Welcome to Classical Pilates in Chester!
What is Pilates ?
Pilates is a disciplined physical system which was created by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th Century. Pilates is an amazing way to strengthen, stretch, align and balance your body. It is designed to give you suppleness and natural grace, transforming the way your body looks, feels and performs. Through a series of precise, controlled movements it targets all muscle groups in the body whilst working on posture, functionality and flexibility. It’s also one of the ultimate mindful training practices, aiding stress and anxiety relief through breathing exercises, which is one of the key principles of Pilates.
Practicing faithfully, you'll be able to perform arduous duties, to play strenuous games, to walk, run or travel for long distances without undue body fatigue or mental strain. These achievements, in turn, lead to daily life improvements like better posture, graceful and efficient movement, and for many, relief from pain associated with physical imbalances such as back pain. The Pilates method is versatile enough to be adapted for any level of fitness or ability.
Classically trained Pilates teacher in Chester, NJ
Natallia started her journey in Belarus. With an inspirational background in Dance and Yoga, she graduated from university majoring in agriculture, before relocating to Barcelona, Spain and getting her Masters degree in Tourism Management. It was during these times that she found her true calling in Pilates, a life changing epiphany that led her away from any notion of working in the corporate world. In 2006 Natallia embarked on a new Journey beginning her Classical Pilates studies. She went on to teach Pilates at boutique studios in Barcelona. After moving to New Jersey, she opened her own studio in 2018, the first one in Mendham, later moved to a more spacious building in Chester NJ. In due course she was privileged to work with such luminaries as Mari Winsor, Kathryn Ross-Nash, and Anthony Rabara, Grand Master Teachers who were taught directly by Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph's Pilates student and his "protegé". Natallia contiues taking Pilates sessions with Anthony Rabara, the highest level teacher, to this day.
To date Natallia taught more than 14000 Pilates classes throughout Spain and the United States. Her passion for Pilates goes beyond the discipline itself. Pilates is "her way of life". This will be self evident, after you've met Natallia...
Classical Pilates is essentially Pilates in the truest most authentic form.
For the most part, people know Pilates from what they see at their local gym where it´s done on the floor using mats. Mat exercises are only part of the Pilates method. The main workout is performed on specialized spring-based apparatus using resistance. The most common one is the Reformer. Training on the Reformer is focused on an eccentric muscle contraction, which is one of the keys to achieving a sleek, toned, long appearance with strong muscles without bulk for which Pilates is known. Pilates forces you to fire up deep intrinsic muscles like transverse abdominis, which is essentially your body's natural girdle. Although Pilates is specifically defined as exercise for the core or abdominal muscles, it is important to know that the core includes the entire trunk, which is the abdominals, the hips, the inner and outer thighs, and the back. So expect a workout that works your entire body. Once you have a strong core, you put less pressure on the joints and bones when you move, because you are moving from your center. Balance is improved, weight and force are distributed more evenly as you perform daily activities.
In the original, Classical Pilates method, there is a sequence to the work. The sequence builds intelligently with foundational exercises at the beginning and more complex exercises as you gain strength and control. In Pilates, unlike many systems of exercise, quality is emphasized over quantity: each exercise includes a prescribed amount of repetitions. Doing each exercise fully, with precision, yields significant long lasting results.
There are endless adaptations of "modern" Pilates currently offered at studios and gyms, but Classical Pilates is considered to be the practice in its truest form. If you’re looking for authenticity, this might be where you want to start, in our spacious studio, with a private session having a whole room to yourself, using equipment from Gratz, which is the original manufacturer of Pilates apparatus and the industry's established source for authentic equipment.