Workshops

PILATES FOR RUNNERS
When you think of running you don’t automatically think of Pilates. On the other side of that, when you think of someone that practices Pilates, a runner isn’t the first person you think of, right? But actually they very much go hand-in-hand. As a runner you need to focus on keeping your abdominals, lower back and glutes strong. Core strength is the primary force that controls motion in the hips and spine when you run. Weakness or lack of sufficient coordination in the core muscles can lead to less efficient movements, compensatory movement patterns, strain, overuse and injury. For a runner, posture is one of the key ingredients to success. And posture is very dependent on a strong core. Pilates develops a strong core by supporting and strengthening the muscles of the torso, hips shoulders and pelvis. These can eventually lead to a huge positive difference in your posture, technique, balance and stability. It enables you to focus on where your head and neck are in relation to the spine and pelvis, on down through the legs and toes. This all adds up to more efficient movement and less chance of injury. Katie often delivers Pilates for runners workshops and the Glute camp sessions are ideal for any runner.

PILATES FOR CYCLISTS
At the workshop you will discover new Pilates exercises to improve the skill, strength and performance of Cyclists. This unique program has been developed by an elite age group triathlete Glenn Withers who is in regular consultation with elite level cyclists from the team GB squad. On the workshop, we will review the biomechanics and key physical attributes for cycling, as well as review the typical injuries seen and their contributing factors. You will be given a high level, cycling specific Pilates program.

PILATES FOR HYPER MOBILITY
As Pilates instructors, we are often confronted with hyper-mobile clients; as hyper-mobile people often intuitively gravitate towards Pilates. The most common complaint of people with hyper-mobility/hyper-mobile joints is pain. Pain commonly affects the knees, spine, shoulders, pelvis and feet but any joint can be affected. Hyper-mobile people tend to rest at the end range of the joints or lock into the end range of the joint to provide stability. This combined with poor postural habits, dysfunctional movement patterns and poor proprioception leads to stress and strain in the supporting structures around the joints. This in turn causes further pain and fatigue. This pain further inhibits the use of the stabilising muscles of the joints which leads to further loss of control of the joint, causing more dysfunction and pain. Hyper-mobile joints are not, however, always a liability and are an asset in the fields of dance, music and sport. Katie’s Pilates workshop will convey some basic assessment and diagnostic tools in order to identify those people whose joints have increased in flexibility through repetitive stretching and training vs someone who has the full Joint Hyper-mobility Syndrome. The workshop covers recent research findings for exercise training and which type of exercise training works most efficiently. The session will provide protocols and examples for exercises, particularly relating to the Pilates Method.

PILATES FOR LOWER BACK PAIN
This is the quickest selling workshop. Proves how common lower back pain is. The intention of this workshop is to give the class a bit of a ‘back pain’ centred workout as well as sharing tools and exercises that you can do by yourself at home to help alleviate back pain. We will cover some of the important and most injured muscles of the back and discuss some common pathologies such as disc issues, spondylolisthesis and general muscle spasms. We will discuss a bit about the anatomy of the back also.
There are lots of exercises that one can do to help ease back pain, but it’s making sure you know the correct technique to benefit.

PHYSIO LED PILATES
This workshop is taught by an experienced Physio and Pilates teacher. A Physiotherapist who is specially trained in treating clients with back issues, chronic pain, sciatica, hip discomfort, scoliosis, arthritis, hyper-mobility, muscular dystrophy, hernias, spondylilithisis, slipped discs and general aches and pains.

PILATES FOR FEET
The feet are the foundation. Every day we are on our feet standing, walking or running. There is no athletic or functional movement that doesn’t involve our feet. Their health and movement affect our calves, hips, spine and posture with every step we take. But all too often the feet are overlooked…until now…. join me for a ‘PILATES FOR FEET’ workshop – In the session, there will be foot baths, salts, scents & spiky massage balls. PLUS Jeanette May from London Sole Reflexology joins the group to talk about foot reflexology as a holistic therapy linking the feet to the rest of the body, and the importance of choosing the right footwear.

PILATES & BREATH
Learn & develop your understanding of the relationship between Pilates and Breath.

Joseph Pilates was a German physical trainer, notable for having invented and promoted the Pilates method of physical fitness; and Ron Fletcher, an American Pilates tutor, author and dancer in the Martha Graham Company. Fletcher is a ‘Pilates Elder’; a “first-generation teacher” who studied directly under Joseph Pilates.

Most of us have heard our teachers telling us to remember to breathe or to inhale and exhale to specific movements but how does that connect to your Pilates practise?

Breathing is one of the most fundamental processes of the human body. In this workshop you will discover how to connect your breath with your Pilates practise. Feel the benefits of taking breath deeper into your body to find more movement, strength, freer release. Practising Pilates breathing will encourage you to inhale and exhale more fully, expand the lungs, deliver more oxygen to cells and connect the mind to muscles.