I will be taking my Pilates sessions south over the Winter, so here's wishing you a fun holiday season and a great start to the New Year. I will be back in February, ready to get back into shape with you, so get in touch!

Some useful info for the holiday season:

• Last 2011 session Pilates at De Beauvoir Thu 22nd 9am - please come along!
  
• No private Pilates sessions or Pilates at De Beauvoir until 1st February - do get in touch if you have any questions
• Sessions at Clissold Leisure Centre and City Lit will be covered by colleagues until my return in February - check respective websites for holiday timetables

The benefits of regular Pilates practice will reflect in improved performance through your daily life but what exactly can you expect to see from the regular practice of Pilates?

Improved posture
Pilates teaches you to find neutral alignment in a variety of positions: standing, sitting, lying down, side-lying and kneeling on all fours. Learning what is good, neutral alignment for your body will help you transfer this knowledge to your daily life, for example, when sitting at a desk, carrying shopping bags or standing on a crowded train. You will find it easier to sit up or stand up straight and will look taller as a result. You will also learn how to reduce tension in your neck and shoulders.

Strengthened abdominal and pelvic floor muscles (your 'core')
Pilates focuses on starting each movement with an engaged core, which stabilises you and helps protect your spine as you move. Strong abdominal muscles have been shown to be a factor in reduced back pain. A strong pelvic floor is also a factor of increased sexual pleasure and can help prevent incontinence later in life. After a few weeks of regular Pilates practice you will find yourself 'engaging' without really thinking about it, especially when you approach a more challenging movement, such as picking up a heavy object, or reaching for a high shelf.

More flexibility, especially in your spine
Pilates movements such as the Bridge, Roll down or Hip Twist gently mobilise the spine with control. This extra flexibility will make your daily movements a little more flowing and relaxed.

Increased body awareness
Pilates sessions teach you to link up movement to breath to core engagement, you're encouraged to work in alignment, observe how your body naturally moves and make any adjustments that are needed. For example, a lot of us have hyperflexible elbows or knees that want to knock together when we bend them. While there is nothing 'wrong' with any natural body shape, there are benefits to learning how to align our joints for best performance, and the practice of Pilates will help you do that.

An overall stronger, leaner and taller appearance
Pilates is a whole body work out - Pilates session will work most muscle groups in your body: legs, bum, upper back, arms, and of course your tummy including the deep abdominal core and the more superficial six-pack (Rectus Abdominis) and obliques. With a small number of controlled repetitions, a Pilates work out will give your muscles a leaner, more toned look, strengthening them without bulking up.

If you think you any of these benefits in your life, book a Pilates class today and give it a go!

I will be taking a break from 15th July to 15th August. I will be slow in answering emails or contact requests during these dates but do get in touch!

Have a fantastic summer :)

Pilates Street is a London-based project aiming to link volunteer Pilates instructors to organisations working with people living with or recovering from homelessness, addiction or mental health issues.

As Pilates instructors, we often work with clients in some form of recovery, usually from a physical injury or condition. The results that Pilates makes available to them - peace, alignment, strength, vitality and fun, could be highly beneficial to people in vulnerable situations.

My proposal is to gather a group of Pilates instructors to volunteer our time to provide one-hour mat-work Pilates sessions on location at various organisations around London who are already working in the sector offering their clients recovery activities. I have been talking with a number of organisations -- such as Crisis, St Mungo's, New Hanbury Project -- and there is definite interest in offering this service.

Pilates instructors taking part would not only benefit from the joy of giving back to the community, but also through the experience of working with vulnerable clients, expanding our knowledge and skills in other aspects of recovery, and getting a chance to meet other Pilates instructors in the project to exchange ideas and network.

At this point, I would like to invite Pilates instructors to meet in July and together brainstorm the practicalities of the project: come up with ideas for classes and looking at potential challenges/opportunities, organise a schedule that works for organisations and volunteer instructors and create a space for sharing our experiences.

Thank you to all the Pilates Instructors and organisations that got in touch, it's been inspiring to have such a positive response - looks like the most popular date to meet is Friday July 1st and City Lit have offered to host the meeting (thank you Jason!)

I'm very excited about meeting you all and work out how to take the project forward together!

The Pilates Street Meeting is scheduled for Friday July 1st, 4-5pm at Room 109, City Lit, Keeley Street, Covent Garden, London (click for map)

Please use the form below to let me know you're coming, or if you would like to find out more about the project. Really looking forward to meeting you!
xHelena

Side lying exercises are excellent for working balance, stability and core control, with a special focus on your oblique muscles.

Start by finding the perfect side lying position:

• Align yourself to the mat, one arm extended and the head resting on it
• Stack your shoulder, hips, knees and ankles right on top of each other and check you're not leaning forwards or back
• You may place a soft block between your head and your arm for comfort
  
• Check that your spine is in 'neutral' with a natural lower back curve and your ribcage soft - release any tension on your upper body
• Check that there is a gap under your waist -- your 'guitar' shape
  
• Place your fingertips on the mat in front of you -- minding that you're not leaning forward, or on your hip, or pointing your hand towards the ceiling
• Breathe in as you lengthen yourself from top to toe and breathe out to establish your core engagement

To start the movement

• Float the top leg lengthening it out to hip height as you breathe out
• Hold it there for a breath in and as you breathe out take the leg forward and breathe in to bring it back to the starting position
• On the following out breath, squeeze your bottom and take the leg behind you, and breathe in to bring it back to centre
• Add some footwork by pointing to toes as the leg goes forward, and flexing the foot as it goes back
• Keep the movement stemming from the core and the legs hinging at the hip
  
• Keep the height of the foot and the leg fully extended throughout the movement
• If you find yourself tensing your upper body or leaning into your had on the mat, try to transfer some of the effort to your oblique muscles, the ones on your waistline
• Relax your body and make sure you're isolating the correct muscles: gluteals (bottom) to take the leg behind you and hip flexors (groin muscles) to take the leg forward, with your core abdominals engaged throughout

Increase the level by floating the bottom leg up as well -- use your inner thigh muscles to keep this leg floating. Move only the top leg, or make them movement more dynamic by 'scissoring' both legs moving in opposite directions.

Visualisations

• Body straight like an arrow
• Guitar shape waist
  
• Stream of cold water under waist
• Leg on a pulley, floating
• Leg lengthening away, running away from your hip
  
• Imagine walking on the back wall, walking on air (scissors)
• Draw a straight line with your toe, rub it with your heel (for point & flex feet)
• Scissors
• Legs glued together (double leg lift)

Watch out points

• Body tensing up
• Overarching or rounding the spine
• Pelvis moving, rocking or twisting
• Pushing up with hand, pressure on forearms
• Waist collapsing onto the mat
• Shoulders rounding (especially top shoulder)
• Lifting legs too high
• Too much reliance on the supporting hand

Give the Pilates Side Kick a try and let me know how you go by leaving a comment on this page.

Remember everybody's bodies are different. Consult with your doctor before trying out a new exercise, in particular if you have any conditions or injuries which could be aggravated by certain types of movement.

As well as opening a whole world of possibilities for transforming my lifestyle, health and career, Pilates has been my way into fun, vitality and restfulness.

I want to share this, so I'm creating a project to offer free Pilates sessions for people living in or recovering from homelessness or addiction. There has been considerable interest in the idea from people working in the sector, and I would love for other Pilates instructors to get involved.

As Pilates instructors, we are used to encountering clients in some form of recovery, usually from a physical injury or condition. The results that we make available to them - peace, alignment, strength, vitality and fun, would be highly beneficial to people in vulnerable situations.

Getting involved in this work, with the support of established organisations, would bring forth the possibility of expanding your knowledge and experience of working with diverse people and situations, and the possibility of making a contribution through doing what you love...teaching Pilates!

If you think this is something you would be interested in, please get in touch!

The results of my online survey are in and am very excited to announce I will be running weekly Pilates sessions at St Peter's Crypt in De Beauvoir on Thursdays 9-10am starting from Thursday 2nd June.

The session will be mixed levels, so beginners to intermediate all welcome. Bring your own mat, or I can provide one for you. The room has a limited capacity... please let me know if you're coming by booking your slot today:
http://www.doodle.com/ygv23u52hp6q859f

The cost for sessions is £9 per session if you book five sessions in advance (pay £45 on the first day - you save £5 and also... commit to your health!) or £10 to just drop in on the day. Payment by cash/cheque.

I know a few people were interested in the other slots (Fri/Sat) and I also had requests for evening classes. Sorry to disappoint you at this time - I will definitely consider creating more groups in the future, so please stay in touch.

Following a fantastic response to my online survey, I am happy to confirm I will go ahead with creating a weekly class at St Peter's De Beauvoir Crypt (map).

Before I book the space I would like to find out when would be the most convenient day/time slot for you, so I can schedule a first session and get going!

Please follow the link below to select your preferred date and time for a Pilates mat-work session. Poll respondents get their first session at just £5!*
http://www.doodle.com/r3mkxam7wkyvc3n2

* I will choose the final time slot depending on popularity and my own availability. If your preferred slot is not chosen, you're still welcome to use your discount at a later date whenever you can first attend a class. In order to protect your privacy, the poll is confidential and the results/names are only visible to me, but make sure to add your name so I can offer you the discount!

UPDATE: New group class! Pilates matwork at St Peter's Crypt on Thursdays 9am from June 2nd

Over 90 free events to choose from. Download the Adult Learners Week booklet (pdf), see what's on offer and take part!

I will be offering a Pilates Taster session 10-11am on 16th May at Stamford Hill Library.

I am currently considering starting Pilates Mat-work group sessions. The price would probably be around £10 per person per session (depending on how many are interested to start with), with discounts available for block bookings.

UPDATE: New group class! Pilates matwork at St Peter's Crypt on Thursdays 9am from June 2nd