For my part, I have been as busy as ever. I absolutely terrified myself by teaching on multiple screens for my 5 day instagram live challenge earlier in the year, enjoyed teaching pop up classes at Embers campsite and returned once again to Chris Evan’s Carfest to teach. I accepted an invitation to teach at the Zanzibar Yoga festival in 2026 and had a new experience of teaching a Pilates class to a bridal party on the day of their wedding. I have enjoyed teaching classes for 2 wellness and revitalise days for The Arches and taught at Limewood’s “Women and strength” specialist day in the summer. I had a week of Pilates in Crete with MK Pilates and enjoyed it so much, I am returning next year and taking Fiona, Fiona and Jan with me. I celebrated 2 years alchohol free, still one of the best life changing decions I have made. I I went to Athens, again with Michael King for a week of reformer training and have attended several online seminars on Pilates. I listened to several Pilates and health and wellness podcasts while I was away in December in addition to practising ideas and making notes for the upcoming year.
Week 52. Goodbye 2025
Well, we did it! We knocked 2025 out of the park....
Well, we did it! We knocked 2025 out of the park!
What a year we have had. We have welcomed lots of new members (with open arms - several this week!), we have waved goodbye (temporarily I hope) to some of our members and our online community is bigger than ever. As we add Italy to our reach, we can now boast a weekly reach into 7 countries.
SO MUCH MORE than Pilates....
We have had a busy year. Walking in Bolderwood followed by hot chocolate, and two visits to the Isle of Wight, one for a lovely walk over Tennyson Downs and a pub lunch and one for our fabulous Revitalise day at Sarah’s flower farm where we painted, Pilates’ed and walked along the river followed by a delicious lunch. We had a private tour of Battersea Power Station followed by lunch at Dishoom, and we hunted for ghosts on a Halloween tour of Lymington. We have had monthly challenges and been educated with a mixture of specialists in the world of health and wellness in our Teatime Talks. We had a fantastic Summer solstice class in the coastal grounds at Pylewell and met regularly on the beach for Teach from the Beach including a very sunny birthday class for me with tea and cake. We had our Autumn “Introduction to weights” extra classes and celebrated our 5 year anniversary online by meeting up for a class back where it all started in Beaulieu village hall.
This year we have seen a new knee, a new hip, a broken ankle (not from my classes!) 2 new puppies and 3 weddings and of course we wrapped it all up with our annual highlight - our
Christmas lunch where this year 50 of us met to welcome the start of Christmas, the end of a busy year and to enjoy each other’s company.
I always strive to keep things fresh, progressive and motivating - a little of you what you know and come to expect but never enough that you can anticipate or assume! To that end, we have mixed classes up and I bring in as much variation as possible. For example we ended this year by shortening our Friday weight training classes to a clean 30 mins followed by 15 mins of intense mobility - in effect 2 separate and short classes that have been accessed a lot in the library. We have had Pilates “funk” where I have poetic license to put a spin on familiar moves and add a little power or HIIT or something else to just change things up.
Our library has grown and with 12 categories to choose from and several hundred cases, I am hugely proud to see nearly 60 hours a week of access while I was away proving how disciplined and committed you are! Being online gives us SO much more!
What's next?
2026. I am working on new classes and themes, focus and areas to work on. As reformer mania continues to sweep the country, I am preparing more classes to learn how we can replicate the large studio equipment on the mat. Studio classes are expensive and not available to all and mat work was always intended to be included so (Lou’s idea) I am going to have some classes where I bring my reformer into the studio (- who am I kidding? Pull it 3 feet across the floor!) So I can hop on and off it to demonstrate what we are aiming to achieve and we can get as close to the experience as possible.
We will continue to lift weights - SO important…… Pilates is a fantastic method of exercise but it isn’t enough. Lifting weights is essential for the ageing body but it isn’t enough. Stretch and mobility is a MUST to include in our weekly exercise schedule but it doesn’t tick every box - so we have IT ALL COVERED. You get to choose what to join live, what to select from the library and continue to have me on the end of the phone with any queries.
While the Wednesday classes are discontinued, I am bringing in “random and spontaneous” classes - where I see a gap in my diary and think maybe I will offer a teatime relaxation class or a quick Saturday morning 20 mins power class. Make sure you read your emails as these will be ad hoc and as and when
I have decided to start stepping back from face to face work as my online work grows and as I look towards more travel, less face to face commitment and being able to take you with me. This year I have taught or posted online from the Austrian alps to Athens to Wales to Tanzania to Carfest to Crete to Cornwall.
To that end, this Spring term will be my last one teaching at The Arches. Not an easy decision as I have really loved being a part of the team and working with all the wonderful clients I have met. However, I look towards new challenges and thank all those I have had the pleasure of working with and of course invite you all to join our online community!
The weekly wrap up may become the fortnightly.... with direct emails to online members of any calendar updates - (sorry, if you don't read your emails, not sure what else I can do....!)
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very, very happy, healthy 2026. As I pack the decs away, tidy up and start adding new content to our online calendar, I am thoroughly refreshed, motivated and ready for THE YEAR OF THE HORSE…… and I quote… .”The year of the HORSE… the shedding and completion year of the snake in 2025 cleared the path for THE HORSE. The year of the horse sets the intention to begin anew, welcoming freedom and trusting relationships. Energy alignment of creativity, taking precise action while harnessing charisma and passion will launch a successful 2026!”
2025 Year of the Snake
Inner growth
Renewal
Sacred pause.
Transformation
Subconscious healing
Trust
Shedding
Soul work
Spiritual depth
2026 Year of the Horse
Clarity
Freedom
Courage
Expansion
Movement
Breakthroughs
Intentional action
Boldness
Magnetic energy
Momentum
So ….. are you going to watch from the sidelines or are you going to jump on and hold tight for the ride?
See you online next year xx
