Comprehensive Pilates Courses

WHY and WHAT our Comprehensive Pilates Courses are about

Emerging from lock-down and starting back group classes after a year and a half of a complete pause was not easy. Not for us and not for our clients (seasoned and new).
With the want (and need?) to get back to what used to be, it was impossible to just earase everything that we’ve all been through – each one of us from his/her perspective and circumstances...

It is from this strange and unusual situation that our Comprehensive Pilates Courses came forth.

In many ways, it’s is actually an approach of old that knows Pilates as a system, a method that is a whole when you put all the pieces together – like a puzzle. The Matwork, the Reformer, the Tower and all the other props and equipment are all act as one to serve the idea that you are your body and your body is YOU.

On the other hand there it is a new way to teach and practice which is different than what was, what we got used to from before SARS‐CoV‐2 (known as the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 - coronavirus disease 2019).

Running Mat Classes, Reformer Classes, Tower Classes, Chair Classes – classes that separate each apparatus into a practice in and of its own - have a good reasoning and for sure allows a better familiarity of how each one of those unique pieces of Pilates equipment helps, support and challenge us physically and mentally.
It also created “favouritism”.
The main divide is along the line of Matwork vs. Equipment.

It wasn’t just our small local studio in Kildare Town, Ireland.
The amount of articles, blogs etc. that tried to to answer the question “which is better” and/or “where to begin” is staggering - just google Pilates Mat or Equipment and you’ll have 15,100,000 results (!).

Stepping out (or away) from the paradigm that has dominated for quite some time and does have its own merits is not simple – not for me as a teacher and studio owner, not for the people who are looking to benefit & understand from Pilates.

Because of that I wanted to explain and simplify WHY and WHAT our Comprehensive Pilates Courses in the studio are about:

1. Comprehensive.

By comprehensive we mean that throughout the course you'll be taking classes on all the major Pilates Equipment: Reformer, Tower, Mat and will be using other smaller props like the Pilates magic-circle, soft balls, foam-rollers etc.

Because Pilates is a system that aims to improve how you carry and use your body, it is inherently designed to give you different ways to create movement, increase your flexibility and improve your strengths.

Using the variety of Pilates equipment & props allows you to explore your body and give it the divergence it needs for better function and resilience.

Being able to offer so much of what the Pilates method has to offer in a group setting is a privilege and a joy as you find new and wonderful ways to feel and move your body – because Pilates is not about copying your instructor or doing what you are told - its about teaching you how to use your body and discover what you are capable of!

2. Intimate groups of upto 4 participants 

Our classes, at their max, have only 4 people in a group.
This small intimate setting means every person is being seen as the individual person that they are – and no people are the same.

At the core of the decision to keep classes small (pun intended) is the understanding that humans come in all kind of different shapes and sizes, have different experiences and come from different situations and activities.

Some people stand all day, others might be sitting at a desk all the time whilst there are those who work outdoors and are physically very active.
Some people feel tired, overworked and/or overwhelmed – they might be exhausted or numb. Sometimes people are angry or buzzing or hyper...
Being a human means we go through all these different states of being and it all affects us - physically, physiologically, mentally and emotionally – and that affects how we feel in our bodies and how our bodies feel to us.

Inevitably it also means that what the body needs in any given day, in any given class, in any given movement, changes too.
The same exercise looks and feels different for different people and on different days.
How to benefit from a movement in any given time is where individual attentiveness and expert teaching comes into play in our small groups.

We teach you as a whole human with your unique body & mind and want you to always benefit from your time at the studio.

3. Set day/time

We run our classes as set courses and when you sign-up to a course you are committing to a set day/time for a specific period of time.
[e.g. November-December 2021 courses are running for 6 weeks]

There are many reasons why we run our classes in a block format that "locks" you into a defined framed time of when you are asked to show up (not allowing you to just jump in when it "suits").

Establishing routine, consistency and community, being part of a specific group (as opposed to random people that happen to come to class), are only some of those reasons but, frankly - - -

It all boils down to Prioritising Yourself & Holding Yourself Accountable.
It is because we believe YOU MATTER.

It can be hard to priorities ourselves, our needs, our self-care.
Keeping a specific time and place for your class acts as a reminder of when it is time to take care of yourself and to put yourself into your busy calendar!

I hope this blog helps you understand better our approach to teaching Pilates.
If you are unsure, have any questions or concerns please contact us and we’ll be happy to help and explain more.

Aoifeღ