Owner Ally Cohen has a loyal following, with enthusiasts returning year after year to her classes. It’s a supportive environment where Ally prioritises building a community and encourages making new friends along the way.

In usual Auckland fashion, it’s raining when I visit, but luckily Ally has provided just enough parking for the number of reformer beds she has in her studio – four.

The studio is small by design. With this number of people per class, Ally can offer a form of Pilates personal training in which you are guaranteed to receive individualised attention.

It’s my first reformer Pilates class and naturally, I am a little apprehensive. Will I be bendy enough, how will I know how to use the reformer machine, and will I look stupid when I can’t do something?

Those fears quickly vanish as Ally puts me at ease in a beginners’ class.

Ally talks us through the moves, continuously moving around the studio, adjusting here and there, suggesting slight tweaks, and is always guiding us. I am surprised how easy I find it and put this down to Ally’s experienced and expert instruction.

Ally explains the newcomer experience: “I do a welcome to Pilates sequence, which does a full body workout to give you confidence on how to use the machine and then you’re brave enough to move on to the next exercises that follow.”

Nothing feels rushed and being in the right position is paramount before moving. Breath is a focus. Ally keeps talking, I keep moving and then we are done – it doesn’t feel like an hour.

Ally explains that “Pilates is a strength and flexibility workout. It encourages mobility, as well as bone density. As we age our bodies need to remain active and Pilates is accessible to any body shape and fitness level – what’s more, it’s good for your mind.”

Afterward, I chat with two women in their seventies who have been attending Ally’s pilates classes for years and form part of her fan club. They followed her from BodyTech to her new studio. They tell me they swear by Pilates for staying flexible and strong, enabling them to keep up an active lifestyle as they age. 

I meet Phil Cross as he arrives for his mid-morning class. He says he was a gym guy all his life – weight training was his thing. Yet he was always sore and heading to the massage therapist once a week. Ally says she challenged him to take her Pilates class and Phil says he hasn’t looked back.

“I gave up weight training because I get everything I need from Pilates without the pain that I was experiencing after weight training sessions. I am fit and flexible, which is what I need at my age and stage.” Phil does not look his 78 years.

“The flexibility and mobility that he gets from reformer has been a literal life changer for him,” Ally adds. “He now has greater mobility and lives pain free.”

And it’s for younger people too. I meet Gail Batten, who says she does both yoga and pilates with Ally. “She makes it fun, like today we were ‘offering tea to the royalty’ just to take us away from the pain. She’s very good and uses a wide range of movements. And it’s social, you get to know the regulars and we go for coffee.”

Check the website for various concession cards, which include a free (for existing subscribers) outdoor Yogalates class 9.30am on Fridays at Tahaki Reserve ($25 for drop-ins).

What is Pilates?

Pilates was created by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates and is a mind and body practice with six principles:

1. Centering

This is to bring focus to the centre of the body, in Pilates this area is called the Powerhouse. It is where our strength comes from.

2. Concentration

This is to bring mindfulness to each movement. This concept intends that the more commitment you bring to the movement the more value you will get from it.

3. Control

This concept is where the original name, “Contrology”, came from. Our bodies should be under our control and not left flailing about in space. This includes our mind. We practise mindfulness when we practise control over the muscles in our bodies. 

4. Precision

In Pilates, we aim to stay aware through each movement. We aim to do the movement deliberately and perfect our technique.

5. Breath

It is perhaps the most essential principle to Joseph Pilates, that we learn to breathe properly. We use full lateral breaths and use them to perform the movements.

6. Flow

Pilates is intended to be performed with grace and ease. Maintaining control throughout the movements. Using the Pilates reformer machine is an excellent way to determine how graceful we are completing our practice. It will bang and jerk around if we are not in control. 

Uptown Pilates and Yoga

Suite 112/127 Newton Road

Ph: 0210 578 636
Web: uptown-pilates-and-yoga.business.site

Booking: app.ubindi.com/Ally.Cohen