Mat Pilates

Mat Pilates is the same strength, control and breath work as Reformer Pilates - done on a mat, with your own bodyweight as the resistance instead of springs. You move through a full-body sequence on the floor, building deep core strength, control and steady, honest mobility, with a teacher watching how you move and offering easier and harder options the whole way. It usually opens with some breathwork - finding your centre, settling the pelvis into neutral - before you get stuck in. It’s open to every level, and your first class can be any class on the schedule.

Mat Pilates uses your own bodyweight; Reformer Pilates uses a sprung carriage where the springs can make a movement lighter or heavier. That’s the real difference - on a mat, your leg weighs what it weighs, and that’s the load you’ve got; on a reformer, we can adjust it. Neither one is the easy version, and neither is the foundation of the other - they’re different kinds of work that go really well together. Mat is more stripped back, which makes it a brilliant way to build control and the fundamentals; the reformer gives you more variation and more options on resistance. Either one on its own keeps you strong; doing both is a good way to progress, and both sit inside the same membership.

Yes - it’s one of the easiest classes to walk into for the first time. There’s no machine to get the hang of and no level to pass: one open-level class, and your first one can be any class on the schedule. Most classes start gently, with some breathwork to find your centre, before the work picks up - and the teacher gives easier and harder options the whole way through, so you’re never stuck and never lost. If you’ve never done any Pilates before, this is a calm, capable place to start; if you already do Reformer, you’ll find the mat work sharpens the control you bring back to the carriage.

Something you can move in - leggings or shorts and a top that won’t ride up when you’re on your back, basically. Mats are provided, so there’s nothing to carry. You’ll want socks, but they don’t have to be the grippy kind - normal socks are fine on a mat. Bring a water bottle; the showers are stocked with everything else.

Once a week keeps you ticking over alongside the rest of what you do - there’s no rule, and we’re not going to pretend there is; come more often if you want to progress faster. The £33 intro offer is three classes over fourteen days, so you can come a few times and see how it sits before you decide.