My Pilates Studio

OUTSIDE THE STUDIO ☀️ SUMMER EDITION

It’s safe to say Micaela has been making the most of her summer!

She kicked off a new decade by celebrating her 30th birthday and then headed off on her first solo trip abroad to Amsterdam. 🇳🇱✈️

While there, Micaela spent two weeks immersed in intensive dance training — because apparently a vacation for a movement teacher still involves a whole lot of movement! 😂 She also explored Amsterdam’s beautiful canals, made some amazing new friends and checked a big one off the bucket list by going to a football game.

And she’s not finished yet! Next up, Micaela is trading Amsterdam’s canals for the Canadian wilderness as she heads out to hike the West Coast Trail with her two sisters.

From dance studios in Amsterdam to hiking the rugged coast of Vancouver Island, we’d say 30 is off to a pretty spectacular start.

Happy belated 30th, Micaela - and have an incredible hike! ❤️

HEALTHY AGING PILATES — SMALL GROUP. EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTION. INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION.

Our Healthy Aging Pilates classes are designed for those who may need a little more consideration — without assuming that age, arthritis, injury or a previous surgery means you should stop getting stronger.

With a maximum of just 4 participants, these classes are ideal for adults 65+ as well as those returning to Pilates after surgery or injury, managing arthritis or other joint concerns, rebuilding strength postpartum, or simply looking for a more supported way to move.

That’s where thoughtfully programmed Pilates can be so valuable.

At My Pilates Studio, these aren’t generic “senior fitness” classes. You’ll work with comprehensively trained and certified Pilates instructors with extensive experience working with injuries, rehabilitation, older adults and special populations.

We know how to modify.
We know when to progress.
And we understand that two people with the same diagnosis may need two very different approaches.

Healthy Aging Pilates
Mondays + Fridays at 11AM
Maximum 4 participants

Because getting older — or having arthritis, an old injury or surgery in your history — doesn’t mean you stop building strength. It means you deserve to work with someone who understands how to help you do it well.

Is this actually a Pilates exercise? 🤔

I came across an article today describing a “reverse plank bridge” as the one Pilates exercise everyone should do every day.

Except…this isn’t actually an exercise you’ll find in the Classical Pilates repertoire — nor is it a recognized Contemporary Pilates exercise that I’m familiar with.

What I see is a Pilates-inspired fitness exercise combining elements that resemble movements such as Leg Pull Back and Shoulder Bridge, along with additional strength-based choreography.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s a challenging movement and may be a great exercise for the right person.

But does that automatically make it Pilates?

This is something we’re seeing more and more as Pilates becomes increasingly popular: exercises from general fitness, strength training and other movement disciplines being labelled “Pilates” simply because they’re performed slowly, with control, or on a mat or Reformer.

Pilates can absolutely evolve. Contemporary Pilates does exactly that. But there’s still a method, a repertoire and a movement system behind the name.

Pilates-inspired movement can be great movement. It just doesn’t all need to be called Pilates.

And for the record, if we’re talking about Joseph Pilates’ actual mat repertoire, Leg Pull Back is already a pretty fantastic full-body exercise. 😉

kinda chic.

Not because it’s trendy.

Because real Pilates is more than one machine.

It’s thoughtful instruction, comprehensively trained teachers, and a studio built around the entire Pilates system - Reformer, Tower, Chair, Barrels and Matwork.

That’s always been our thing.

Outside the Studio ☀️ Summer Edition

Our instructors don’t just inspire us in the studio - they’re making the most of summer adventures too.

This week we’re following Virginie, who’s been spending her summer back home in Europe. So far she’s been cheering on Team France 🇫🇷 ⚽️, hiking through the stunning French Alps with her university friends, visiting her sister in Geneva, and, of course, enjoying plenty of fondue.

The adventure isn’t over yet. In August she’ll be back in France visiting her parents in Champagne and her in-laws in Normandy before returning to the studio.

We love seeing what our instructors are up to outside the studio. Where has summer taken you this year? Tell us in the comments.

“By all means, never fail to get all the sunshine and fresh air you can.” Joseph Pilates

Pilates Porch Season officially begins this Saturday ☀️
for Classical Matwork at 12pm as we kick off one of our favourite parts of the year at the studio.

Fresh air, lake breeze, movement, sunshine and real Pilates - summer in The Beach just hits different.

Porch classes are weather permitting and spots are limited, so be sure to book ahead in our app.

Monday
9 AM - Matwork + Small Props

Tuesday
6 PM - Functional Matwork + Mobility

Wednesday
9AM - Matwork + Small Props
7 PM - Matwork + Small Props

Thursday
9 AM - Classical Matwork
5 PM - Matwork + Small Props

Friday
9 AM - Classical Matwork
10 AM - Pilates Foundations

Saturday
9 AM - Matwork + Small Props
12 PM - Classical Matwork

Sunday
12 PM - Matwork + Small Props

☀️ BYOM (Bring your own Mat)
☀️ Wear sunscreen
☀️ Bring your water bottle
☀️ Dress in light layers - mornings can feel cool, but you’ll warm up quickly once we get moving.

See you on the porch!

This memory from 10 years ago popped up on my Facebook. This was taken during my BASI Comprehensive Teacher Training with the incredible Meredith Rogers . Prior to this, I had completed my Mat and Reformer training with STOTT Pilates, but the BASI program filled in an important missing piece for me at the time.

Now, I’m continuing my studies through learning Classical Pilates, which feels like uncovering even more pieces of the puzzle. I’m especially excited to begin my Classical Mat training this summer!

One of the things I love most about Pilates is that the learning never stops.

Always evolving. Always learning.
-Melissa

International Pilates Day!

At My Pilates Studio, this day means more than a celebration - it’s a reflection of who we are and what we stand for.

We are a Contemporary Pilates studio, rooted in and respectful of the Classical method. That means we honour where this work comes from while applying it through the lens of modern biomechanics, education, and experience. Pilates is not just a workout to us - it’s a system. A method. A practice that was thoughtfully designed with intention, progression and purpose.

In a world where Pilates is often reduced to trends, aesthetics, or a single piece of equipment, we believe it’s important to pause and remember what makes this method so powerful.

The exercises, the order, the transitions, the apparatus - none of it is random.

There is a reason behind every movement.
There is a system behind every class.

Preserving the integrity of the method doesn’t mean staying stuck in the past. It means understanding it deeply enough to teach it with clarity, purpose and respect. It means continuing to study, to question and to evolve - without losing the essence of what Pilates truly is.

For us, that looks like:

✨Teaching beyond the reformer!

✨Honouring the full system - mat, reformer, tower, chair, barrels.

✨Investing in ongoing education and lineage.

✨ Keeping classes intentional, not performative.

✨ Creating an environment where clients learn, not just move.

Because this method, when taught well, changes how you move, how you feel, and how you understand your body.

Today, we celebrate the work.

And we recommit to teaching it the way it was meant to be taught - with integrity, depth and care.

- My Pilates Studio