Having worked in an office for 20 years, I have experienced first-hand the toll that a desk-based job takes on the body, suffering from neck, shoulder and upper back pain on a regular basis. In 2003 I started attending Pilates classes and it transformed my life. I started practising the techniques I’d learned in my weekly Pilates classes on a daily basis in order to manage my back problems.
In the fifth month of my second pregnancy, I was diagnosed with severe SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction) which, in essence, left me crippled. I was prescribed painkillers and issued with crutches and told to minimise movement for the remainder of the pregnancy. However, having a lively three-year-old and two dogs, that wasn’t an option. With the help of my wonderful osteopath and pregnancy Pilates, I was able to manage the pain which enabled me to keep mobile for the last four months of the pregnancy.
It was after I had my first daughter that I decided I couldn’t continue living in the rat race any longer and needed a better work/life balance; working at a desk and sitting in meetings all day was playing havoc with my back, my posture and my general wellbeing and I barely saw my daughter. Having toyed with the idea of teaching Pilates for several years, I took the plunge and in 2016 and at 36 weeks of pregnancy, took my two anatomy and physiology exams back-to-back. Having suffered terribly in my own pregnancies and labour, it became a priority for me to be able to help others and as such decided to specialise in pre/post-natal and rehabilitative care.