes. Our bodies move in different ways with different muscles firing to achieve the movement. Some of us have our glutes permanently soft so we rely on our hips and others may tense their shoulders keeping their chest tight. All of this is fine but at some point your…

  • Magic Circle

    The Magic Circle or Pilates ring is a prop that originates from Joseph Pilates himself. Unlike the theraband, soft balls and big fitballs which have been great additions to the method especially when working with so many different bodies and without perhaps the wonderful Studio Apparatus. The Apparatus are wonderful creations of Joseph Pilates and…

  • Pilates is EXERCISE!

    “Pilates is slow and boring”. I always chuckle when I hear this from people. I smile and acknowledge it but rarely comment much. Yesterday I came upon a facebook post by a Pilates Teacher in America who had gone to a workshop with Jay Grimes. It made me smile as through my own Pilates education…

  • Small Barrel Leg Series

    This is a fantastic piece of Pilates equipment that allows the spine a greater range of motion from hyper-extension to flexion. Through your body’s proprioception it highlights the need to keep your lumber spine supported in extension thus helping in abdominal activation and building abdominal strength. I have had a series of abdominal surgeries, with…

  • Lumbar flexibility

    Last week I wrote about the Spine Stretch Forward exercise and showed how it runs through the Pilates system in our classes. This week let’s take a look at the Push Down on the Wunda Chair & Roll Down on the Mat. Have a look at the video below! See if you can keep your…

  • The Caged Lion

    The Caged Lion This is a new book out written by a student of Joseph Pilates. He begins with his first meeting of Joe and how it left him feeling and then takes you on a journey through Pilates history to where it is today. It gives real insight into the man, his method and…

  • Spine Stretch Forward

    This is an exercise that we learn in the basic repertoire. At first glance it looks like an easy exercise until you break it down and THINK about what it does to YOUR body. The reason I ask for you to think about it personally is beacause we are all different shapes and sizes. Therefore…

  • Thank You

    In the second week of March I found myself at home with my family and unable to purchase food in our supermarket of choice as the shelves were bare. “Never mind”, I thought, on to the next one. I was shocked to see the shelves empty yet again. It was Monday 9th March, I had…

  • Fibromyalgia Bloggers

    Having the world wide web at your fingertips never ceases to amaze me. In planning my workshop for Fibro there is lots to consider because as we all know Fibromyalgia is different for everyone. The range of symptoms varies widely and remedies, medication, self help procedures works for some people yet may not work for…

  • Fibromyalgia

    Most people don’t really understand the pain you are in, the brain fog and depression. This condition brings a multitude of symptoms with varying effects on a day to day existence. Exercise is one of the best things you can do for yourself, and your body. In 2009 it was a Chinese acupuncturist and masseuse…

  • Pilates workshops at Cake & Catwalk

    Hi! I am Michaela Windsor, a Pilates teacher, and I’m lucky enough to  had the opportunity to use the beautiful Cake and Catwalk garden to host my Pilates classes in. This September I will be offering a Pilates Workshop for Runners. It will focus on the exercises which are ideal for runners, to improve your…

  • In Defiance of Osteoporosis

    Osteoporosis is known as the silent disease. It can affect us all without our knowledge. Osteporosis means porous bones. It is the weakening of our bones often caused by changes in hormone levels as we age. In women it can begin in peri menopause and menopause which happens in our 40’s/50’s. In men it is…

  • Happy Feet 2

    Last week we looked at foot massage to wake up our propreoception and tracking of the foot. This week’s exercises focus on helping you wake up the arch of the foot. I have a habit of pronating my feet meaning they roll towards the midline of the body. In waking up the arches I strengthen…

  • Happy Feet

    Do you suffer from foot pain? Self care is hard. We are all guilty of putting ourselves last and when we have foot pain we often neglect dealing with it even though it causes us lack of sleep, pain, and restricted movement which can cause us anxiousness, slow down our recovery, and make us less…

  • Your Body Rocks!

    I am wanting to promote body positivity here in Suffolk and to do this I have joined forces with the Your Body Rocks Group and will be hosting a Your Body Rocks Pilates Class followed by a painting session. Dates are in the pipeline so watch this space…… Your Body Rocks is an open public…

  • Feeling Good!

    Studying and training continuously go hand in hand. This weekend I fulfilled a dream training with Kathi Ross Nash in London at the lovely New York Pilates Studio. My fear was evident and no amount of brow beating myself could shake it. I wrote Kathi a note and her response was eloquent and to the…

  • A Thank You for 2018

    A lot has happened in the past year. I lost my Mother in February and with that came sorting, cleaning and of course grieving. It meant Pilates went on the back burner with my space at Wild Ginger going as they moved on to pastures new at a fabulous new venue of their own. If…

  • Spotlight on Breathing

    Recently I was asked to offer a Pilates Class for singers. Those of us who do Pilates will know that one of its main principles is The art of Breathing and that through learning to breathe correctly and perform the exercises we can enhance and improve many other actions or physical activities requiring the use…