Blog

What type of small equipment is used in Pilates?

Published: 8th March 2023

Pilates small equipment varies and includes items and props such as Pilates mats, head cushions, resistance bands, loop bands, soft balls, weighted balls, prickle (stimulating massage) balls, foam rollers, and such like. This...

Half Term Reminder... On Demand Pilates... & my Delicious Tomatoe Panzanella Salad!

Published: 8th February 2023

Already I am almost half way through my Pilates spring term 2023. I am getting very excited now that the nights seem to be drawing out so much more, and that everything...

New Year 2023...Refreshing & Invigorating Pilates Classes

Published: 2nd January 2023

*Hello and a very Happy New Year to you all* I hope you had a super time over Christmas and thank you very much to those of you who have been in...

What are the options available when signing up to my Pilates classes?

Published: 19th August 2022

With the options and benefits available to you by signing up to my Pilates classes you can absolutely choose how much Pilates you would like to do. We all have different preferences after...

6 great reasons why Pilates is good for you!

Published: 3rd September 2021

If you have heard about Pilates but you haven't quite decided to take it up, perhaps you need a little bit of motivation or some convincing. I am honoured to have the privilege...

Holidays, Pilates On Demand Video Library Summer Special.........and Courgettes!

Published: 6th July 2021

Wow! It's the end of term this weekend! Goodness me... yes... this Saturday 10th July sees the end of our 2021 summer term and another year of my hugely enjoyable Pilates life. It has been lovely to welcome some new...

Pilates Plans... and Peas!

Published: 26th April 2021

Well, I may soon be packing my Pilates wagon and, all being well, heading off to teach live Pilates classes again at my lovely community venues at Orlingbury, Cranford, Broughton in Northamptonshire, and...

Pilates is so jolly good for us.....and so is green soup!

Published: 18th March 2021

Pilates is so jolly good for us in no end of ways. For me though, what I especially love about it is that there is always something new that can be found...

Ballet Terms and Baby Cakes

Published: 14th February 2021

Last week I was chatting away to an old friend about how popular Pilates has become since we first practiced it all those years ago. I actually started when I was just...

Spring Pilates Block Booking 2......and more cake!

Published: 7th February 2021

Spring Pilates Block Booking 2 Goodness me....at the time of writing there is already just one more week left before my 'half term' break. Equally that means that there is another block booking...

The Joy of Cake!

Published: 25th January 2021

Whilst teaching Pilates is my absolute pleasure and joy, and of course the main focus of my daily life, lockdown has meant also being able find joy in doing things that I...

Sparkles, Spangles and my Chef Extraordinaire!

Published: 13th January 2021

So, the sparkly spangly thing is really a bit incidental. This is just my new little reminder to myself to get up in the morning, don the sparkles and spangles and look...

Happy New Year & Carry on Zooming Pilates!

Published: 28th December 2020

Hello to you all I hope you enjoyed a lovely Christmas and were able to take some time to both celebrate and relax. I received some lovey thoughts, messages and cards from my...

All the fun of Zoom and more from Claire's kitchen!

Published: 8th December 2020

I absolutely cannot believe that I am almost at the end of running our autumn term of Pilates on Zoom. I have been Zooming for that long now that I am not even fazed...

The joys of Zoom....Claire's Raisin and Rosemary Bread Recipe!

Published: 12th October 2020

I just had to share this with you even though I know that it is absolutely nothing really to do with Pilates! One of the most enjoyable aspects of teaching my classes...

My new autumn Pilates timetable and booking is now OPEN!

Published: 7th September 2020

Well here I am! I am delighted to be back from our last sea faring adventure of the summer! I am really looking forward to my new autumn timetable of classes and I do hope that you will...

When Hugo the Jack Russell came Zooming too!

Published: 19th April 2020

I so love my Jack Russell......11 year old Hugo with absolutely oodles of personality. Now that he is getting on a bit he has a bit of a daily routine going on; get...

The A-Z of Pilates - Z is for ZOOM Online Classes Hints and Tips

Published: 18th April 2020

Well...... finally I found a topic for the letter 'Z' in my A-Z of Pilates!! Zoom is the online platform that I use for my livestream Online Pilates Classes and to share recorded...

The A - Z of Pilates - Y is for YOU!

Published: 8th January 2020

It is another brand new year already and I feel very optimistic. Actually I can never help feeling optimistic at this time of year; the forthcoming spring, the nights that seem to start...

The A-Z of Pilates - X is for eXtra ME time!

Published: 18th August 2019, Category News

This autumn the students will be heading back to college and the children will be heading back to school for the long run that leads up to Christmas (eeeek!). So what better...

The A - Z of Pilates - W for Why did I start teaching Pilates?

Published: 13th June 2019

Why did I start teaching Pilates? Well…. the question that I ask myself every single day is not ‘Why did I start teaching Pilates?’ but ‘Why on earth did I not start teaching Pilates...

The A-Z of Pilates - V for (the all important) Vertebral Column

Published: 1st April 2019

The vertebral column, more commonly referred to as the spine, or the spinal column, is an amazing structure. It is an incredibly strong, flexible column which allows our bodies to bend and twist in...

The A-Z of Pilates - U for Understanding Pilates Principles

Published: 19th March 2019

Phew! This little entry seems to have been a long time coming.....we are already well into our spring term at the time of writing this and time just seems to have flown...

The A-Z of Pilates - T is for Tranverse Abdominis (TVA)

Published: 30th December 2018

What is the Tranverse Abdominis - TVA muscle? The TVA is one of the four important abdominal muscles that make up the muscles of the abdominal wall, along with three other muscles which...

A-Z of Pilates - S for Spine Twist

Published: 14th November 2018

The ability to move our spines freely in all directions is ever more important as we get older and, aside from developing that all important core strength, this is what Pilates exercise helps...

The A - Z of Pilates - R is for the Roll Up

Published: 17th September 2018

The Pilates Roll Up is actually a particularly challenging exercise to do successfully, even if you have been doing Pilates for years and years and feel better than you have ever have done...

The A-Z of Pilates - Q is for Quadratus Lumborum

Published: 26th August 2018

The Quadratus Lumborum muscle is a deep quadrangular shaped muscle that attaches to the bottom rib, the verterbrae in your lower back and the top of your pelvis. There are two Quadratus Lumborum muscles on...

The A-Z of Pilates - P is for Posture (of course!)

Published: 22nd May 2018

Posture - my favourite! Posture and body alignment (see Pilates A-Z - A is for Alignment) is so important to us all and I am sure that any one of us is able...

The A-Z of Pilates - O is for Osteoporosis

Published: 18th April 2018

Osteoporosis is a condition that affects the bones and is more common than many people may realise. In fact, it is widely reported that there are around 3 million people in the UK...

The A - Z of Pilates - N is for Neutral Spine

Published: 3rd April 2018

In Pilates the term Neutral Spine is something that is taught very early on as part of finding your overall body alignment. This is because you need to understand how to find your...

The A-Z of Pilates - M is for Mat Classes and Mindfulness

Published: 21st March 2018

What are Pilates Mat Classes? Pilates mat classes are the most accessible type of Pilates class as all the benefits that Pilates exercise has to offer can be achieved through attending well planned...

The A-Z of Pilates - L is for Lordosis

Published: 21st February 2018

In my previous A –Z of Pilates post, I talked about Kyphosis, a postural condition that primarily affects the upper back and shoulders and results in the spine and neck being thrown out...

The A - Z of Pilates........K is for Kyphosis

Published: 11th February 2018

One of the main aims of Pilates is to train and condition the body to have good spinal alignment and to help and improve any spinal mis-alignment caused by tension and stress in the...

The A-Z of Pilates - J is for Joint Mobility

Published: 24th January 2018

Pilates exercise is an excellent way to improve overall joint mobility and flexibility. Keeping our joints mobile is particularly as we get older, when we naturally start to lose joint mobility as well...

The A-Z of Pilates - I is for Imprinting the spine

Published: 16th January 2018

Along with Neutral spine, Imprint is one of the first positions that you are likely to learn when starting Pilates exercise. Setting up the spine in Imprint is different to Neutral spine, as...

The A-Z of Pilates - H is for the the Hundred

Published: 9th January 2018

The Hundred is one of Joseph Pilates’s classic mat exercises, and in a typical classically based Pilates class it usually performed early on as a dynamic warm up for the abdominals and lungs. It...

The A-Z of Pilates - G is for Pilates elders with surname beginning with G

Published: 2nd January 2018

Eve Gentry (1909-1994) was an original disciple of Joseph Pilates and a master teacher of his technique to generations of instructors. Eva had a really successful modern dance career, dancing under her stage...

The A-Z of Pilates - F for Flowing Movements - F for Flowing Movement

Published: 22nd November 2017

Flowing movement is one of the principals of Pilates and something that elevates it above other forms of exercise. The idea during the execution of Pilates is to move smoothly through each element...

A-Z of Pilates - E is for Erector Spinae

Published: 15th November 2017

The erector spinae consists of three long, thin muscle groups running vertically up each side of the vertebral column extending from the lower back of the skull all the way down to the...

The A - Z of Pilates...D is for Disciples and Développé

Published: 6th November 2017

This time for my A-Z I could not choose between D for Disciples or D for Développé – so I decided to include them both. *Firstly, D for Disciples* Joseph Pilates died in 1967...

A-Z of Pilates - C for Centring and Core Connection

Published: 25th October 2017

Centring is one of the principals that is at the very heart of all Pilates exercises. The concept can be described as bringing the focus to the centre of the body –...

The A-Z of Pilates - B for Breathing

Published: 9th October 2017

Breathing is one of the original six principles of Pilates and is known as lateral thoracic breathing – or LTB. Breathing is actually the foundation to Pilates exercise as it helps to coordinate...

The A - Z of Pilates - A for Alignment

Published: 26th September 2017

A for Alignment (Postural) When it comes to exercise Pilates can sometimes be misunderstood. There are many who are not too sure of it, many who have never really heard of Joseph Pilates,...

Why do so many people suffer with back pain?

Published: 5th September 2017

Since I started my Pilates classes I have really noticed that a lot of people actually come along as they have been advised to try it by their health practitioner to try...

Pilates On Tour

Published: 26th July 2017

So I am back in Chichester and will hopefully soon be enjoying some more boating days, weather permitting. I have to say when the weather is good here it is very, very...

Pilates Exercise: The Benefits of Core Strength

Published: 14th July 2017, Category News

Recently a friend of mine I had not seen in a while came over for a coffee (and a cake…oops!) Her GP had advised that she should do Pilates to improve her core...

Welcome to my blog

Published: 4th July 2017, Category News

Welcome to the Jane Fletcher blog. I will be posting my latest articles here soon.

Blog Articles