Love Bespoke Pilates in North London

At Love Bespoke Pilates I want to take my clients back to Pilates grassroots. When first created by Joseph Pilates back in the 1920s, it was designed with the intention to help an individual strengthen their posture and therefore be able to move freely and prevent injury in their day-to-day life. The last time I checked no one body is exactly the same, so while mainstream Pilates classes definitely have their place in the fitness world, the true benefits of Pilates shine the most when a program is designed with the specific client's body, needs, and goals in mind. Therefore, I tailor each of my sessions with the exercises that will best meet your individual goals: prevention, rehabilitation, ante or postnatal support, pelvic floor strengthening, or wanting to enhance other sports or activities such as running or cycling. Here at Love Bespoke Pilates, it’s all about you, a one-hour window where you can focus on your needs and be helped to achieve your goals.

The initial assessment is highly recommended, even if you have been practicing Pilates for years. It allows your instructor to assess your movement and posture actively to be better informed to design a program that will target your body in a way to drive you to better posture and your goals faster.

Comfy clothes are the best! You want to be able to move freely without clothes restraining your movement but not so baggy they get in the way. Pilates is practiced barefoot but if you are more comfortable in socks you can use socks with rubber grip soles to avoid slipping and sliding on the mat.

I will begin by taking a photo of your posture from front, back, and side views. These photos serve as a reminder guide for when I write your personalised program and will not be shared or used for any other purpose. I will then assess your posture from the feet up to your head analysing where your bony landmarks sit, how tight or loose certain muscle groups present, and your overall posture with a focus on the spine, pelvis, and shoulder girdle. Next, you will be taken through the foundations of Pilates which include Pilates breathing/Diaphragmatic breathing, neural spine, neutral pelvis, and pelvic floor engagement. This is an important skill to master first as all Pilates exercises require this skill set to perform the exercise safely and effectively. Once you are comfortable with the foundations we will move on to the pre-Pilates exercises which focus on practicing the foundations with movement to challenge the stability of the spine and pelvis in the neutral position accompanied by diaphragmatic breathing. These moves may seem easy and slow but they are an imperative part of the practice to teach your body new patterns of moving that will eventually come as second nature to you. Finally, you will be given a few gentle exercises to do each or every other day to prepare you for your next class and lay a solid foundation to assist your development in the method as you advance in your Pilates practice and work toward your goals.

After your initial assessment and postural analysis I will create a personalised program with your postural needs, goals, etc in mind. I will take you through each exercise, correcting your posture where appropriate, cueing proper technique, and ensuring you move safely through each exercise. Depending on how you are that day I will progress or regress the exercise to meet you where you are at. I will slowly introduce Pilates small equipment to advance and challenge your practice and to keep things fun!

One of the best ways to stay motivated with exercise is to do it with a buddy. My duet classes are exactly the same as a one-to-one session but you get to do this with a friend/spouse or anyone you can convince to join you! You will both need to do private induction classes and postural assessments, then you will join up for your sessions together but do your own individualised programs.

Pilates is a functional form of exercise in that it was created with health benefits in mind to enable you to live your life in the best physical condition and with a deep sense of wellbeing. With regular practice, muscle imbalances responsible for poor posture will be corrected, the main cause of many health issues such as back problems, joint degeneration, headaches, digestive disorders, and injuries in general to name but a few. The level of focus and concentration required to breathe and perform the exercises correctly makes Pilates a mind/body form of exercise, improving body awareness, reducing stress, and improving mood. The mind/body connection was something Joseph Pilates strongly believed in, and this principle lies at the foundation of each of the Pilates exercises. In essence, Pilates teaches you to move intelligently.

No. We supply all the equipment which is sterilised thoroughly between sessions.

This is quite a subjective question, but to quote Joseph Pilates himself “you will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions.” Like anything, the more consistent you are the quicker you will see results.