ABOUT ME

The first time I stepped out of a private reformer pilates session, I felt something shift in me. I felt taller, lighter, more connected to myself. This sense of awareness and vitality is a feeling that I have never had with any other form of exercise. Clients often ask me where the hour has gone during their classes - you will feel it too... it's the ability to connect with your body on a more intuitive level. The movement, the breathing, the mindfulness - it's relaxing and yet also invigorating to feel movements more deeply as you improve alignment, flexibility and strength. Living with multiple chronic health issues, I spent a lot of time and money on physios and osteopaths and struggled with making any improvement in my pain levels. When nerve surgery was suggested for my lower back pain / disc bulge, I knew there had to be another way! For years I did mat Pilates, and for many that can be enough to help. For me, mat exercises sometimes made my back pain worse. Having hEDS (hypermobile Ethler's Danlos Syndrome) it’s possible to be extra mobile in some places and overly stiff in others. I needed to unlearn a lot of movement patterns, which only began with the proprioceptive feedback of the reformer springs! Don’t get me wrong, I am not immune to aches and pains but now I listen and offer my body nurturing movement when and where it’s needed. Movement heals! Some days, I feel able to workout harder and Pilates has helped me to become strong. I am stronger now in my 40s than I have ever been! It’s an ongoing yet empowering journey to take back control of my body. I notice the difference when I don't practise for a few days and I continue to find ways that Pilates can help me. My current focus is on improving pelvic floor health (hypertonicity and pain) and keeping perimenopausal hip aches at bay!