Bryonys Pilates

Home
United Kingdom
London
Bryonys Pilates

Helping people move with confidence through life's changes. Pilates • Reformer • Yin Yoga

25+ years experience • Professional expertise & lived experience 💜

07/10/2026

One year ago today...

This time last year, I had just come out of surgery after having my mastectomy.

This photo was taken the following morning — jazz hands and all 😹 — in the private room I unexpectedly ended up in when they ran out of beds.

I’ve spoken before about how much this has taken out of me. I’m still adjusting what I expect of myself and what I’m capable of.

I’m getting used to a body that looks, feels and performs differently. Sharing photographs and videos of myself can be hard. This isn’t because of the scars, femininity or even having a wonky breast — and I’m certainly not fishing for reassurance about how I look.

It’s about judgement: looking at the outside and comparing it with what I think I SHOULD look like, SHOULD be able to do, or who I was before, rather than what’s happening inside.

I can look well and have very little energy. I can look fit and have lost so much strength. I can smile for a photograph and still feel sick and exhausted.

How a body looks tells you very little about how it feels or functions for the person living in it.

Two weeks ago I was in Spain running Ignite Within. Our theme was Notice → Understand → Apply → Integrate. And sometimes applying what we’ve noticed and understood means adapting.

It turned out I needed it just as much as my clients did. It was a godsend, and I absolutely love running these retreats.

I’d planned to share the retreat as it happened, but quickly recognised I didn’t have capacity for both. The people in front of me were always the priority, so social media could wait.

The posts are still waiting and nobody died because I didn’t post them 😹

I’m a work in progress. I’m still very good at making plans based on the energy I think I SHOULD have rather than the energy I actually have. But even baby steps count.

I’m constantly practising what I teach: noticing, understanding, applying, adapting and integrating.

I’m still learning, still adapting and incredibly grateful to be here.

And because I will always say it: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. If something doesn’t feel right, get it checked. Getting checked saved my life.

One year on 💜

Bx
Movement with purpose. Understanding for life.

21/09/2026

The quiet before it all begins 💜

I’m so happy to be back at this wonderful place, with a little time today to arrive, settle in and enjoy the stillness before my clients arrive tomorrow.

And then Ignite Within begins.

Pilates will very much be at the heart of the next five days, alongside practical biomechanics, Yin, breathwork, meditation, Yoga Nidra, walking, exploring and plenty of playing with my favourite toys 😹

But underneath all of that is something I care deeply about in the way I teach — turning our attention away from what movement looks like on the outside and learning to notice and understand what’s actually happening within our own bodies.

Rather beautifully, we arrive at the autumn equinox, a point of balance, and finish at the Harvest Moon. A lovely framework for thinking about where we are, what we discover and what we might want to take forward.

After the year I’ve had, it feels particularly special to be here.

Today the studio is quiet and empty.

Tomorrow we begin 💜

Bx

31/08/2026

I absolutely love running retreats 💜

There’s something very special about having the time and space to work together in a completely different way — to explore movement more deeply, try new things, have fun, switch off from everyday life and, hopefully, come home feeling a little different from when you arrived

Gill has been coming to my Pilates classes for 10 years and has now joined me on four retreats — twice in Spain and twice in the UK — so these lovely words mean a great deal

Thank you Gill 💜

If you’d like to find out more about Ignite Within in Andalusia this September, you can copy and paste the link below or head to the link in my bio

https://www.bryonyspilates.co.uk/ignite-within-2026

Bryony x

26/08/2026

Happy International Dog Day 🐾💜

Ripley the Wonder Dog — my little boy, my baby boy and my little Munchkin Moo 💜

And, as many of my longer-standing clients will know, a very important member of Bryony’s Pilates too 😹

If you came to see me in those days, there was a fairly good chance you were going to meet Ripley whether you’d planned to or not. He had a big personality, liked to be involved and apparently considered the reformer his as much as mine

He was a rescue, and I truly believe the right animal comes into your life at exactly the right time 💜

So today also feels like a good opportunity for something I will always believe in — adopt, don’t shop 🐾

There are so many incredible animals waiting for someone to give them their home, their sofa and their heart 💜

Bx

21/08/2026

Shoulders feeling a little too close to your ears? 😹

Meet my Vulcan Death Grip 🖖

Grab across the top of your shoulder, let the arm hang, and add a few shrugs and slow shoulder rolls.

But the important bit? Don’t just go through the motions.

Notice what you can feel underneath your hand as the shoulder moves. Does anything change as you shrug or roll?

This is what EVERYDAY MOVE is about.

Movement doesn’t always need a mat, a class or another hour carved out of your day. Sometimes it’s simply finding little opportunities to move, notice and understand your body within the life you’re already living.

At your desk, waiting for the kettle, on the train… even sitting on the loo 😹

I teach Pilates at Whitton Community Centre, as well as online and 1:1.

Movement with Purpose. Understanding for Life.

Bx

20/08/2026

I have re-recorded this God knows how many times trying to make it shorter… apparently I had quite a lot to say 😹

I’ve been thinking about humility for weeks — what it actually means, why we so often confuse it with shame or not being good enough, and why I find it so much easier to offer other people understanding than I do myself.

This started with a baby flamingo wobbling around trying to stand 🦩 and somehow became something much bigger.

Because this isn’t really about Pilates.

It’s about allowing ourselves to wobble. To admit when something is difficult. To ask for help. To stay curious rather than immediately judging ourselves for where we are.

I’m very good at teaching other people to meet themselves where they are.

Turns out I’m still learning how to do the same for myself.

A work in progress. Definitely. 💜

And this is only the beginning, because next comes ACCEPTANCE.

Bx

16/08/2026

Teaching the person, not just the exercise.

This is a little glimpse into what teaching actually looks and sounds like with me.

We’re working with a bridge here, using the ball against the wall to change the movement and bring some of the principles I use with larger studio equipment into a matwork environment.

But the exercise itself isn’t really the important bit.

I’m watching and feeling what’s happening. She’s telling me what she’s noticing. We talk about what’s gripping, what’s moving differently and what she can feel now that perhaps she couldn’t feel before.

And that conversation changes what I teach.

Because I don’t believe in simply giving everyone in the room the same exercise and asking them to reproduce a shape.

Every body in front of me is different.

My job is to teach the person in front of me, help them understand their own movement and adapt what we’re doing accordingly.

Movement with purpose, understanding for life. 💜

Bx

13/08/2026

So… I may have scheduled a Pilates class for 19:30 on the evening of the eclipse 😹🌘

Luckily, it peaked just before the class started, so we managed to catch it — although that was definitely more luck than judgement!

I was there early with two pairs of eclipse glasses, courtesy of my mum (thank you Mum!), and it turned out that absolutely nobody else had managed to get any.

So as everyone started arriving, the glasses started being passed around and we gradually gathered quite a little crowd.

One of my clients rang her husband, who was at home trying to see the eclipse through a colander 😹, to tell him how amazing the view was through the glasses. He promptly jumped on his bike and shot down to join us before he missed it.

Then people coming out of Whitton Community Centre stopped to have a look. Even a car driving past pulled over to ask if they could have a turn with the glasses.

And it was really, really special.

For about 45 minutes, people came and went, two pairs of glasses were passed from person to person, and we all got to experience something extraordinary together.

I was excited about seeing the eclipse anyway, but sharing it with everyone made it so much better.

One of those completely unexpected moments of community and connection that I’ll remember for a very long time. 💜

Bx

11/08/2026

Ready to step away from the everyday and reconnect with yourself?

IGNITE WITHIN is my Pilates & Yin Yoga retreat in the beautiful Spanish mountains — five days to move, breathe, rest, laugh, connect and make space for whatever you need right now.

This isn't about changing who you are or achieving the perfect pose. For me, movement is about understanding your body, working with it and discovering what helps you feel better.

You don't need to be good at Pilates or Yoga. You don't need to be flexible or at any particular level of fitness. Everything can be adapted, and you are welcome exactly as you are.

We'll combine Pilates and Yin Yoga with wonderful vegan food, beautiful surroundings, optional adventures and plenty of time to slow down — or do absolutely nothing if that's what you need.

And there will be laughter. There always is.

Come on your own or come with someone you love. I deliberately keep my retreats small so they feel warm, personal and supportive — somewhere you can relax, connect with other people and genuinely be yourself.

22–26 September 2026
The Olive Branch, Andalucía, Spain

If you're thinking about joining me and have any questions at all, please get in touch. I'm always happy to have a chat.

I'd love you to join me. 💜

Full retreat details and booking:
www.bryonyspilates.co.uk/ignite-within-2026
Instagram: link in bio

And if you know someone who would love this too, please share this with them.

Bryony x

10/08/2026

Summer doesn't have to mean stopping... ☀️

I've put together a flexible August timetable, whether you're looking to stay moving over the summer, try Pilates for the first time, or simply keep your routine going.

Everyone is welcome, and as always, exercises can be adapted to suit you, so please don't worry if you're managing an injury, returning after a break or have any concerns.

If you've been thinking about giving Pilates a try, I'd love to welcome you.

If you know someone who might enjoy joining us, I'd be so grateful if you'd pass this on. 💜

You can find the full timetable and booking information via the link in my bio, or by visiting:

www.bryonyspilates.co.uk

I look forward to welcoming you.

Movement with purpose, understanding for life.

Bx 💜

Address

Twickenham

Website

http://www.bryonyspilates.co.uk/, https://bryonyspilates.carrd.co/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bryonys Pilates posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Bryonys Pilates:

Want your business to be the top-listed gym/sports facility in London?