ALTHOUGH I STILL continue to develop the qualified teachers, I am now devoting more of my time running my own business in Surrey, providing one-to-one tuition in Matwork and studio repertoire. My work involves rehabilitating the injured, those who have had surgery and those who are trying to avoid it and, on the other end of the scale, I train dancers and athletes who need to maintain peak physical and mental health. That is the wonderful thing about this form of conditioning; it can be modified to suit anybody and each individual can continue to be challenged year after year. My eldest client is 86 and phenomenal!
So, as you browse the Pilates web pages do not be tempted or coerced into thinking you can purchase a piece of equipment and practice from a video. You might be able to follow the movements but it is highly unlikely you will understand how you should be doing them.
So this is a warning! I do not wish to see this wonderful method of body conditioning damaged either because it has been so diluted as to be unrecognizable and ineffective, or because novices are poorly trained and end up doing more damage than good! Fair enough, it was relatively elitist until recently and unknown by the general public and one of the main reasons was the scarcity of instructors. However, I feel that in making it widely available we are losing the essence of the Method. It is not just a set of physiotherapy exercises! It was, and still is, best taught on a one-to-one basis in order to benefit fully and really deal with individual needs.