Pilates Central sends out a newsletter at least once a month about the world of Pilates. Read Pilates news from around the world.
January Highlights:
- Private sessions in a private space
- Skirting the issue on This Morning
- Pilates by numbers
- Getting your (Pilates) goat
Private sessions in a private space
We are pleased to announce a new space at Pilates Central. Our new private room offers one-to-one sessions with a teacher. We’ve equipped it with the very latest equipment.
The room has an interesting view over the rooftops of central Islington and is full of light. Booking is now available and you can see the prices for private Pilates lessons in Islington here.
Skirting the issue
Pilates is probably best not done in a tight leather pencil skirt with a slit down the middle. On ITV’s This Morning presenter, Josie Gibson gave viewers a lot of laughs when she and fellow-presenter Dermot O’Leary got on their mats to try Pilates. The Pilates session was accompanied by a banner headline on the screen reading: “Pilates: The hottest exercise trend of 2023,” which is good news.
Gibson “struggled to protect her modesty during a live Pilates session” reported the Sun, while the Daily Mail wrote about her “wardrobe malfunction” as her leather skirt rode up around her thighs, with the presenter, “not so Pilates ready.” Bristolian Gibson gamely attempted planks, knee hovers and table tops in her pencil skirt but had to turn away from the camera to preserve her dignity as Dermot O’Leary looked away. To compound her ordeal she then got cramp.
Dermot O’Leary added: “I couldn’t open my eyes as I was getting full-on Gibson. I wanted to be a gentleman about the whole thing! We didn’t have the best choice of outfits — these trousers aren’t the most flexible either.” Social media loved Gibson’s leather-clad Pilates session and a typical comment read: “Josie Gibson doing Pilates on #ThisMorning is one of the funniest things I’ve seen on TV for quite some time. Go Josie!! #cramp.” Memo to daytime TV presenters: always wear an outfit that is Pilates-ready.
Pilates by numbers
It’s been a good month for Pilates number crunching. Stylist magazine featured, “Four reasons why physiotherapists love Pilates for protecting against injury.” The four reasons given were that “1. Pilates improves your form (both for gym and desk work). 2. It activates muscles to protect you from pain. 3. Pilates builds full-body strength. 4. It helps you de-stress (far more than HIIT).”
Not to be outdone Marie Claire offered, “As more and more celebs jump on the Pilates hype — Nine benefits of Pilates you should know about (and why you should try it).” Under pictures of star advocates Bella Hadid, Lori Harvey and Hailey Bieber, it listed the nine plusses of Pilates. These were: “1. It’s fun and easy to learn. 2. It boosts your endorphins. 3. It’s quick. 4. It relieves stress. 5. It improves muscle tone. 6. You can do it from home. 7. It’ll improve your posture. 8. It’s a safe pregnancy workout. 9. It can reduce back pain.”
Another advantage of Pilates is that it is definitely list-friendly. To sum up, it’s clear that Pilates adds up.
Getting your goat
The latest issue of NUJ paper The Journalist features BBC Scotland’s Louise Cowie reminiscing about her career in Dundee. “It’s the funny stories that stand out. A report I did on Pilates classes involving goats gained a lot of attention,” she recalls of the time she spoke to camera while on a mat with a goat on her back. No kidding, pygmy goat Pilates is a thing in Scotland. It happens at Bellcraig Farm in Fife and takes place on mats surrounded by straw.
In charge are Pilates teacher Jo Munro, who got the idea after doing goat yoga in California, supported by farmer Holly and goat wrangler Caroline. Clients are joined by pygmy goats, Mabel, Hazel, Fergus and Angus, plus new twins Maggie and Betty. The goats are inquisitive and like to climb and jump on clients and, “their little hooves provide a nice massage for your back.” Since featuring on BBC Scotland in 2019 pygmy goat Pilates has boomed and the Pygmy Goat Pilates Facebook page recently featured goats wearing Santa outfits at Christmas, as you might expect.
Classes are held outside in better weather, and offer “the benefits of Pilates plus stress-relieving animal therapy”. There are no plans to install straw and goats yet at Pilates Central, but in Fife clearly people don’t mind acting the goat in search of furry fitness.
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The Pilates Central Team