We’re a good way into the new year, and perhaps one of your resolutions was to feel fitter and healthier in body and mind, yet you never managed to get round to it. It’s not too late to achieve this goal and devote 45 minutes a week, under the guidance of instructor Joanne Roche, to Pilates, an exercise which develops all aspects of your physical and mental wellbeing whatever your age or size.

“It’s a small friendly group. I encourage everyone to work to their own capabilities” Roche said about her group classes. Having instructed Pilates since the start of lockdown, Roche has officially launched her business, Joanne Roche Pilates and Fitness. Pilates is a low-impact fitness exercise, incorporating strength and posture, qualities often overlooked in desk-bound everyday life. 

Talking about the skills channelled into Pilates, Roche explained that “there are six principles” involving “learning to breathe well, your concentration and control” and “coordinating the breath with the movement, so it becomes mindful” with the ultimate target of freeing up tenseness and stress in the body.

Inclusivity is key to Roche’s course, with her group sessions open to all ages and abilities. For teenagers and adults who might be involved in team sports and other forms of exercise, Pilates would be a beneficial supporting activity, as a different type of fitness which enhances flexibility and balance which could improve performance in other sports.

Roche has instructed members from the ages of 16-80, but is qualified to teach younger children as well. “People have different needs at various points in their life. So I can see someone who’s young, fit and active, but they might have terrible posture because they spend a lot of time on their phone”.

There is progression in Roche’s classes, with weekly members mastering simple and more complex exercises at their own pace. The fluidity and release of tension that comes with attending Pilates gives people more freedom and mobility in their everyday lives. One area of improvement Roche has seen is in the Roll Down exercise, where at first members “would be a bit clunky and say I’m just going to bend down, and then it changes to more of a flow and a roll-down chain”. 

Roche leads in-person classes in the forms of group and one-to-one sessions, at the Cippenham Baptist Church. However, if you are further afield than Slough and the commute is too long, you can start Pilates via Roche’s Zoom sessions. It is recommended to wear comfortable gym clothing that you can move freely in. There is limited equipment involved – you would just need to bring an exercise mat, an exercise ball and a theraband, which you can buy through Roche’s website or elsewhere.

Give Pilates a go. You deserve the headspace and freedom that comes with it.