Ali first discovered Pilates after struggling with back pain over a few years. She soon became hooked — her back pain disappeared, she felt great, and she went on to train as a Pilates teacher. She’s now been running classes for over 15 years and is still obsessed with it, especially the endless variation and learning it offers.

She’s particularly interested in the role Pilates plays in ageing well — increasing core strength, improving posture and balance, and boosting energy and mood — and, in her sixties herself, she proudly practises what she preaches. 

Her route to Pilates teacher training wasn’t linear. Social sciences and psychology got her curious about what makes people tick first, and a lifelong love of dance — including some contemporary dance training and performing in her student days — still sneaks into the way she moves and the way she choreographs her sessions.

In the last couple of years, she’s trained in breathwork, which she loves weaving into her classes and mini retreats, helping people explore breath as a way of regulating the nervous system and improving emotional and physical health. Ali is a bit of a nerd for personal development, neuroscience and wellness as we age — areas which inform her sessions and mean she’s always bringing something new to the mat. 

Ali teaches here on Monday and Friday mornings.