Classes - Events - News

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Ten years on ... I still love teaching movement!

Ten years on … I still love teaching movement!

Ten years ago this month, I started out as a newly qualified Pilates teacher. It had taken just over a year to qualify, the thirteen day course in August 2018, the exams, course work and teaching practice. According to my certificate I was ready. Apparently I knew how to teach and I had permission to set up my own classes. It was exciting, but it was also quite nerve wracking!

I started…

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Breathe - release - move

Breathe – release – move

I’ve just heard the first birdsong this morning at 07:10 – it made me smile.  Conjuring a vision of a mother waking her offspring.  The sky a deep grey blue, misty air and a winter chill. Here, warm in my bed, my son’s old fleece dressing gown on, wrapped round like a comfort blanket, memories of motherhood, watching videos together, home cinema nights, wrapping up in one blanket just the 3 of…

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It's 2019... gotta keep moving!

It’s 2019… gotta keep moving!

It is New Year’s Day – 9am. After some Myofascial training, Stretching and Pilates, my body feels better, nurtured and very thankful for the attention I’ve given it. I’ve been feeling stuck. November and December were a slow decline into hibernation (perhaps this could be seen as hiding), illness (1 week ‘properly’ ill, followed by at least 3 weeks of lethargy and sleeping) and then a good dose…

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Teach us to NOT sit still!

Teach us to NOT sit still!

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Okay … so wherever you are right now, take a moment and look around.  First, are you sitting comfortably?  On a chair?  On the train? At your desk? In your lounge?  It doesn’t really matter where … how many chairs, sofas, benches, stool, etc are available right now onto which you could place your derrière? And more to the point, do you REALLY need to be sitting down…

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All I want for Christmas ...

All I want for Christmas …

I know what you are thinking – “Is that all she wants for Christmas? A collection of spiky balls!” Well, actually, to be honest, I have enough spiky balls dotted around my house and in my car to keep me happy for the entire year, perhaps even the rest of my life! So, unless they go astray, I don’t need anymore really.  I just thought you, and my friends and family, would appreciate an explanation…

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Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you are all well and enjoyed your Christmas and New Year festivities or perhaps indulged in some peaceful time.

What am I teaching these days?

It is time to galvanise yourselves for a year when I hope you will join me embracing Pilates, Stretch Therapy AND Slings in Motion (the next Slings courses I am attending will be in April, in Toledo - I can’t wait!). Slings in Motion is a fabulous blend of movements (much of it founded in Pilates practice), with wonderful sequences and stretches all focussing on Anatomy Trains in Motion. You have already been practising some of these sequences in your classes and feeling the benefits, I hope, and there is much more to come!  

Click on this link if you are interested in learning more from the founder, Karin Gartner:

https://www.art-of-motion.com/en/slings/concept/

Nordic Walking - give it a go!

If you haven’t tried Nordic Walking yet, well, WHAT are you waiting for?  Click on my website link below and read about the benefits of Nordic Walking - it could possibly just be the aerobic component you need and it helps you focus on your posture too - it is literally like practising Pilates with poles.

http://www.pilatescarolinenorth.co.uk/nordic-walking-the-principles.html New Timetable

I attach below a copy of the updated January 2018 Class Timetable - if you are interested in private lessons, whether 1:1, 2:1 or a small group of friends/family (Pilates or Nordic Walking) then I am generally available when I am not teaching group classes.

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Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy in a Pilates/Stretch/Nordic Walking Class

The thought provoking talk by #LynneSegal (at The Showroom, Sheffield) on her book 'Radical Happiness: Moments of Collective Joy' really struck a chord with me. As a #BodyControlPilates teacher I have, over the years, found that it is not merely a case of teaching a few exercises to help people move with more ease, but it requires a good deal of listening and understanding, giving and caring. I feel a sense of responsibility for my clients and their welfare and I enjoy being able to give them the skills to move with greater ease. Furthermore the 14 groups I teach have become caring 'communities' who share a sense of joy exercising together, not only sharing the class but developing an understanding of each other and caring for each other. We have a lot of fun too! Listening to Lynne Segal last night allowed me to put a name to the feeling that makes my job so rewarding - it is quite simply a sense of collective joy. I feel lucky to enjoy this so-called 'job'of mine so much!

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Learn the Basic Pilates Principles

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Bookings being taken now!

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My mum, amazing me with her daily practice!

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New Autumn timetable - 

Looking forward to getting back to teaching next week.  

New ideas, new moves ... all aimed at keeping our bodies in the best possible condition!  I love my job!

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Pilates exercises for Back Pain

Body Control Pilates have just released some new short videos of exercises that can help relieve back pain. See You Tube links here:

https://youtu.be/N-KNBhKpRZ0   (Table Top)

https://youtu.be/6sgcNu0kAy8 (Waist Twist)

https://youtu.be/ExFzjIRtDho (Bridge)

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Pebble Power!

A pebbly beach is something to indulge in, treat the environment as a playground for your body and your senses - get working your toes and give your feet a workout. Try picking up different sized pebbles and move them around! 

Your feet and legs will thank you for it! 😀😎

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I have been concentrating on feet over the last few months with my clients and I have had some really positive feedback… people are noticing the benefits of releasing tension, relieving pressure on bunions and relaxing calf muscles.  

I suggest using these balls after a walk, standing for long periods, in the shower (first thing to wake up the feet is wonderful!) or after a bath when the feet are warm and more relaxed.

Indulge your feet with a bit of DIY massage!

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Introducing Stretch Therapy ™ with Pilates

Following a five day course in York last November with Kit Laughlin, I am buzzing with ideas and inspiration and have been adding new stretches and movements to my Pilates classes. Client feedback has been very positive - they are enjoying the challenge of new exercises and movements, they are feeling the difference and want more! “Stretch Therapy (ST) is a comprehensive system that includes stretching, fascial re-modeling, strengthening, neural re-patterning, and relaxation. The goals are grace and ease, and this is experienced as enhanced awareness and elegance in movement. Applications of the ST approach span rehabilitation of specific physical problems, through development of more efficient alignment and movement patterns, all the way to improvement of elite athletic performance. Everyone will find themselves somewhere on this continuum!”  (www.kitlaughlin.com)

I am incorporating the stretches routinely into my current Pilates classes and have been adding new Stretch classes to the timetable - my aim being to improve people’s movement and flexibility, along with maintaining all of the Pilates principles of alignment, balance and core stability.  

Watch this space and please just get in touch if you would like more information.  I would be delighted to tell you all about it!

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Pilates for Cyclists - why it works...

Like many, I came to Pilates via physiotherapist referral, after suffering with recurring shoulder trouble.  Whilst Pilates required effort, the results were amazing and the ability to “set” my shoulders brought long lasting relief from years of discomfort.   After I rediscovered cycling and started racing, time allocated to Pilates diminished and minor niggles began to creep back in.  This year, determined to improve my performance, I have once again returned to Pilates.  The results have been astounding and I have achieved numerous PB’s over recent months, especially in hill climbing where core stability is paramount.  Don’t choose Caroline if you want an easy time.  But if you want to see real results, either in sport or general mobility, then I can think of no better option.  If it seems easy, you are not doing it right! After many years, my body still manages to tend towards an easier position and when put right by a good instructor, I quickly realise how tough it is, but also how much you can benefit from doing it right.  Please ignore this testimonial if you enter bike road races in the South Yorkshire area and race in the veteran category.

(client testimonial from 2014 - always makes me smile!)

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These Shoes Are Killing Me!

The human foot is far more functional than we give it credit for. So why do we encase it in "a coffin" that stymies so much of its ability — and may create more problems than it solves?

Foot exercises play a big part in my classes - get them out of your shoes and let those amazing parts of your body feel the world and move! It'll change your relationship with your body as well as the world.