Our Instructors

Pilates has been my go to form of exercise everytime I have been injured. It was my one form of exercise that prepared my body and mind for my 3 pregnancies. Reformer Pilates has been my healer every time: a fractured wrist from snowboarding, a chipped elbow, 3 -section births, sciatica, low back pain and pelvic instability have all lead me back to the reformer bed to heal. I was trained in Yoga and Pilates and trained full time in Byron with Louise Solmon and then with All American Pilates in Florida, USA.

With a background in fitness, NLP and communications; I aim to challenge clients to understand what is going on in their bodies, to feel their full range of movement and to go beyond their mental limitations to be at their potential physically. Pilates is not only a form of exercise, it is a healer and a miracle worker in helping the body, mind  and spirit!

Monnique finds joy in moving her body – usually in the form of dancing, boxing, hiking and running. As with most people, she did not contemplate the damage that could be done to the body through certain exercises. Wanting to repair the damage done and prevent herself from getting any more injuries, she found herself falling into the world of Pilates and loving the control and mobility it gave her.  She’s now a little obsessed with teaching ways to reprogram the body from using bad habits that lead to pain and tightness, to good habits that encourage freedom and flexibility in the body. Her repertoire focuses on finding the intricate, stabilising muscles that are quite often forgotten, and isolating those muscles to create a lean and sculpted appearance. Pairing a restorative, clinical aspect to fitness Pilates – Monnique gives you the best of both worlds.

My Pilates path began four years ago. After the birth of my last child and being left with hip and back pain. I felt a huge shift in my priorities and found myself wanting to look after not only my family but myself as well. Creating healthy, life long habits became my new goal!

For fear of sounding a little obsessed, Pilates to me is as important as a functional exercise as walking. Pilates is for everyone, all shapes, all sizes, all ages, all abilities. How fantastic is that?

For every bad habit that we have created or let worsen over time Pilates is quite miraculous in reversing (or at the very least alleviating) some of the patterns that we have gotten our selves into.

Personally, I love the Pilates Reformer because it is extremely versatile. There are hundreds of exercises that you can do on the reformer to improve all facets of not only your muscles and joints but your mind as well. There are exercises for poor posture (text neck is real!) spinal alignment, strengthening, balance, flexibility… the list goes on!

Some of the things I like to focus on in my classes, other than strengthening (which is so important) are spinal movement and spinal alignment. Which basically means, being able to move your spine not only forwards (into flexion) but backwards (extension), lateral flexion (bending sideways) and rotation. These types of movements are essential in creating the best posture we can possibly have. I always say to my clients are “Well done, you will not be using a walker when you’re in your 80s and 90s. That will not be us!”.

I sincerely hope that you do come into the beautiful studio. Pilates is a lot of fun, don’t be shy just try! Also bring a loved one, it’s for everyone. You’ll feel better for it.

Angelyn Christiansen: Mat and Studio/ Dip trained through Polestar Pilates.

Erin Bourne is a seeker, drawn to ancient wisdom, cutting edge physiological research and the elegance of dance alike. She is a Science nerd and a yoga fairy, a ballet student and a writer. Erin is fired by curiosity about the way the body moves and how the body, mind and soul relate, and change each other. Having qualified in Bachelors of Exercise Science and Education as well as completing advanced training in yoga, pilates, dynamic neuromuscular stabilisation and myofascial release, Erin brings a unique perspective to her classes. You can expect the long, lean lines inspired by dance, while giving the whole body a workout.