If you have a back condition or any physical injury such as a slipped disc, arthritis, replacement joint or scoliosis, Pilates is even more important for you! On Tuesdays at 9am in Lewes, I run a gentle class designed to go at a slow pace to help focus on these crucial areas of the body and help build from a place of weakness. The class is 45 minutes long to ensure it won’t be too much on the body and it’s also a great place to begin Pilates if you’re nervous or feel very unfit.

Pilates is about developing an awareness of your body and how it moves. In learning the foundations you’ll become stronger and fitter. Initially, it can simply be about learning to ‘switch on’ the right muscles in the right order - and then broadening your range of exercises to provide a fuller workout. Many people like to work slowly at this stage but once you are able to feel Pilates working, you can choose your own pace. A good class to start learning Pilates.

Feeling stronger means you’ll want greater challenge, and an Intermediate or Mixed level class offers this. There are more exercises at your disposal at a higher level so each class will feel familiar yet offer something new. In each intermediate class there will be progressions and regressions to each exercise, therefore you will quickly find if you don’t quite achieve it one week you will very quickly surprise yourself with mastering the progressions!