Meet Elsa

My name is Elsa and I teach Pilates at Aligned for Life Richmond. The thing I enjoy most about teaching Pilates is how you can transfer your knowledge and your experience onto your clients. Where Pilates has brought relief to my body and my previous injuries, I can take all that knowledge, transfer it to my clients, and help them feel stronger and more capable.

I used to have a desk job and I was really involved in design and as much as I enjoyed the creative process, the long hours behind the desk just really wasn’t working for me. I always focused on being active and I did a lot of sport and I thought I would be able to cope with the desk work, because I was always active and sporty, but in the end I got a recurring shoulder injury and I just had to stop sport and work, and I didn’t know what to do. A friend of mine suggested that I try Pilates and I was hooked immediately!

I enjoy the Pilates method because it’s a safe environment where you can focus on recovering and healing your body, yet challenge yourself and improve your strength. It creates balance in your body unlike any other sport I have done.

I realised being active is not enough. It is important to put thought into how you stay active. I started to think about what I should do to support my body, and create more balanced approach to exercise, instead of just always challenging myself and having a workout.

It became clear to me that a healthy, well-functioning body is not the norm, or to be taken for granted. You have to constantly and fully participate in your own health and well-being.

A year after teaching mat work, I did the Diploma course with National Pilates Training and I am grateful for how this enabled me to expand from group fitness to focus on the individual and work on more specific corrective programs.

What keeps me motivated as an instructor is the transformation I see in my clients, and how it benefits their day to day life. Pilates is literally suitable for any body and I love how it can be adapted to any age, fitness level, posture type and condition.

I feel inspired to keep improving my knowledge and skills to enable me to provide a better service. In the Pilates method, you never stop learning and growing, and neither do your clients!

Elsa’s Favourite Warm Up Exercises

As Pilates instructors, it is important to continuously work on our own bodies and keeping our spines mobile. This enables us to deal with the physical demands of teaching. It’s always a good idea to take a few minutes after a shift to ‘reset’ yourself.

Katrina and I had a play with some of my favourite exercises and came up with specific modifications. Our focus was to release the hips and pelvis, extend the upper back, and open the chest. These 3 exercises allow me to leave the studio feeling tall and walking with ease.

I love the sense of articulation and extension these exercises offer after a shift. By making simple activities like walking and sitting feel effortless, I can continue the rest of my day feeling energised and well aligned.