Classical and contemporary mat work for backs, cores and posture, in three levels
Mat Pilates
Eleven mat Pilates classes a week, from a gentle class built for stiff backs and new mothers to a strong class with the full classical sequence, taught by Sam and Nia with small equipment (rings, balls, bands) and a great deal of attention to how you breathe and where your pelvis is.
Pilates is the thing physiotherapists tell you to do and then do not tell you where. The mat classes here are precise and unhurried, built around the deep abdominal and back muscles that stop you hurting, and the teachers have the training to adapt every exercise for a back that is sore today.
Gentle Pilates is for backs, hips, new mothers (after the six-week check) and anyone over sixty who wants to move well: breathing, pelvic position, the small movements that matter, and nothing that hurts. Open Pilates is the full mat sequence at a sensible pace with the small equipment. Strong Pilates is the classical order with the harder versions, for people who have done a year of it and want more. Every class ends with a few minutes on the breath.
Sam teaches most of the mat classes and trained classically; Nia teaches the gentle and postnatal classes with a contemporary training and a physiotherapy background in the family. If you have a back, hip or pelvic-floor problem, email before you come and the teacher will have read it; several of our regulars were sent by a physio and we work with two in Llandaff and Canton. Men are about a third of the mat Pilates classes, which is more than most studios.
What is included
- Gentle, open and strong mat classes
- Rings, balls and bands provided
- Backs, hips and pelvic floors understood
- Postnatal after the six-week check
- Physio referrals welcome, with a note
- Fourteen to a class, taught by Sam and Nia
What it costs
The same prices as yoga: £8 first class, £15 drop-in, five for £65, ten for £120, unlimited £89 a month. Mats and small equipment provided. The schedule page has every class, the levels explained, every pass and every price. Mats and props are provided.
Questions about mat Pilates
Pilates or yoga for a bad back?
Usually Pilates first, gentle, to build the support, then yoga to keep the movement. Email us what the physio said and we will tell you which class; the two are not in competition here.
Is mat Pilates easier than reformer?
Different. The mat has no springs to help or resist, so some things are harder; the reformer gives feedback and support. Most people do both eventually. Start with the mat if you are on a pass, the reformer if you want one-to-six attention.
Your first class is £8. Read the first-visit page, then come.
Any gentle or open mat class, mats and props provided, the teacher told you are new, and the kinder version of every pose offered without being asked. Book in the app, send the form, or walk in ten minutes early; the desk is open half an hour before each class.