Our Team

Jean

Jean is an ex-professional dancer and has been teaching Pilates for over 20 years. She started her teacher training in Cape Town, South Africa with Equilibrium Pilates, qualifying in mat and all apparatus and then eventually became part of the Equilibrium Pilates Teacher Training Faculty.

Throughout her Pilates career has continued to expand her knowledge with courses and workshops. She qualified with Body Control Pilates in 2006. She spent some time with Pilates Elder Lolita San Miguel in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2007. Jean qualified as a Buff Bones Instructor in 2018. She is now delighted to be offering her own workshops and teacher training courses.

Jean is passionate about the Pilates method, making changes in people’s lives, habits and bodies. She believes that consistent Pilates practice enables us to continue doing all the things we love to do. She delights in seeing the positive changes in clients. Opening the new studio in Knaphill has been a dream come true after over a year of uncertainty, lockdown and online classes. Group equipment classes make the Pilates method on the apparatus accessible to everyone.

Anne-Marie

Anne-Marie started her Pilates journey in 2011, when she joined Jean’s mat class and was immediately captivated. She soon realised that at the end of each and every class she felt not only stronger, leaner and fitter, but also calmer and better able to cope with the demands of a busy life.

Intrigued by the positive impact Pilates had on her life she decided to deepen her understanding and train as a Body Control Pilates teacher. In addition, she is also qualified to teach Springboard, Reformer and Bone Health. She particularly enjoys teaching 1:1 sessions which give her the opportunity to create bespoke programmes tailored to each individual client.

Anne-Marie is passionate that Pilates should be for every body and believes it will enhance anyone’s physical and mental well-being as it has her own.

Tessa

Tessa has always been someone with a busy life and mind, who found it hard to switch off easily.  Her love for Pilates started after her first lesson, when she realised that her mind and body had been calmed, whilst focussing purely on herself for the whole hour.

After years of attending Pilates classes, Tessa decided she loved it so much that she wanted to change her hobby into a profession.  Tessa trained with Body Control Pilates, qualifying as a level 3 Pilates instructor and has additional qualifications to teach Pilates to children and teenagers too.  Tessa is a mum to three very sporty children and sees the importance for both children and adults to understand how to be in the best condition, strengthen and use their bodies.

During her classes, she likes to explain the purpose of the exercise. Tessa believes knowledge is power and if you can understand the reason behind the exercise it will motivate you to continue to do it. She hopes her clients come away after each class feeling released and empowered in both their body and mind.

Richard

Richard completed his RYS 200 Yoga Teacher training with Akram Yoga in October 2022, he has a passion for yoga and a strong desire to share that with his students. After being a regular practitioner of yoga since 2019 and experiencing the mental and physical benefits of yoga practice, he decided to qualify as a teacher, with the aim to bring this sense of wellbeing and achievement to others. Richard believes that yoga is for everyone and every body.

Richard’s teaching style is influenced from a variety of yoga traditions, including Hatha and Vinyasa, with a focus on breath awareness and body alignment. Richard enjoys practicing arm balances and inversions in his personal practice and brings these poses into his teaching. Richard teaches classes for all levels, creating classes that are challenging but accessible for all students.

In his spare time Richard enjoys hiking, with his most recent trip being to Nepal to hike on the Annapurna Circuit, and will happily talk for hours on any hiking related topic.

As a recent graduate, Richard is eager to continue learning and growing as a yoga teacher. He attends workshops and trainings to expand his knowledge and deepen his understanding of the practice.

Kirsten

As an ex-professional ballet dancer, Kirsten has felt the benefits of Pilates most of her life, helping to complement the rigorous demands of years of ballet training.

Following a career ending injury in 2014, she qualified as a Pilates teacher with Brigid McCarthy as part of the Independent Pilates Teachers Association. She has since gained her Reformer, Springboard, HIP Pilates and pre/postnatal Pilates qualifications.

She truly believes Pilates is for everybody regardless of age, athletic ability or flexibility. Knowing the benefits of Pilates first hand (especially postnatally) she is passionate about helping others discover what Pilates can do for them.

She is also a qualified ballet teacher and has taught ballet and Pilates all over London until having her first baby boy in 2019 when she relocated to Surrey.

She enjoys attending regular courses and classes to keep her knowledge and repertoire up to date and varied.

Becky

Becky was introduced to Pilates when working at The Royal Academy of Dance in London in 2008, and instantly became hooked! Being an active person, with a keen interest in health and fitness, she had been experiencing reoccurring hip pain whilst training for a half marathon. After practicing Pilates for a short period of time, she rid herself of the hip pain and noticed great improvements to her strength, mobility, muscle tone and posture. She found Pilates to be a relaxing form of exercise, which helped to balance out her busy lifestyle; each class leaving her feeling invigorated, centred with an overall feeling of wellbeing.

Becky decided she wanted to help others experience the many benefits that Pilates brings, so started training with the Pilates Institute in London in 2010 and has been teaching regular group and private classes ever since. She is also qualified to teach Pre and Postnatal Pilates, Pilates to Children, Pilates for the Older Adult and Studio Reformer, and she continues her professional development by attending regular workshops and classes. Becky enjoys using Pilates props to make classes creative, fun, and varied, but always remains close to the intention of the classical repertoire.

Becky is inspired by what she continues to learn and wants to share this with her classes. She passionately believes that Pilates can benefit everyone and hopes to enable her clients to become body aware and realise their full potential.

Paula

Paula first discovered Pilates whilst travelling the world as cabin crew. After experiencing the amazing benefits it had for her both mentally and physically, she completed her Mat Pilates diploma, subsequently achieving her pre/post natal qualification with APPI and Reformer Pilates certification with Lisa Bradshaw. She regularly attends CPD courses to ensure that her knowledge is up to date.

Paula believes Pilates is for everybody and enjoys seeing her clients progress and grow stronger.

When she isn’t teaching Pilates, Paula enjoys attending yoga, barre and Pilates classes, travelling and spending time with her family.

Sarah

Sarah is a movement coach and puppetry director with nearly 20 years of experience in Theatre, TV, and film. After training as an actor, Sarah became a puppeteer for the National Theatre’s Warhorse. Injuries led her to Pilates to rehabilitate bulging discs and strengthen her core. She learned to work through repetitive strain injuries and build the necessary muscles for each new role .

After having three children and experiencing severe Diastasis Recti, Sarah realised the importance of understanding her body. Pilates became essential for her rehabilitation, balancing mobility, stability, strength, and mindfulness. In 2023, following a back injury during filming, Sarah recognised how vital her Pilates knowledge was for stabilising her spine and managing pain. And wants to spread the love and knowledge of pilates to help others.

Sarah trained with STOTT Pilates for its modern approach to exercise science and further specialised in Springboard with Jean Androne. She’s passionate about helping others move freely and feel the joy of having a strong, capable body.

Sarah believes Pilates is for everyone and every body, encouraging people to move with confidence, treat their bodies kindly, and most importantly – have fun along the way! If she’s not in the studio, you’ll probably find her on set collaborating with actors and VFX teams on major live-action remakes.

Rachel

Rachel is a keen runner and skier and also enjoys cycling, general fitness and dancing (for fun!) Rachel’s love of Pilates began when she developed a running injury during marathon training in 2017. She found that not only did regular Pilates help make her stronger and keep injury at bay, but it became an amazing ‘escape’ and a huge stress relief from the busyness of life, raising four young children. Every class left her body feeling invigorated and her mood boosted.

In 2019 this new found passion prompted her to train and qualify as a Body Control Pilates Teacher.

Prior to becoming a Mum, Rachel worked as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist for 11years. The ethos of empowering people to develop, recover, improve and maintain skills required for participation in activities and occupations meaningful to them, remains strongly with her. She loves that Pilates does exactly that and appeals to those who want to be energised and challenged, as well as those who want to de-stress and relax. Pilates is for everyone.

Emily

Emily is a Polestar Pilates fully comprehensive instructor and is also pre and post natal qualified. She teaches both private sessions and group reformer classes.

It was major abdominal surgery for fibroid removal, followed by a low back injury that brought Emily to fall in love with Pilates. Feeling transformed physically, but also emotionally and mentally, she decided to retrain, leading to a career change from project manager in the media industry, to full time Pilates instructor.

For Emily, pilates is about making her clients feel good – injury rehab, improving mobility, flexibility, core strength, mental health and much more!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth has loved ballet since the age of three and still enjoys attending adult ballet classes today. Her passion for mindful movement led her to discover Pilates while raising her family, where she quickly felt its wonderful benefits for both mind and body – improving strength, supporting functional mobility and creating a calmer headspace.

Inspired by how naturally Pilates complemented the strong foundations she had gained through ballet, Elizabeth trained as a qualified Mat and Reformer instructor so she could share this positive experience with others.

Alongside Pilates, Elizabeth brings principles from her health coaching to support a gentle, holistic approach to wellbeing. She is passionate about helping individuals develop greater awareness of their ever-changing bodies, including how movement can positively support neurological, hormonal and nutritional balance.

Elizabeth’s aim is to help clients feel stronger, more mobile and more confident, supporting each person on their own journey towards reaching their optimal self.

Ellie

Studio Manager

With 18 years of experience working in a physiotherapy clinic, Ellie brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our studio. Her warm and friendly demeanour ensures that every client feels welcomed and supported from the moment they step through our doors.