Every Thursday, I catch a train to London for advanced Reformer and Chair classes at Pi Studios in Battersea. The timetable doesn't quite work, the journey isn't convenient, and some weeks I'd rather stay at home. But that's exactly why I go. This isn't about collecting qualifications. It's about staying connected to the experience of learning. In a profession focused on teaching others, have we forgotten the importance of maintaining our own practice?

Why make such a big change now, when EQ is thriving and Linda is still teaching at 78? The answer is simple: we're still learning. This transition isn't about fixing something broken or chasing a trend. It's the result of years of study, curiosity and a belief that growth never really ends. Discover why we're choosing to keep evolving, and how Pilates taught us that standing still is rarely the answer.

What will EQ's move to Classical Pilates mean for you? From new equipment and Wunda Chair classes to clearer progression pathways, here's a closer look at what's changing and what's staying the same.

For the past few years, EQ has been on a journey of deeper study, practice, and understanding. As our connection to the classical Pilates method has grown, we've become increasingly aware of a gap between what we believe and what we deliver. In this article, we share why EQ is becoming a fully classical Pilates studio and the values guiding this exciting next chapter.

Clients are telling us they’re confused — and we understand why.

With Reformer‑fitness exploding and every spring‑based workout being labelled “Pilates”, it’s harder than ever to know whether you’re learning the real method or just doing a fast routine on a Reformer. If you’ve ever wondered why things feel different from studio to studio, or why your body changes more in some classes than others, you’re not imagining it. After 25 years of teaching classical Pilates, we’re here to help you cut through the noise, understand the method, and feel the difference for yourself.

Corrections aren’t criticism, cover teachers deserve a fair shot, and change at the studio is usually a sign we’re paying attention — not a sign something’s wrong. A few thoughts on staying open at EQ Pilates

Before we hand you the advanced work, we’re going to make you strong. Properly strong. The kind of strong where your body isn’t just going through the motions — it understands what it’s doing and why. That’s not us holding out on you. That’s us doing our job.

Most teachers have been there. A client whose form is all over the place, and the urge to correct everything. But Jay Grimes, direct student of Joseph Pilates, said it best: “Ugly Pilates — get used to it.” Just because it doesn’t look like the book doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.

The first eight Pilates mat exercises every student should learn — in the order Joseph Pilates taught them. Properly explained. Free to download.

Most of us have stopped before we started — talked ourselves out of movement before our body got a vote. This isn’t about pushing through pain. It’s about learning to tell the difference between a real signal and a story you’ve been repeating so long it started to sound like fact.

If you've done Pilates before — maybe for a while, maybe at several different places — and you've walked away with that quiet, nagging feeling that something wasn't quite there, I want you to know something:

You're not imagining it.

There’s a version of Pilates that looks good. Controlled lighting, the right angle, a body that knows it’s being watched. And then there’s practice. The one rep drill strips all of that away.

Something interesting is happening across the the Pilates world. Studios that have built their model around the Reformer are beginning to add the Chair to their timetables. It’s worth pausing on this — because the choice of what to add, and what not to add, reveals something about how Pilates is being understood at scale. What isn’t being added, in most cases, is Mat.

A set of scales measures gravitational pull. That's it. It cannot measure strength, stamina, or whether your body showed up for the things that mattered today. And it has nothing to do with what Pilates was ever designed for.

The wellness industry wants studios to be everything to everyone. We've taken the opposite approach — spending twenty-five years going deeper into one methodology rather than broader across many. Here's why that matters, and what it means for your practice.

Every new client does it. After the goals, the history, the chat about what brought them here - there's a pause. And then come the disclaimers. "I'm weak." "I'm uncoordinated." "I've never been good at this sort of thing." They're telling us all the reasons they can't do this before we've even started. Sound familiar?

Most people don't need to do the Snake. They need to feel better and get stronger. After 25 years, we've learned that the best results come from patient, consistent work—building skills and strength over months and years, not racing to flashy advanced exercises.

The parts that aren't moving are working just as hard as the parts that are.

Your still leg during Single Leg Stretch? That's not passive. It's actively reaching, actively engaged.

Your arms beside you during Footwork on the Reformer? They're not resting on the edges of the carriage. They're actively pressing down, opening your chest, engaging your back muscles.

Stillness doesn't come for free. It's not a given. It takes work.

That's Pilates. That's the whole body system at work.