Pilates and Me
My approach to teaching Pilates is informed by my experience in somatic movement and psychology. Pilates is a mind-body (somatic) activity and I am interested in the holistic and therapeutic benefit such a movement practice can bring. After suffering a hip ligament injury, I became particularly interested in how the body moves. I received little support from the medical system and so I began a journey of learning about movement from different perspectives in order to help and educate myself. Such movement practices include the Laban Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) and Body Mind Centering®. I learned that making changes to how you move and how you approach moving can help you manage injuries and chronic pain. Pilates also formed a large part of my recovery and continues to be the way in which I manage my hyper-mobile body, informed by these other practices. I therefore have a large interest in remedial work and employ a person-centred approach to one-to-one sessions. I love teaching people the tools they need to become aware of their movement habits, explore new possibilities and ultimately integrate new movement choices through Pilates and LBMS.
“Having had several teachers over the last 6 years, i have found the last few months with Julie a game changer! I have discovered muscles I didn’t know I had and my balance (always wobbly) has really improved! I like the way exercises and movements flow and built on for progression.” Shelagh H.
My training
I originally trained on the OCR Level 2 Pilates programme in 2008 following my BPA (hons) in Contemporary Dance. Later on, I became a Certified Movement Analyst through the Laban Bartenieff Institute for Movement Studies in New York and completed a BSc (hons) in Psychology. I eventually retrained as a Pilates teacher with Brigid McCarthy Pilates Studio in Edinburgh, completing the Fundamental Matwork and Remedial Matwork courses. I am a member of the IPTA (Independent Pilates Teachers Association) and a Registered Somatic Movement Educator/Therapist (RSME/T) with ISMETA (International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association). As a Registered Professional Member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association, I meet and uphold their Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.