Barre Base

“I had heard about Barre Base for years through friends and clients, but when I finally tried it a year and a half ago, I was hooked.”

When Jess first joined Barre Base, her goal was to improve her posture. What she didn’t expect was how much she would learn about breathing, core strength, and the connection between mind and muscle.

Over time, the changes extended far beyond the studio. Jess noticed improvements in her posture, no longer experienced the sore back she used to get while working as a hairdresser, and found a sense of calm and steady energy that she hadn’t experienced with other forms of exercise.

“My body loves the low-impact style of movement. I never realised how much it was screaming after high-intensity workouts.”

What also stands out in Jess’s story is her appreciation for slowing down and moving with intention.

“It’s so much more challenging slowing down and doing the movements properly instead of racing through them. The better you get, the harder the movements become because you are engaging all the right muscles.”

Jess’s feedback is a reminder that lasting strength isn’t always built by pushing harder, it’s created through consistency, quality movement, and showing up for yourself.

We asked Jess what she tells her clients about Barre Base who are nervous to give it a try: “It’s not a dance class. You don’t need to be a ballerina to try, I promise. Nobody is watching you—we’re all too busy focusing on what muscle to engage. We all started somewhere, and it’s the best, most supportive community to be surrounded by as a beginner.”

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Just a quick update on a few changes to the timetable. 👇

Starting next week, our Tuesday 9.30 am class will return to Barre Base Express with Rosa.

Barre Base Express is our signature 45-minute full-body workout that blends barre, Pilates and strength training. Expect lower-body endurance work, glute and core strengthening, posture-focused upper body exercises, and purposeful movement designed to leave you feeling strong, energised and accomplished.

Over the past few months, we trialled a yoga format in this timeslot. While it’s always valuable to explore new options, it became clear that many of you were looking for a stronger class style at this time of day, so we’re bringing Barre Base Express back.

You can still catch Catalina every Tuesday at 7.30pm for Stretch & Lengthen, and we’ll also be offering more special pop-up classes with her throughout the year.

▪️More Barre Base Express on the Timetable
We’ve also recently added two additional Barre Base Express classes with our wonderful new teacher, Esme: Thursday 7.30pm & Sunday 3pm

▪️Upcoming Pop-Up Classes
Stretch, Yin + Yoga Nidra with Catalina
Friday 12 June | 5.30–6.45pm
A beautiful opportunity to slow down and reset for the season ahead. Enjoy gentle stretching, longer-held Yin poses and a deeply restorative Yoga Nidra practice designed to calm the nervous system and promote deep rest.

Drum & (Barre) Bass with Anna Poole
Friday 26 June | 5.30–6.15pm
A high-energy take on Barre Base Express, set entirely to a drum and bass soundtrack. Expect all the barre goodness you know and love, paired with heavy beats, great energy and a fun Friday night atmosphere.

As always, thank you for your support and for helping us shape a timetable that best serves our community. We look forward to seeing you in class soon!

The Barre Base team 🥰

It’s back by popular demand!

This special pop-up class is an invitation to slow down and reconnect with yourself as we transition into a new season. As the days shift, it’s a chance to intentionally pause, recalibrate and honour the change, rather than rushing straight through it. ❤️

We’ll start with gentle, active stretching to open the body, then ease into longer-held Yin shapes to soften tension and nourish your nervous system. Expect a slower pace, steady breath, and space to truly settle.

We’ll close with Yoga Nidra — a guided “yogic sleep” practice that allows the body to deeply rest while the mind gently unwinds. You’ll be fully supported on your mat as you’re led through a structured meditation designed to bring you into a deeply restorative state. It’s something new for our studio, and a beautiful opportunity to experience profound rest — especially if you’ve never tried Nidra before.

A little something special for your Friday evening. Come cosy (blankets, beanies, wooly socks are welcome), come curious, and allow yourself to reset for the season ahead.

Two new Barre Base Express classes are joining our schedule this week with Esme!

Join her on Thursdays at 7.30pm and Sundays at 3pm!

Barre Base fuses barre conditioning exercises with Pilates, and functional, body-weight training. Our express class is the 45-minute version of our standard Barre Base class, so great if you’re a little tighter on time.

Mother’s Day Giveaway 🩷

We’re giving away 2x 6-month studio memberships to celebrate the incredible women in our community.

This can be for yourself, or for two women you’d love to gift it to. A mum, stepmum, grandmother, aunt, sister, mentor, dog mum, best friend, or simply a woman who gives so much to others and deserves something for herself.

To enter:
- Follow our page
- Like this post
- Tag a wonderful woman (or many) in the comments (each tag = one entry)
- Share to your stories for an extra entry

We know days like this can hold many emotions, so this giveaway is simply about celebrating and appreciating the women who support, nurture, lead, love, and show up in all kinds of ways.

Winner drawn on Mother’s Day.

Good luck.

Anna has been working SO hard behind the scenes on this. As part of International Dance Day, Dunedin will be holding its fourth annual Dance Ōtepoti Festival, with a range of free dance events, which includes closing off part of George St for a dance party.

If you're keen to be involved over the weekend, have a look at the Dance Ōtepoti fb page 🥰

Festival gives ‘dad dancing’ moment in spotlight Time to break out the robot, the backpack kid, the floss, the lasso — ooh, and the Carlton Banks. If you are a dad who is looking to dust off your...

Hey all! Rosa here. I wanted to share a reflection that may or may not resonate with you as someone who values movement.

I have to be honest — lately, I’ve felt a little tired by the “wellness industry”. Not by teaching, that truly lights me up! But by the marketing and commercialisation of it all.

As a small business, we’re always trying to improve how we communicate what we do to bring new people through the door. So we need to engage online, however I’m very aware of not wanting to add to the noise.

Pilates, particularly, is having a real moment — which is wonderful. More people moving their bodies is a great thing. But alongside that growth, parts of the industry are starting to feel like image over substance, and visibility over experience.

The conversation appears less about what movement can do for your body and life… and more about how it looks online.
I understand why. Social media rewards what is eye-catching, aspirational, provocative, and fast. But many of us are quietly doing a different kind of work.

We are teaching.
Studying.
Observing bodies.
Helping someone trust movement again after injury.
Helping a woman feel strong in pregnancy.
Helping someone stand taller, move better, breathe deeper, feel happier.
Helping people build strength that carries into everyday life.

That work doesn’t always go viral.

And maybe that’s the point of sharing this.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by all the wellness noise — what to eat, which supps to buy, which method to follow, how much protein to eat or what trend to chase next — you are not alone.

Worrying about ticking the never-ending wellness boxes is a stress in itself.

Remember, the most powerful things are still the simplest:
Move regularly.
Walk.
Breathe deeply.
Sleep well.
Eat mostly well.
Find teachers you trust.
Stay consistent.
Be in community! ❤️

That is where real change tends to happen.
At Barre Base, we’ve never wanted to be the loudest voice in the room. We simply want to be a trusted one.

We’re here to teach. To guide you back into your body. To help you feel stronger, more capable, and more connected. To create classes with thought, care, and experience behind them.

So if we seem a little old-school at times, maybe I’m okay with that.

I still believe in word of mouth. In clients staying because it works. In friends telling friends. In the quiet stories of backs that no longer ache, knees that no longer hurt, posture that has transformed, confidence rebuilt, and mental health supported.

Because beneath all the noise, quality teaching matters. True connection is crucial for our happiness. And movement that genuinely improves your life will never go out of style.

Today we farewell our wonderful member, Isabelle, who is heading overseas on a new adventure ❤️ Isabelle, we will miss you SO much!

Isabelle makes all of our members feel welcome and supported, but also does the same to our entire teaching team. It has been our biggest pleasure teaching you. Thanks for all of the love and support you have given our community over many years.

Isabelle has done a whopping 1915 classes since she joined us in Dec of 2020. It has been an absolute pleasure to watch you fall in love with movement, gain so much strength, and make so many friendships along the way.

All the best overseas. We’re excited to see how many classes you clock on in that time.

We love you ❤️❤️

If you’re pregnant at Barre Base, we want to know you’ll be supported every step of the way.

• You’ll always be given options
Our team will guide you on what to change, why it matters, and how to keep the exercise working for you. Pregnancy isn’t a time to stop — it’s a time to adjust intelligently so you can keep building strength safely.

• We’ll keep bringing you back to your body
Pregnancy isn’t the time to push through exercises. It’s a chance to get really good at listening to your body and moving with awareness — and we’ll keep reminding you of that.

• No scare tactics
There’s a lot of fear around pregnancy and exercise. But the evidence is clear — appropriate strength training during pregnancy supports better outcomes for both mum and baby. It also sets your body up for a smoother recovery, regardless of how your birth plays out. We focus on what you can do, and how to do it well. ❤️

• Building strength that matters
We’re not just working out, we’re preparing your body. Strong glutes and legs to support pelvic stability, a strong back for posture as your centre of gravity shifts, and deep core awareness to support your body through pregnancy and recovery.

• We make it comfortable
As your bump grows, so do the options. We use bolsters and thoughtful positioning to reduce pressure, support alignment, and help you keep moving well without feeling restricted.

Barre is such a natural fit for pregnancy.
It builds strength, stability, and control, while the barre gives you balance and support as your body changes — helping you feel more confident in how you move, right through to birth and beyond.

Please get in touch if you have any questions ❤️