Winner of "Best Pilates Studio in Sussex"
Q & A with Studio Owner, Joni Jacobs
What is your favorite part of private sessions?
My favorite part of working with clients in a private setting is getting to know their specific needs and watching them blossom. Not everyone responds to the same cues and exercises the same way. In a private setting I’m able to try different ways of saying things and I can completely adapt an exercise to help a client connect. It’s also really fun to set goals with clients and watch them achieve those goals as we work together.
What is it that makes your teaching unique?
I am passionate about alignment and helping people connect to their deepest core structure. You must have this foundation in place before you can build more complex and challenging exercises and movements on top. I have hypermoble joints and have suffered with back pain over the years so I deeply appreciate the rewards and the opportunity to help others with similar issues.
What are your 4 best attributes?
- I am passionate about teaching
- I have a variety of approaches and ways of saying the same thing
- Follow-through is important to me
- I will never stop learning. The more I learn, the more I realise how much I still have to learn!
Who do you find yourself working with most often?
My most successful client is open to learning a new way of feeling and working in their body. They are patient with themselves and aren’t looking for just another workout. They are looking to build a body that they’ll live comfortably in, and with the widest possible range of motion, for a long, long time. This is a journey, not a race.
Do you work with special conditions?
I have a particular passion and interest in working with people with hypermobility.
What I enjoy is helping my clients with hyper mobility to improve their alignment as well as educating them about good posture and proper body mechanics. It is so satisfying knowing that I am helping people get stronger and reduce their pain.
What are your biggest challenges when conducting a private session and how do you overcome them?
My biggest challenge normally starts at the beginning of a relationship with a client.
Most people who come to the studio have never done the kind of work we do and have no idea what to expect. We make deep connections and work from the inside out. This feels very different from working the big muscle groups the way most people are used to.
You have to be willing to feel a little awkward, since these new ideas and movements can make you feel a bit unsure of yourself, both during and after a session. But this is a great sign! Feeling unsure and a little uncomfortable means you’re creating new neural pathways in your brain and new movement habits in your body. This means you’re actually feeling what it feels like to create a new version of your body.
Communicating all this, in the beginning, can certainly be a challenge, but it’s even more rewarding when we make the connection and then start making major progress.
I love showing people the benefits of working in their body in new and better ways. And the best part is that they don’t have to sweat like crazy and push through extreme pain to reach the goals they want to attain.
This process is a journey that’s worth taking!
What are your classes like?
Our classes are very small and limited to 8 people. Depending on the time, and the day, there are some classes that tend to be smaller. Our classes often have a particular theme where we think about our body and its movement pattern in a particular way. We layer on challenges as we progress. Importantly, our classes are relaxed and fun.