Hugh Grant enjoys Pilates. In a magazine interview he said: “I’ve actually started working on my muscles. By doing Pilates, it helps me stay fit and young. Now [after doing Pilates], I have muscles of steel and could easily deal with giving birth.” Hugh Grant

Push Ups are one the Pilates classical mat exercises that we don’t usually do in class. They are challenging to do well and it is better to work on preparatory exercises with good technique, until your arms and abdominal muscles are strong enough for the full version. There’s a wikiHow article about how to build … More Push Ups

Thank you for completing the brief survey included with your annual renewal forms. I’ve collated your responses in this post. I’ve paraphrased your answers to keep them anonymous. The average difficulty ratings that you gave for your classes were: Monday 9.15am 6.5 Monday 10.30am 6.0 Monday 6.45pm 7.25 Monday 8pm 4.7 You said that the … More Survey Responses 2023

A study suggests that people who drink more water seem to live longer and develop fewer chronic diseases. It found that adults with higher levels of serum sodium – which go up when fluid intake goes down – were more likely to die younger. The NHS recommends that you drink six to eight mugs a day. Good … More Water could help you live longer

Physical fitness can neither be acquired by wishful thinking nor by outright purchase. As Joseph Pilates said, it is up to us to do the work to achieve our fitness goals. It can be easier to do so when led by an instructor in a group of like-minded people as in Pilates mat classes. Although … More Quote: Physical fitness can neither…

Pilates is a key part of Kate Hudson’s fitness regime. It helped her lose weight and recover from the birth of her third child and she practises it once or twice a week. Kate says. “I love how flexible I feel and I like what it does to the shape of my body.” Read more … More Pilates celebs: Kate Hudson

On 5th January, This Morning featured Pilates with a live class for Josie Gibson and Dermot O’Leary. It could have been a great way to showcase Pilates and answer ‘yes’ to the above question. but the whole thing was hi-jacked by Josie trying to do the exercises in a leather skirt! Read more on the … More Is Pilates the Hottest Trend for 2023?

During Pilates class, when lying on your side, you should support your head and stretch your top-most hip towards your feet to make your spine horizontal, as is often shown in mattress advertisements, like this image.

During Pilates class, when lying on your back on your mat, it’s important to support your head with a pad, folded towel or cushion of the right thickness to keep your head and neck in good alignment and feeling comfortable, as shown in these photos.