Background
I qualified with Body Control Pilates in 2004 and have a Comprehensive Studio Certification. As well as beginner and intermediate matwork training, I have specialised in postnatal and Pregnancy Pilates. I worked for many years as a studio teacher with Gordon Thomson at the Pilates and Rehabilitation Studio in South Kensington where I taught studio sessions as well as private lessons an
d also ran the matwork Pilates classes at Battersea Arts Centre. Why Pilates? Pilates is an excellent way to support your body during pregnancy and help prevent pain from postural changes and the natural increase in ligament laxity that your hormones release. Functional pelvic floor exercises help you carry your growing bump and baby but, just as crucially, work on when and how to release them when appropriate. Whether you have a natural birth or a Caesarean section, Pilates helps you reconnect with your body – working your pelvic floor muscles correctly, toning your deep stomach muscles, improving your posture and activating the right upper back muscles to help support feeding and holding your new baby. As well as helping many of my clients exercise through their pregnancy and postnatal recovery, I have experienced first-hand the benefits of working with a good Pilates technique whilst carrying my own babies. Having had both a natural labour and a Caesarean section, this has deepened my understanding of this special, but often physically challenging period of a woman’s life. Pilates makes us more body aware in the most positive sense – learning how to feel when our bodies are working well and being truly present when we exercise. Through intelligent exercise we can work on weaker areas and rebalance the body, releasing some of the muscle tension we may be holding. With our increasingly hectic lives – busy jobs, pregnancies, babies, small children, exams, ageing joints, health issues or even the pressures of looking after ageing parents – it is essential for our overall wellbeing that we do make some time to move well, relax, breathe deeply, become stronger and improve the quality and range of our movement. This is where we can start to feel good in our bodies and love the skin we are in.
