A Chichester Pilates teacher on how the exercise builds strength and why qualifying as a counsellor complements sessions | Vicky Meets

​How do you come to start a Pilates studio in Chichester? I started out as a fashion photographer. I worked with designer brands on shoots for magazines like Vogue and I went to some amazing locations.

I was doing Pilates lessons at this time and the teacher suggested I train to teach because I was so passionate about it. But it took a while – I had been doing Pilates for 14 years and training for two before I qualified in 2012.

How did you start up in Chichester? I moved to Chichester six years ago and started classes, working initially with physiotherapy studios. I recently opened my own studio at Forum House next to the Cattle Market. It is a lovely city-central space; light and airy and somewhere you canreally let go.

You are also a qualified counsellor. Does that help in teaching Pilates? I qualified as a counsellor last year and yes; I think it really complements my Pilates teaching. It certainly makes me a better teacher. We need for our minds and bodies to be healthy.

I can usually see if someone is carrying tension and there is always a reason for that. Being a counsellor means that I have empathy, which helps me to really tune into my clients.

You’ve just put me through my paces on the reformer [a bed-like piece of equipment with a system of weights and pulleys]. Do you only teach reformer classes? My focus is on reformer, but in lockdown I started doing mat work on Zoom to help my clients who wanted to keep their Pilates going. Now I offer both. I have four reformers and run reformer and mat classes. I also teach mat work teachers. Pilates helps you to build strength and flexibility. As a general rule, men tend to have more physical strength but women are a lot more flexible. Pilates is also especially good for your core stability. It’s a really good form of exercise for pretty much everyone.

It’s especially good for lower back pain, and also for bone building to combat things like osteoporosis. Pilates really helps you to look at the efficiency of your body and to understand how you over compensate in everyday life. Just sitting at a desk can impact on your body’s efficiency. It’s great for recovery from sports injuries, too.

Is Pilates is meditative in the way that yoga is? The concentration and breathing required to support the exercises means that that there is a mindfulness element to it. I always think that it gives your day an amazing ‘pause’. You don’t have the capacity to worry or think about anything else when you’re doing Pilates.

What do you get up to when you’re not teaching? I have twin boys and I coach their football team, which takes care of the weekends. I also did a woodland management course and love being in the woods. Maybe one day I’ll do Pilates retreats in the woods.

Where can we find further information? studio-life.co.uk; Instagram:@studio.life.ck

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