Welcome to the studio of your dreams …
We are here to help and we want to work to best support your wellbeing.
First, we get to know you. Most clients are looking to get more out of their body and being a personal goal this is completely individualised … it’s our job to listen to where your body is at, observe how you move and utilise our professional experience to come up with a plan for your physical, postural and movement wellbeing. We do this through conversation and watching you do some fundamental Pilates movements in the introductory private session and then our new client introductory course.
Our clients are generally in it for the long-haul. Like any long-term relationship we aim to grow together and share what we have learned during our teaching and professional development with you. Our industry is starting to deeply listen and support diversity in the studio too, it’s been a long-held practice of The Movement Refinery to bring the Pilates method to the individual rather than force you into a mould of what you should ‘look’ like as you do Pilates or even what should be ‘working.’ Collectively, we have moved forward with our human movement knowledge especially around pain, posture and function so that your session is future-oriented while supporting what you feel in the moment.
As modern classicists of the work, it is our job to be steeped in the work and philosophy of Joseph Pilates and to learn and offer a voice to the first generation teachers who are directly connected to Joseph by working as a client or even instructor in his studios in New York. There is a lot of talk in the industry with terms like Classical Pilates, Contemporary Pilates and other forms too – but what the different ‘camps’ of instructors have in common hopefully, is a desire to deeply support and care for their clients in spite of their professional training and what their teacher trainings taught them ‘is’ Pilates.
In the past, TMR has been a contemporary studio (an exercise space for intelligent movement and equipping clients to feel fantastic utilising the parts of the Pilates method), a shrine to the history of the work most notably through the eyes of one of Joseph Pilates’ protégées AKA a Classical studio. Over the last few years, our approaches to these labels and ‘lineages’ have softened because even more important than our dedication to the true method, is the dedication to our clients and building an inclusive studio. It is our pleasure and privilege to shine a light on the best way to move forward for each client utilising our methodology and expertise.
Here is a list of some of the things we accomplish together when a client leans in to the relationship, some physical and others more soft and fluffy ….
- Work with you to offer a baseline of what your joints can do / how they move efficiently
- Bust some myths about training and formally oft-maligned muscles *(see upper traps or hip flexors)
- Support you to understand the relationship of your pelvis, spine, shoulder blades and head to your posture, comfort and movement.
- Take our time to build you into the signature exercises or their components (Roll over, back bends and the like)
- Show you HOW to do the exercises by learning the fundamentals of human movement, posture and positioning and layering this within the Pilates exercises rather than just ‘doing’ them ad nauseam
- Breathing … how, when, why …
- Thoracic connections : waking up the mid back and how the ribs and spine can influence movement, comfort and strength across your whole body
- Build an effective arm to body connection to support all types of sports and activities including use of the wrist and forearm
- Legs to pelvis – just as for the arms but for down south for example, can you lift your legs up/stretch them back without compensating with another body part
- Familiarise you with your own head and pelvis – how do you move them, how much effort to use and what discomfort in these areas means … plus, holding the neck effectively in ‘core’ work
- Wake up the dexterity and endurance of the lower limb and foot to provide a stable platform for walking, jumping and playing
- Help you to understand the difference between rigidity and stability
- Work alongside you to build a sensitive relationship to your body
- Provide a measured experience with the traditional exercises on our beautiful traditional equipment (aka the best for a true Pilates experience)
- Remind you of your progress and ‘empty trash’ on previous cues that you may have outgrown
- Walk a shared path and listen to your feedback to support you in your next steps in your Pilates adventure with our Retreat, workshops, deep dives and skill builder series
As you can imagine, this takes time… months, years or a lifetime. It’s one of the reasons that we choose to work with clients who are here for the long-run. We are all on the same page and chip away at these tasks and feelings as time, life and the world allow.
See you at the studio soon!