What Reformer Pilates Has Shown Me - Reflections From Teaching Movement

Before The Pilates Room opened on 18 January 2021, I spent several years teaching movement in different studios and rehab settings. Those years quietly shaped the way I understand the body, not in a perfect or complete way, but through small lessons gathered from the people I’ve had the privilege to work with.

When someone first sees the Reformer, it looks like a complicated machine. Springs, straps, a sliding carriage and it can feel intimidating. But over time, I’ve realized something, the Reformer doesn’t just strengthen the body. It reveals how we move, where we hold tension and how everyday life slowly settles into our muscles without us noticing.

It’s a simple reminder that the body carries more stories than we think.

I don’t claim to know everything , far from it.

But each session has taught me something new about patience, awareness, and how beautifully different every person’s body can be.

What Makes the Reformer Meaningful to Me

The Reformer is built on a simple idea: give the body support, give it gentle challenge and allow it to rediscover its natural rhythm.

• The springs help you understand strength.

• The carriage teaches balance.

• The straps encourage control.

• The breath ties everything together.

• I’ve seen beginners surprise themselves.

• I’ve seen mothers rebuilding confidence after childbirth.

• I’ve seen people walk in with stiffness and walk out feeling lighter.

Not because of me but because their bodies remembered something they had forgotten:

they are capable of healing and adapting.

The Reformer just creates the space for that to happen.

Why Many People Here Benefit From It

Most of us spend long hours sitting, typing, driving, or rushing from task to task. Without realizing it, we develop:

• tight shoulders

• rounded upper backs

• stiff hips

• shallow breathing

Reformer Pilates gently unwinds these patterns without pushing or forcing.

It’s not about intensity.

It’s about reconnecting with movement in a way that feels safe and sustainable.

I often tell clients:

“We go at your pace. Your body leads, we follow.”

What Teaching Has Taught Me (More Than I’ve Taught Others)

Over the past decade, one thing has become very clear to me:

every body is different. And because of that:

the same exercise can feel completely different for two people

progress looks different for everyone

movement is never “one size fits all”

Teaching Pilates has humbled me again and again.

Each person who walks in teaches me something new - about patience, compassion and how important it is to listen before guiding.

My role isn’t to know everything.

It’s simply to create a safe environment where movement can happen with ease and confidence.

Why I Started The Pilates Room

When I opened TPR in 2021, my hope was simple:

to create a small, welcoming space where people could reconnect with their bodies without pressure or comparison.

A space where:

• Beginners don’t feel intimidated

• people with pain feel supported

• athletes feel challenged in a mindful way

and everyone feels comfortable being themselves

We keep sessions personalized not because it sounds good, but because every person deserves to move in a way that respects their body.

A Final Gentle Thought

After so many years in this field, I still feel like a student of movement.

Pilates continues to remind me that change doesn’t come from pushing harder, it comes from showing up consistently, breathing deeply and trusting the process.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:

when your body starts to move with ease, many things in life quietly follow.

And that’s the beauty of it.