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ABC of Pilates, Waterfront, Cape Town (2026)

19/10/2026

A new day, a new office, and new toys to play with! 👏🏻🤸🏻‍♀️🍀

I enjoyed every moment of it. Let the creativity flow! ✨ This is authentic Pilates — working with people who have injuries and physical challenges, helping them move better, regain confidence and feel the difference.

There’s something incredibly rewarding about doing what you love and knowing you’re making a difference. My cup is full tonight, and I’m already looking forward to tomorrow! 💚🧘🏻‍♀️🇦🇺

12/10/2026

✨ THE WALK ✨

🧍‍♀️ How do you walk into a room?

Before you say a word, your body has already introduced you.

Let’s start with the physical stuff, because, well… this all started because of my passion for Pilates. 💛

The human body is something:

📌 206 bones.
📌 More than 600 muscles.
📌 Joints, tendons and ligaments — working together to support us, move us and make walking possible.

And then there is the head.

🎋 That lovely head of ours weighs roughly 4.5–5 kg.

Imagine carrying a 5 kg weight on top of your spine all day long.

And yet, when everything is aligned, it doesn’t feel like work.

This is where I love starting with my beginners.

📍 My four simple pointers:

📍 FEET — hip-distance apart. Heels underneath the hips, with a fist between the knees to check that the knees are sitting nicely between the heel and the hip.

📍 FOUNDATION — tighten tummy, tighten glutes. An old expression? Perhaps. But it works. Organise and tuck the pelvis, creating the foundation.

📍 SHOULDERS — pull them down towards the back line, the midline of the lower back. My favourite cue?

“Leave your shoulders in the back pockets of your pants.”

📍 HEAD — the cherry on top of the cake. 🍒
Lift it. Lengthen through the spine. Place your head on top of your frame.

Use your muscles to pick up your bones.

Build your frame. Stack it. Then walk.

And then I take people walking.

Because once you start watching people in shopping centres, airports or simply walking down the street, you notice how many bodies are carrying themselves around in a rather creative arrangement! 😂

Head forward. Shoulders rounded. Pelvis somewhere behind. Feet going one way and the rest of the body another.

Walking is something we do every single day.

So why not learn to do it well?

📌 Good posture isn’t about being stiff or walking around like a soldier.

It is about alignment.

A soft flow of the body.

An awareness of the mind.

And that beautiful combination of body, mind and soul coming together and working as a team.

And then, as always, Pilates takes me somewhere else.

Because life will also ask you to walk.

📍 You will walk into rooms where you feel confident. And rooms where you don’t.

📍 You will walk through beautiful seasons. And through storms.

📍 Some days you will feel strong and upright.

📍 Other days you may want to fold in on yourself and disappear.

Those are the days I remind myself:

🎋 Lift your head.
🎋 Stack your frame.
🎋 Put one foot in front of the other.
🎋 Keep moving.

🌿 The storm will not last forever.

Life, with all its twists, turns and detours, is still a gift.

So don’t just walk through it.

🚶‍♀️ Face it. Embrace it. And walk into it with your head held high.

Maybe that is what good posture really is.

Not perfection.

Just being willing to show up, stand tall and keep going.

🍒 And yes… keep the cherry on top.

05/10/2026

✨MONDAY REFLECTIONS #22 | THE VOICE✨

🎙️ Have you ever really listened to your own voice?

Not just the words coming out of your mouth, but the voice behind them?

Let’s start with the physical stuff, because, well… this all started because of my passion for Pilates💛

So let’s look at the voice.

Your voice begins with breath. Air travels from the lungs, through the trachea, to the larynx — your voice box.

Inside are two little bands of tissue called the vocal folds (or vocal cords). When air passes between them, they vibrate. That vibration creates sound.

Then your tongue, lips, teeth, jaw and mouth shape that vibration into your voice.

And then comes the really interesting part.

It isn’t only what you say.
It is how you say it.

📍 Pace — sometimes slow down.
📍 Pitch — let your voice rise and fall.
📍 Volume — know when to soften and when to be heard.
📍 Pause — silence can say quite a lot.
📍 Tone — perhaps the most powerful one of all.

But a good Pilates class is also a conversation between movement and voice.

And sometimes you stop talking altogether and allow someone to feel.

I’ve been reminded of this in a rather lovely way since leaving the Garden Route.

“I just want to hear your voice again.”

And in Riyadh I heard something similar: it wasn’t only the explanations. It was the tone, the ups and downs, the slowing down and lifting of the voice, flowing with the movement.

That made me think.

Because eventually we move beyond the physical voice.

🗣️ What is the voice you use as a human being?

Do you know when to speak, when to remain silent, and when something deserves your energy?

And perhaps most importantly…

Do you know what your voice sounds like when nobody else is telling you who you should be?

Spend some time alone.

Not lonely.
🌿 Alone.

That is often where we hear ourselves most clearly.

When you know your own voice, you become better at knowing where to draw the line.

You don’t have to shout or explain yourself endlessly.

But when something matters, don’t be afraid to speak. 🗣️

🐝 I rather like the little saying: “Don’t be everybody’s butterfly. Be a bee.”

She gets on with her work, makes her honey, knows her purpose — and when necessary, knows how to protect herself (to sting).

🍯 Find your voice. Use it wisely. And never be afraid of its strength.

And after a long day of teaching, I sometimes think about my voice the same way I think about my feet. 🦶

After hours on your feet, don’t you sometimes dream of putting them into a bowl of soft, warm water with a few drops of essential oil?

Well, after several classes, I can almost imagine doing the same with my vocal folds — unhooking them and giving them a little warm lemon-and-lavender soak! 😂

Your voice works hard for you.

💛 Look after it, just like the rest of your body.

28/09/2026

👣 THE FEET✨

We spend so much time looking after our face.

We cleanse it. We moisturise it. We massage it. We buy creams and serums and give it a few minutes of attention before we climb into bed.

………. But what about our feet?

The two little things at the bottom of our body that carry us through every single day🦶🏻🦶🏻

Each foot has 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Think about that.

More than 100 moving parts in each foot, working together to balance us, absorb shock, propel us forward and keep us connected to the ground.

And yet, how often do we actually think about them?

We put them into shoes. We walk on them. We run on them. We stand on them.

And then we forget about them.

In Pilates, I love bringing awareness back to the feet.

🧦 Rolling the sole over a spiky ball.
🧦 Wrapping the foot around a stick.
🧦 Moulding the arch over a foam roller.
🧦 Moving, stretching and strengthening the toes.

Sometimes it looks almost too simple to be important.

But it isn’t.

Our feet are our foundation.

And I have always been fascinated by reflexology — the practice based on the idea that different areas of the feet correspond with different parts of the body. Whether you approach it from that perspective or simply enjoy the sensory stimulation, there is something wonderfully grounding about giving your feet some attention.

So perhaps tonight, before you go to bed, give your feet a little love.

🌿Rub in some moisturiser.
🌿Massage the soles.
🌿Move each toe.
🌿Stretch them.
🌿Play with them.
🌿Feel the bones, the arches, the joints.

And while you are doing it, think about all the places those feet have carried you.

The beautiful places.

The difficult places.

The places you never expected to go.

And perhaps the places you are still trying to find your way out of.

Because sometimes life is not about knowing exactly where the road will take you.

It is simply about putting one foot in front of the other.

👣 Find your foundation.
👣 Take care of what carries you.
👣 And keep moving forward.

📌 You don’t always need to know the destination.

Sometimes you just need to trust your next step.

21/09/2026

✨MONDAY REFLECTION #20✨
👅 THE TONGUE

We spend a lot of time talking about the big muscles.

The glutes. The core. The quads. The muscles we can see, train and measure.

But there is one remarkable muscular system we often forget — one that works from the moment we wake until we fall asleep.

📌The tongue

It is not one single muscle. The tongue is made up of eight paired muscles: four intrinsic muscles that change its shape, and four extrinsic muscles that help move and position it.

Together, they allow an extraordinary range of movement — helping us chew, swallow, speak, breathe and taste.

And here is the fascinating part: the tongue is not simply about strength.

Its brilliance is in its precision.

It can change shape, length, direction and tension with remarkable control.

Think about that.

We use it constantly, yet rarely think about exercising it.

🍀And perhaps life is a little like that too🍀

The tongue is powerful.

I have learned something about the power of the tongue during my own journey over the past few months; maybe even before that.

When you step into a foreign country, a different culture and an environment that operates very differently from the one you know, or situations that you are familiar with, you learn to listen first.

You learn when to speak.
And sometimes, you learn to keep quiet.

I have bitten my tongue many times.
I have swallowed words when I could have defended myself. I have stayed silent when something was said about me that simply wasn’t true. I have accepted situations I would normally have questioned because sometimes making waves is not the wisest choice when you are the outsider.

I knew I was entering a very different world. I chose it willingly, knowing I would have to adapt.

But there is a fine line between adapting and losing your voice.

And perhaps that is where the real lesson lies.

Because the tongue can do two very different things.

It can wound. It can criticise, humiliate, gossip, provoke and tear another human being apart — sometimes in seconds. And today, social media gives the tongue an even longer reach.

But it can also…
• Speak life.
• Encourage.
• Say thank you.
• Bless.
• Comfort.
• Praise.
• Tell someone, “I believe in you.”

So this week, exercise your tongue.
And yes, I mean that literally. There are simple exercises we can do to bring awareness, mobility and strength to this often-forgotten part of our body. 👅

But perhaps the most important exercise is sometimes knowing when to stop.

Bite your tongue.

Pause🛑

Put a little space between the thought and the words🤐

Not every thought needs a voice. Not every opinion needs an audience. And not every battle needs to be fought with words.

Sometimes silence is wisdom.

And sometimes finding your voice again is courage.

📌 Control is not always about what we do.

Sometimes it is about what we choose not to do.

14/09/2026

✨Monday Reflection #19✨

🍀What if?🍀

I have been thinking about the 📌first time someone walks into a Pilates class.

They are often nervous. They think they are too old, too stiff, too heavy, too unfit, too inflexible.

They hide inside oversized clothes. They watch the teacher.

And sometimes I wonder if we realise how intimidating we can be.

As teachers, after years of learning about movement, posture, alignment, strength and our own bodies, we can forget what it feels like to know absolutely nothing.

But then I thought about something else.

My 📌check-up.

Even when I know I am healthy, there is still that feeling before I walk through those doors.

🚺 What will they say?
🚺 Will everything still be okay?
🚺 What if?

It reminds me so much of a new Pilates client.

➡️ What if I can’t do the movement?
➡️ What if I can’t touch my toes?
➡️ What if everyone else is better than me?
➡️ What if the teacher expects something I cannot give?

And then something happens.

Slowly, the fear disappears🧘🏻‍♀️

The body starts to understand.

The breath finds its rhythm.

A movement that seemed impossible suddenly becomes possible.

Last week, one of my online clients finally nailed her roll-up after struggling with it for so long.

Her microphone was open for that tiny moment of celebration, and I could hear the excitement.

She had done it.
She had nailed it.

And for that moment, teacher and student shared something that had nothing to do with perfection.

It was simply:

I did it!!🤸🏻‍♀️

And suddenly I realised that perhaps my own check-up isn’t so different🎀

When I walk out of the oncologist’s rooms and everything is okay, I sometimes want to do a little sideways kick like Charlie Chaplin.

Yes! I nailed it!!
I am okay.

And maybe that is what we should remember when someone walks into Pilates for the first time.

They don’t need us to intimidate them.

They need us to remember how brave they are for walking through that door.

Because sometimes Pilates is not about how far you can stretch or whether you can do the perfect roll-up.

Sometimes it is simply about facing the what if…

…and discovering:

I can🧘🏻‍♀️🍀

07/09/2026

✨What Happened to the Human Being?✨

If people ask me how I feel about being back from the desert, or how my experience in the KSA was, my honest answer is: it was challenging.

Living and working in the deep middle of the desert tested me daily. There is a huge misunderstanding between what people imagine and what it is actually like to live and work there.

It challenged me, but it also gave me something unexpected: deeper inner peace, greater self-confidence, and the ability to step outside … everything … and look from the outside in.

So I left the desert excited about what could come next.

Excited to learn more. To experience other countries, cultures and studios. To take everything I have learned over 14 years of teaching Pilates and continue growing.

And then I hit another wall.

I have been sending my CV, qualifications, certificates and biography into the world. Applying for positions advertised as “we’re hiring”, sometimes hearing nothing back.

And I find myself wanting to write two words in bold red across the top of my CV:

📌PASSION. EXPERIENCE📌

Since when are these not important?

After 14 years of teaching Pilates all over, I know what I bring into a room.

But apparently, before any of that, there must be a photograph.
Sometimes I wonder if we should simply add our body measurements and weight to the application, so everyone can decide whether we are acceptable before looking at our experience.

And it doesn’t stop with the teacher.

I am tired of watching Pilates become another competition.

Another boutique studio. Another concept. Hot Pilates. Reformer Pilates. Neon lights. Pumping music. Smartwatches. Heart rates. Calories. Numbers everywhere.

And somewhere underneath all those numbers is a human being.

Remember ………….?

Joseph Pilates created Contrology around control, concentration, precision, breathing, centring and flow.

🔺The basics
🔺The body. The mind. The breath.
🔺The human being

🍀I still teach that Pilates🍀

My clients from Wilderness follow me wherever I go. They don’t need neon lights or a smartwatch. They simply get onto their mats and move.

For 55 minutes, even though we are online and miles apart, they have somewhere to breathe, move, switch off the noise and come back to themselves.

That, to me, is Pilates.

And for what is left of 2026, I have another question to answer:

🔴Do I want to build a Pilates business, or do I simply want to teach Pilates?🔴

Right now, my passion is Pilates.

I want to teach. I want to experience another country, another culture, another way of living — and share the thing I know and love.

There is nothing wrong with building a business.

But somewhere between the business model, the latest trend and the chase for the next client, we must be careful not to lose the core of Pilates.

Maybe we don’t need to reinvent Pilates.

Clean the room. Clean the equipment. Put the mat down. Take a breath.

And remember why we came here.

For the human being🧘🏻‍♀️🍀

31/08/2026

⚖️ The Weight We Carry✨

I’m on my way back from the Netherlands to Cape Town, suitcase beside me, and it got me thinking about weight.

We all know the feeling of trying to close a suitcase that has somehow become heavier than we intended. We remove a few things, rearrange them, perhaps ask ourselves, “Do I really need this?”

Pilates often asks us the same question.

In a Pilates class, we can easily assume that more resistance means more work. But that isn’t always the case. Sometimes the lighter spring setting demands more control, more stability and more muscle effort than the heavier one.

And mat Pilates can often feel harder than working on the Reformer.

📍 I often say in my classes: “Remember, the Reformer doesn’t need the exercise. Your body needs the movement.”

I learnt this lesson very clearly just before the Covid lockdown. I had already prepared myself to move my Pilates classes online, and my clients were eager to continue. At the time, I was also connected to a studio where some teachers taught mainly Reformer classes.

When lockdown came, a few of them contacted me to ask what I was doing and how I was going to continue teaching.

They followed my example and discovered something interesting: teaching Pilates without the apparatus was hard.

Suddenly there was no machine to demonstrate the movement. They had to roll up their sleeves, demonstrate, explain, observe and correct. The body — not the equipment — had to become the focus.

🍀And perhaps life is a little like that too🍀

We often believe that carrying more means we are stronger. More responsibility. More possessions. More expectations. More things to prove.

But sometimes the greatest strength comes from knowing what you can put down.

🔴 The luggage we carry through life doesn’t have to be the heaviest to have meaning.

♦️Sometimes we need to rearrange it.
♦️Sometimes we need to leave something behind.
♦️Sometimes we simply need to ask ourselves, “Do I really need to carry this?”

That is why the words Travel Light have always meant more to me than simply travelling with less luggage.

They have become a way of living.

♥️Travel light in your suitcase.
♥️Travel light in your body.
♥️Travel light in your mind.
♥️Travel light in your heart.

As I make my way back to Cape Town and into whatever comes next, I’m reminded once again that we don’t always need more.

Sometimes we need less.

And perhaps that is where we find the freedom to move.

✨ Travel light. Move freely. Live fully.

ABC of Pilates

19/10/2026

12/10/2026

05/10/2026

28/09/2026

21/09/2026

14/09/2026

07/09/2026

31/08/2026

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