Claire Willis Pilates

Pilates for real people. Move well, feel strong, live fully
L3 Pilates • PT • GP Referral
Safe, friendly community classes
📩 DM "Move" for more info

19/06/2026

I’m planning a Pilates Q&A and I need your help 😊

What have you always wanted to ask about Pilates?

Maybe you’re curious about:

getting started
improving strength and mobility
adapting exercises
aches and pains
whether Pilates is right for you

Ask away — nothing is too small (or too random 😂)

I’ll collect your questions and answer them in a post at the end of the month 💛

👇 What would you like to know? Leave a comment (or if you want to remain anonymous, feel free to DM me)

Photos from Claire Willis Pilates's post

18/06/2026

💿 A little bit of nostalgia with a Pilates twist ✨

If you remember those magazine quizzes where you’d tick your answers and turn straight to the result page… this one’s for you 😄

I’ve created a fun little Pilates personality quiz:

🌿 Are you someone who loves perfecting the details?
✨ Someone who just loves how movement makes you feel?
💪 Someone who enjoys discovering what your body can do?

Have a swipe through, count your answers and let me know…

What did you get — A, B or C? 👇

(And don’t worry… every result is a good one 😉)

16/06/2026

Can we appreciate Swan Dive for a moment? Because it's one of those moves that genuinely makes you feel like you're in a professional dance performance — even if your living room floor tells a slightly different story 😄🦢

You start in a Swan position — lying on your tummy, hands under shoulders, pressing up into a beautiful spinal extension. Then you dive forward, rocking on your belly and using the momentum to spring back up to that extension.

It looks elegant. And it actually IS elegant when you get it right. But here's what's really happening: your back extensors (erector spinae) are working hard in both directions, and your nervous system is having to manage momentum and redirect force — which is a genuinely sophisticated physical skill.

I love using this with clients who are ready to progress because it develops body confidence alongside strength. You have to trust your body to do the movement, and that trust is part of the training.

Have you tried Swan Dive? How did it go? 😄

15/06/2026

Pilates trends come and go… but the reason these movements keep showing up? They’re useful 💛

Your “top 10 Pilates moves” don’t need to look fancy.

The best exercises are the ones that help you:
✨ move with confidence
✨ build strength
✨ improve balance
✨ support your everyday life

Whether you’re new to Pilates, returning after time away, or adapting around a long-term condition — there’s always a way to make movement work for you.

Remember: the goal isn’t to perform Pilates perfectly.

It’s to help your body keep doing the things you love.

Which one is your favourite? 👇

14/06/2026

☎️Pilates is calling... are you in?

🧘‍♀️ Pilates is a brilliant way to invest an hour in yourself — less stiffness or back ache, easier movement, a calmer nervous system. Basically, a body that feels a little more like yours again.

It doesn't matter where you're starting from. It only matters that you start.

📍 LG-Wellbeing, Carlisle ·
🕔 Monday 5.30pm (Arrive by 5.20pm)

👉 Comment below or send me a message to reserve your place — spaces are limited and I'd love to see you there.

Know someone who keeps saying they want to try Pilates?
Tag them below or share this post — you might just give them the nudge they needed. 💛

13/06/2026

We often think about exercise as something we do to “fix” ourselves.
But movement is so much bigger than that.

It’s about keeping the things that make life feel like life:
🌿 getting up from the floor
🌿 carrying your own bags
🌿 playing with grandchildren
🌿 walking with confidence
🌿 feeling comfortable in your own body

Strength, balance and mobility are skills — and like any skill, they respond to practice.

You don’t need to start with an hour in the gym or a perfect routine.

Start with one small step.
Your future self will notice 💛

What’s one thing you want to still be able to do in 10, 20 or 30 years?

💬 Please let me know in the comments

09/06/2026

I want to give The Saw the appreciation it deserves because I think it flies under the radar a bit 🙌

The Saw: sit tall with legs wider than hips, arms extended out to the sides. Rotate to one side and reach your little finger towards your opposite little toe — pulsing three times — then come back through centre and rotate to the other side.

Why I love it: it combines thoracic rotation, hamstring flexibility, and lateral side-body length all in one smooth movement. The rotation creates a mild traction effect through the vertebrae — that 'wringing out' feeling — which is fantastic if you sit for long hours or feel stiff through your mid-back.

As an exercise referral instructor I love this for clients who have desk-based jobs, mild spinal stiffness, or who need to improve their rotational range without putting strain on their back. It's accessible, effective and feels genuinely wonderful when you do it properly.

Key coaching point: tall spine BEFORE you rotate. The rotation is only effective if there's length to work with first.

Worth adding to your next session! 💚