Creative, functional workouts to sculpt, tone and give you a body that serves you well in life, because ultimately that's what we all need. It's not about how you look, it's about how you feel inside and out- full of confidence in your own skin. On my YouTube channel we celebrate all ages and levels of fitness with something for everyone. Every workout will teach you something new about your body and is rooted in over 50 years of experience in movement, dance and pilates. I am a Fully Certified Pilates Instructor with over 13 years of practice in many settings from Physiotherapy clinics specialising in Sports Injuries to Rehabilitation post knee, hip and shoulder replacement. I had my own boutique studio in London pre the pandemic and now I choose to share my teaching online for anyone in the world keen to learn more about their body and grow physically, emotionally and mentally through an intelligent, focused, movement practice.
February, the month of love, is not just reserved for showering affection on others. This Valentine's season, let's redirect some of that love inward and embark on a journey of self-love. Let's explore how taking care of yourself can be the ultimate act of love.
• Love Begins with Self-Care - In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to neglect the most important person – yourself. Just as Pilates can strengthen and rejuvenate the body, a self-care practice will nourish the soul. Take time for activities that bring you joy, whether it's a relaxing bath, a walk in nature, or reading a good book. Treat yourself with the same kindness and attention you would give to a friend.
5 Benefits of Pilates Breathing and 5 Health Conditions it can Help
1️⃣ Increases your lung capacity
2️⃣ Improves muscle activation and performance during exercise
3️⃣ Reduces anxiety and stress
4️⃣ The exhale activates the core muscles
5️⃣ Improves mental health by focusing your attention to the mind/ body connection
One Lung Breathing is an incredible tool for anyone as it focuses you on one lung and one side of your ribs at a time. I’ve found it very helpful for people new to Pilates in understanding HOW lateral breathing works.
I have exciting news for you. My first book on Pilates will be published this spring!
Last year I was asked by a publisher to write an easy to follow guidebook on Mat Pilates and I am thrilled to announce that it's now available for Pre-Order on Amazon UK and Amazon.com
I spent all last summer writing it and many a late night post YouTube broadcasts working on it to make it as easy to follow as possible. If you can I would love it if you could pre-order a copy on Amazon; pre-orders help push the promotion of books and I need the help to get it out there to everyone who needs it. It's very reasonably priced and a great little guide you can dip in and out of whenever you need to refer to an exercise or want to build your own little programme for home practice. It has all 34 of Joseph Pilates original exercises in with tips and cues to make the difficult exercises more accessible and the easier exercises more challenging- not that mat pilates isn’t challenging enough anyway 😊
Happy New year!
This year I plan to focus as much on keeping a healthy mind as well as a healthy body. It’s going to be an exciting year with lots of fun Pilates practice, new ideas to boost your mental and physical health and a deepening of our community connection.
Ballet for most little girls is a rite of passage. You want to wear pink, dress up in a tutu and float around to music. When you are a child there are no inhibitions, no self consciousness about what you are wearing, you are just in the moment enjoying what you are doing. So where does all that go when you grow up?
Am very excited to announce that I was asked by local fitness organisation Urban Vitality to do an interview about Pilates and how it can improve sports performance.
Those of you that know me know how passionate I am about Pilates based exercise and its benefits- no matter what your age, gender or fitness background. So how could I refuse their request for a few words? Plus they are lovely people with a like-minded passion for what they do. It was my first 'Live' interview so slightly nervous but loved it!
Here it is in full!
I guess the overuse of this headline (try putting it into google and see what you get) reflects the fact that it is much harder to encourage men to try Pilates for the first time. One of the challenges I face as a Pilates instructor is the idea that Pilates is just for women, that it’s easy and not challenging enough for the male psyche. And this is the perception I love to blow out of the water. Pilates was, after all invented by a man who was incredibly strong, athletic and dedicated his whole life to fitness. If you’re in any doubt as to how manly the exercise regime can be, you only have to look at the picture below of Joseph Pilates himself, taken in the 1940’s when he was already 60 years old.
By any standards, he had a very impressive physique for a man, let alone a 60 year old, and when you take on board that it was solely down to practicing daily Pilates there must be a lot more to it than you think. So what do you get out of it if you are a man?
The men I train all want a powerful core, defined muscles and most of all to feel strong and look good, and Pilates delivers this on all counts. One thing I should add here though is visible muscle definition does depend on weight, and the muscle to fat ratio in the body. If a man is overweight to begin with, and doesn’t adjust his eating/drinking plan along with his exercise regime, he’s never going to look as good as a man with a healthy diet, and that goes for any form of exercise. But every man who attends regular Pilates sessions will see an improvement in core strength, stamina, muscle definition, back strength and better posture- all of which makes a man look and feel better.
The first thing men notice with regular Pilates sessions is a reduction in their waistline- one of my clients who trains three times a week has gone from a 36 to 34 inch waist which he is delighted about. The reason being that in Pilates we work the abdominals continually due to the breathing technique we use, and the use of both isometric and isotonic movements (so a static hold using the abdominals whilst performing a dynamic movement with the arms or legs, or both). Also, the Pilates session is always focussed primarily on correct postural alignment throughout every exercise, therefore whatever you may be doing you will be using your core to stabilise whilst you do it. Simply broken down that means you get an hour of abs every class, no matter what other exercises you are given. So why not try it? Are you man enough?!
Written material copyright of Rachel Lawrence.
All Rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.
I am very excited to announce I will be running my first Pilates workshop on Sunday June 1st. This is a new venture for me and the idea is to encourage those people who haven't tried Pilates before, or those who have tried it but wasn't sure it was for them to come and experience the great benefits, and the great workout you can get from a Pilates class.
I teach it California style. What does that mean I hear you ask!
Well, it's a little more dynamic than some of the more traditional Pilates you may have experienced, and a little more challenging. I believe we are all more capable than we think when it comes to fitness and wellbeing, and my teaching style is focused on helping you get the most out of your workout whilst also enjoying it. Exercise doesn't have to be a task after all, it can actually be fun too! Especially when you start to see, and feel the benefits in your body. Heres what some of my clients have been saying about classes:
We have been doing Pilates for years and have tried out various classes in Chiswick. Rachel’s classes are by far the best! You definitely work hard but you can see (and feel) the results: The backaches are gone and your body feels so much more toned. We highly recommend giving the classes a try! Anne and Peter
Rachel is a really creative teacher - her positive attitude inspires us to succeed with things we never thought possible! Janet
When I saw Rachel teaching Pilates, I knew straight away that she was a top professional and the teacher I was looking for. She is very clear with her instructions and does all the exercises with us, always checking that we are doing them right and focusing on us breathing correctly and engaging our core muscles throughout the class – all so indispensable for a great Pilates class. Carla
Please email if you'd like to book a place, I look forward to seeing you there!
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