Rachel Lawrence Pilates

I’m a big fan of the Bicycle exercise in the Classical Pilates repertoire but it’s not accessible for everyone so here are three variations that will achieve the same benefits of Hip Flexion, Hip Extension and Core stability. It increases in challenge as you progress through the levels! The second and third variation are inspired by Pilates Elder Kathy Grant who created the Bicycle Sit Up, oh how I’d love to have taken class with her! Such an inspirational woman. An ex- dancer with a keen intellect, I’ve always felt an affinity to her. She faced many challenges due to her being from a different community. She worked as a showgirl although she was a trained in classical ballet and toured Europe and the Middle East. She sustained a knee injury that halted her dance career temporarily. Kathy was lucky enough to be sent to Joseph Pilates where she not only rehabilitated her injury but went on to be trained and certified by him. Eventually running her own studio as well as teaching Pilates to young dancers in NYC. She pioneered access to arts education and performance for minorities, she worked as a choreographer and taught for 30 years at the Tisch School of the Arts. An incredible legacy. So for Kathy, let’s try and perfect our Bicycles! To take the full 15 Minute Deep Core and Abs Workout head to my channel - link in bio ❤️

Happy monday!

https://youtu.be/OwoaWHR5FMc

Here is your class for today. Available anytime from 4pm UK 🇬🇧

Join me for a 20 min classical pilates flow session to awaken the senses, ease the mind and set you up for a creative day. Feeling stuck? This session is the perfect way to start your day. With mindful movement to help shift a creative block and get you moving, feeling inspired, positive and tension free. This Pilates flow is not just exercise, but a method for mental clarity- intentional movement for intentional thought. Using 3 key principles of Pilates- breath, centering and concentration we'll move effortlessly from one exercise to another creating a meditative flow of movement to strengthen the body and mind

See you there!
Much love,
Rachel ❤️

Morning Pilates Flow for Creative Minds | 20 Min Classical Pilates Morning Pilates Flow for Creative Minds | 20 Min Classical Pilates ...

We're back to Weekly Playlists Starting TODAY! ❤️

Hello friends!

Having completeted two months of 28 day challenges and hitting the summer weather, I thought it might be nice to have our weekly playlist back for July and keep it short and sweet as we have another heatwave coming! 😳

I mentioned this in Friday mornings LIVE chat and the consensus was YES to playlists and YES to 20 minutes or less. So there you have it, this week is called the Heatwave Pilates Playlist and all the sessions are 20 min or less, with something for everyone- Weights, Seniors, Nighttime pilates, Classical and Stretch.

Here is your 7 day Playlist and downloadable calendar so you can tick off the sessions as you do them ❤️

Heatwave Pilates | July Week 1
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZuWQwIfcfCE

Downloadable Calendar
https://rachellawrencepilates.com/playlists/july-playlist -week1-wall-chart

Included will be a new video on Monday at 4pm

Morning Pilates Flow
https://youtu.be/OwoaWHR5FMc

And a New Live on Friday at 10am

Heatwave Pilates | 15 Min Slow Flow Class
https://youtube.com/live/XaVpGkokSOE?feature=share

Sending love to you all, and huge thanks for continuing to support the production of this channel. We couldn't do it without you.

See you at 4pm Monday!

Much Love,

Rachel ❤️

www.youtube.com

It’s been a busy with with 2 LIVE classes on YouTube 15 Mins of Standing Pilates on Monday and this special for Friday’s class, you in? I’d love you to join me! ❤️ Catch me live Friday at 10am UK 🇬🇧 or anytime after that as it auto uploads to my channel. It’ll be short and sweet and very effective- one to do regularly if you want to work on your abdominals and core muscle strength. I’ve been practicing the sequence all week and can really feel it!🔥 🤗
This is an intermediate-level practice, perfect if you’re already familiar with Pilates fundamentals and ready to go deeper. We’ll target the transverse abdominis, obliques, and pelvic floor — the hidden heroes of posture, stability, and everyday ease — using controlled, intelligent movement that challenges without straining.
You’ll feel your core engage, your breath deepen, and your body grow stronger with every repetition— I’ll guide you on how to enjoy the movements without pressure on your neck or back, just smart, sustainable strength.
See you tomorrow at 10am UK 🇬🇧 or anytime after that on the channel. Link in Stories ⚡️
Much love,
Rachel ❤️

Hello my friends,

Here's a gentle reminder that I'm back and teaching live tomorrow -Friday at 10am. It'll be short and sweet and very effective- one to do regularly if you want to work on your abdominals and core muscle strength. I've been practicing the sequence all work and can really feel it! 🔥 🤗

See you tomorrow at 10am UK 🇬🇧 or anytime after that on the channel.

Much love,
Rachel ❤️

15 Minute Deep Core & Abdominal Workout | Intermediate Pilates for Real Strength 15 Minute Deep Core & Abdominal Workout | Intermediate Pilates for ...

Hello and Happy Monday!

I'm back from my little UK holiday adventure and looking forward to seeing you today.

Join me live at 4pm UK 🇬🇧 for....

Standing Pilates for Balance, Strength & Coordination | 15 Minute Full Body Practice

A 15 minute Standing Pilates session, designed to wake up your body, steady your balance, and build real, everyday strength — all from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head. We’re staying on our feet for this one — because standing movement is life movement.

Whether you’re reaching for a shelf, walking the dog, or getting up from a chair, strong legs, stable hips, and a supported core make all the difference.

And it's been so hot in the UK, this week we're keeping sessions short but focused so this one will really deepen your understanding of balance and coordination, strengthen your legs and lower back.

Hope to see you later!
Much love,
Rachel ❤️

Standing Pilates for Balance, Strength & Coordination | 15 Minute Full Body Practice Standing Pilates for Balance & Strength & Coordination | 15 min Ful...

Hello and Happy Monday, a quick message to say I’m taking a wellbeing break this week but whilst I’m away there’s plenty to keep you busy. New videos in our regularly YouTube schedule of Monday 4pm and Friday 10am plus from today, you can now find me on Spotify! Pls follow and share❤️ Have a great week,
Much love,
Rachel ❤️

The Girl with the Pilates Mat Podcast · Rachel Lawrence · Welcome to The Girl with the Pilates Mat — a gentle space for women who want to move with ease, stand with confidence, and reconnect with their bodies. I’m Rachel, Certified Pilates Instructor of 16 years, former TV producer, and a lifelong mover (I started dancing ...

Hello my fabulous facebook friends,
Exciting News! From today, you can also work out with me via Spotify. Please follow and share ❤️

The Girl with the Pilates Mat Podcast · Rachel Lawrence · Welcome to The Girl with the Pilates Mat — a gentle space for women who want to move with ease, stand with confidence, and reconnect with their bodies. I’m Rachel, Certified Pilates Instructor of 16 years, former TV producer, and a lifelong mover (I started dancing ...

One of the reasons I think the Pilates Industry has so many professional dancers who are Certified instructors is the level of expertise, self - discipline, body awareness and sheer grit that’s needed to train to be a dancer. Years and years of dedication, practice and repetition of movements enable the grace, ease and strength that you see in a dancer. And Pilates is no different, it’s hard work. It is no surprise to me that the majority of the original Pilates teachers- elders- as they’re known were from the dance world. Movement has its own language and becomes intuitive when you’ve been doing it your whole life. The challenge with teaching Pilates is in the translation of knowing that and finding the way to communicate what is natural to you to a class or a client in order to help them find that same state of flow and self-awareness. Having experienced criticism and dismissive behaviour from teachers in my dancing days, ( and once or twice in my more advanced Pilates training ) I cannot emphasise enough how WHAT you say can really affect the person you’re teaching. I’ve felt cut to the quick on occasion and suffered huge amounts of self doubt after one such episode so I’m always mindful of how I communicate, and never assume a student understands what I take for granted in my own practice. One of the ways I like to do that is to describe the exercise choreography and then either acknowledge where it can be felt and highlight what ( of many ) possibilities the client may be feeling, offering reassurance, gentle encouragement and coaching throughout the movement- no matter how simple it may be, no matter how restricted their movement is or indeed, how skilled and experienced they are. Whether you’re a long standing teacher, a budding trainee teacher or an enthusiastic student it’s always good to remember everyone is different and we all see and hear information in different ways. So stay inquisitive 🧐 Stay kind in your teaching and stay kind in your own personal practice. Pilates is always the mind and body working together- a healthy, happy mind goes hand in hand with a healthy, happy body. Have a beautiful day ❤️