Your Real Body with Catherine Sophia

"I'm too old to start dancing… aren't I?"

Absolutely not.

There's no age by which you were supposed to have learnt to dance.

You don't need to have started as a child.
You don't need years of experience.
And you certainly don't need to move like you did 20 years ago.

You just start from where you are now.

For some people, dancing is about learning a skill they've always wanted to try. For others, it's about moving more, meeting people, enjoying the music or simply doing something that's just for them.

Whatever brings you through the door, you're allowed to be a beginner at any age.

And you might just wonder why you didn't start sooner.

One of the biggest breakthroughs this week wasn't someone's pain reducing.

It was a mother saying:

"I thought we'd need to find a class locally... but actually I can see that what we're doing here is enough."

That sentence might not sound particularly significant.

To me, it was.

This young woman lives with persistent pain following scoliosis surgery. When we first met, the conversation naturally centred around pain, treatments, appointments and trying to find the next answer.

Four weeks later, something had shifted.

Instead of talking about whether the exercises had "fixed" anything, she was telling me what she'd noticed.

She'd noticed the exercises were becoming easier.

She'd noticed they weren't creating the flare-up she'd feared.

She'd noticed the difference between muscles working and her familiar pain.

She'd noticed that walking felt different to structured exercises.

Those observations matter.

Because they tell me she's beginning to trust her own experience.

But something else happened that I wasn't expecting.

Her mum, who has understandably carried years of appointments, worry, research and responsibility, thanked me when I said:

"I don't want these exercises to become another responsibility on your shoulders."

That moment stayed with me.

Sometimes the most helpful thing we can offer isn't another exercise.

Or another explanation.

Sometimes it's acknowledging the weight someone has been carrying for years... and quietly giving them permission to put just a little of it down.

Pain rarely affects just one person.

It affects relationships.

Roles.

Responsibilities.

The nervous systems of everyone around it.

Sometimes healing begins not because we've found the perfect intervention, but because everyone in the room starts relating to the problem a little differently.

That's why I don't just coach pain.

I'm interested in helping people understand their story, connect the dots, and create enough safety that change becomes possible.

Because often the first thing that changes isn't the pain.

It's the person.

The brain prefers a coherent story.

Even if it isn’t fully true.

Sometimes it’s safer to doubt yourself than question the system.

New blog in the series.

https://www.catherinesophia.co.uk/post/safestory

One part of my work that clients never see happens after they've gone home.

I reflect.

After every discovery call, assessment and coaching session, I spend time thinking back through the conversation.

What did I notice?

What seemed important?

Was there something they said that deserved more attention?

Did I miss a connection that might help us move forward next time?

During a session, you're naturally drawing on knowledge, experience and pattern recognition. Sometimes that allows you to ask the right question at exactly the right moment.

But reflection gives me something different.

It gives me the opportunity to slow down.

To notice the things I couldn't notice whilst also listening, responding and thinking ahead.

It's also where I learn about me.

Did I rush a part that needed more space?

Did I explain something too much... or not enough?

Was I trying to be helpful when curiosity would have been more useful?

I don't reflect because I expect every session to be perfect.

I reflect because every person is different.

Every conversation teaches me something.

And if I want the people I work with to become more curious about themselves, it feels only right that I remain curious about myself too.

Growth isn't just something I hope for in my clients.

It's something I try to practise myself.

A lovely afternoon supporting one of my own 🌸

Today I took my mum along to Chambers Farm Flowers, run by the lovely Corrina, who many of you will know from my Cranbrook Pilates class.

We spent a very happy couple of hours wandering amongst the flowers, picking our own bunches, followed by homemade cake and a cuppa. 🌼☕🍰

There’s something rather special about being able to support the people who come through the doors of my classes in the things they do too, and Corrina has created such a lovely, relaxed little place to visit.

If you’re local and fancy picking yourself a beautiful bunch of flowers (with cake afterwards, obviously!), Chambers Farm Flowers is definitely worth a visit.

Mum thoroughly approved too! ❤️🌸

People often think 1:1 Pilates has to be serious.

It isn't.

Yes, we work on strength, balance, mobility and movement. Yes, sessions are tailored to your body and your goals.

But we also laugh.

Sometimes because we've both gone the wrong way.

Sometimes because an exercise looks much easier than it feels.

Sometimes because your body surprises you with what it can do.

Learning happens best when you're relaxed enough to enjoy the process.

There's no pressure to keep up, no worrying about what everyone else is doing, and plenty of opportunities to celebrate the little wins along the way.

One-to-one Pilates isn't just about moving better.

It's about enjoying moving again.

And I think that's something we could all do with a little more of.

Sometimes people don't come looking for another treatment.

They come looking for a framework.

This week I spoke with someone who has lived with pain for years.

Over time, they've collected diagnoses, seen different professionals, been given exercises, treatments and advice.

But one thing was still missing.

A way of making sense of it all.

During our conversation they said things like:

"I need a framework."

"I need someone to guide me."

"I don't want generic exercises."

"I need to understand what's going on."

That struck me.

Because so often, people aren't lacking information.

They're drowning in it.

They've been given pieces of the puzzle, but nobody has helped them see how those pieces fit together.

One of the things we talked about was this:

There are many people living with hypermobility, scoliosis or EDS who aren't experiencing pain that has taken over their lives.

So rather than asking, "What's wrong with your body?"

A more helpful question can be:

"Why has your nervous system developed this particular pattern?"

That question changes everything.

It moves us away from chasing the next diagnosis or the next exercise, and towards understanding the unique combination of experiences, adaptations, movement, stress, health, beliefs, habits and protective responses that have shaped where someone is today.

My role isn't simply to prescribe exercises.

It's to help people understand why their pain has developed in the way it has, to connect the dots that often feel scattered across years of appointments, and to work together on a plan that makes sense for them.

Not because people need fixing.

But because understanding often creates the foundation for change.

If you've ever felt as though you've been passed from one practitioner to another, collecting more answers but somehow making less sense of the whole picture, perhaps the question isn't:

"What treatment do I need next?"

Perhaps it's:

"Do I need someone to help me connect the dots?"

I'm Too Stiff for Pilates... Aren't I?

This is probably the most common reason people give for not trying Pilates.

Ironically, it's often one of the best reasons to start.

You don't need to be flexible before you come. You don't need to touch your toes or move in ways that feel impossible.

Pilates isn't about proving how flexible you are.

It's about helping you move a little more comfortably than you did yesterday.

Some people notice they become more flexible over time. Others simply find everyday things become easier. Bending down to tie shoelaces. Reaching into a cupboard. Turning to look behind them. Getting up off the floor.

Those are the changes that really matter.

So if you've been waiting until you're "less stiff" before giving Pilates a go...

Don't wait.

Come as you are. We'll work from there.