Breathe Pilates Blog
Client Stories: Jeanne
This International Women’s Day, we chat with Jeanne Samuel who’s survived cervical cancer, how she coped, and shares how she overcame the experience.
Client Stories: Michelle
As part of International Women’s Day, we chat with clients who have an inspiring story to tell. This week, we speak to the lovely Michelle Lim, CEO of Insight Asset management on how she started her own firm!
A Socially Distanced Valentine’s Day at Home
Just in case January zoomed right by for you (as it did for me), here’s a reminder that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!
Whether or not you celebrate it, it’s always a good time to express your love and gratitude to the special people in your life! As a nation of food lovers, why not use this opportunity to cook up something delicious for your loved one (or ones)!
Here’s a super easy recipe that you can whip up in a jiffy at home. All you need is a large pot and an oven (a small toaster oven would work fine for this too!). Not only is this dish easy to put together, it is also delicious and is packed full of protein and omega-3 fats.
Meet New Instructor, Bhakti
As a licensed physiotherapist, Bhakti practiced acute care in India for 7+ years. During this time, she was first introduced to Mat Rehab Pilates. After the birth of her son, Bhakti took a sabbatical to spend time with him. She took postnatal pilates classes and gained back her core strength and regained control of her body. Her personal journey led her to become a certified instructor in Mat and Reformer Pilates!
Now a Breathe Pilates Instructor, we get to know more about Bhakti this week as we find out more about her Pilates journey, mom life and what to expect from her sessions!
Debunking Detoxing with Charlotte Mei
It’s that time of the year for the ‘New Year New Me’ plans! Our diets go through a major overhaul, we sign up for new gym passes, we sign up for a ‘detox’ plan and “I’m on my way to get fit and healthy!” It is great that the new year gets many people motivated to change some habits and improve their wellbeing. However, the long and short of it is that a ‘detox’ isn’t going to get us to good health, as there are no shortcuts when it comes to the human body.
Teacher Training in 2020 with Thicha
As we wrap up this turbulent year, we reflect on how this pandemic affected our community. Not only did studio closures affect our group classes and privates but also our teacher training courses. As a leading teacher training center, that has built a reputation for growing quality Instructors, Thicha was not going to let a country-wide lockdown stop her! This week, we chat with our Education Director and Lead Instructor Trainer on her experience on taking these intensive and usually studio-based training courses, online!
Meet New Instructor, Shauna
Born and raised in Singapore, Shauna worked as a Flight Stewardess for the past 4 years. She discovered Pilates back when she was a dancer and since then tried different Pilates classes around the world before joining Breathe.
This week, we get to know our new Instructor, how her Pilates journey started, her favourite travel destination, and what we can expect from her classes!
Pregnancy & Post-Natal Recovery with Deborah Wong
If you hadn’t noticed already, we love to talk about the benefits of Pilates for pregnant women and mums. And there is a good reason for this, aside from scientific studies we’ve seen many of our Instructors and clients enjoy a more positive pregnancy (and recover more quickly post-partum) because of their sessions with us. You don’t just need to take our word for it though.
At Breathe Pilates, we love to share stories so we have decided to start a series of post-natal journeys with our Instructors and clients. This week the spotlight is on our newest mum, Dr Deborah Wong who shares with us her pregnancy, labor, and her recovery experience.
Meet New Instructor, Wan Jung
Born and raised in Taiwan, Wan Jung worked as a Physiotherapist for the past 4 years. She discovered Pilates while seeking a long-term and efficient exercise for her back pain and hand injury. Wan Jung found that rehabilitating with Pilates has helped her to recover faster from her injuries, and also prevented her from further work-related injuries.
This week, we get to know our new Instructor, how her Pilates journey started, her COVID-19 experience, and what we can expect from her classes!
Meet New Instructor, Caureen
Due to her scoliosis and unsupervised HIIT workouts, Caureen suffered unbearable pains in her shoulders, hips, and knees. As a result, she turned to Pilates as a form of rehabilitation. since then, her life has changed as her constant pain has disappeared! As a firm believer in the benefits of Pilates, Caureen is keen to share her knowledge with clients to help them better understand proper functional movement.
Read on to find out more about our newest Instructor!
The GARUDA Method
With new fitness trends popping up every day, there’s no lack of options to stay active in Singapore. While Pilates and GYROTONIC continue to rise in popularity, new variations of the classics are also picking up momentum in Singapore’s fitness scene.
Enter The Garuda Method; an all-in-one fitness program that encompasses the principles of Pilates, the breathwork of yoga plus the grace and athleticism of dance.
In this article, Dorothy discusses why Pilates buffs should be obsessed with this new workout!
Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Q&A with Charlene Koh
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign that helps to drive awareness of the disease that impacts 2.1 million women each year. In order to improve breast cancer outcomes and survival, early detection is critical so we urge you to take charge of your health and go for regular screenings. Early Detection Saves Lives.
This month we speak with Breathe Client and Founder of Breathe Essentials Co, Charlene Koh who shares with us her story on her diagnosis, how her lifestyle has changed, and life after fighting the cancer.
Client Stories: Elaine
This month, we chat with Pilates and Mobility fan Elaine on her COVID-19 journey. We find out what her routine was like pre-pandemic, her experience through circuit breaker and what she’s learned so far in 2020.
Breathe Pilates Training Programme
When researching for a pilates studio, we often see the phrase “quality instructors” but what exactly does a pilates studio do to ensure that their instructors are of quality and what is a quality instructor?
This week, we talk to Co-Owner Dennis and Breathe Education Director, Thicha on how Breathe has built a reputation within the industry as a quality pilates studio and the journey it took to get there.
Why Mobility Matters
At Breathe Pilates, we believe that everyone is entitled to freedom of movement and we aim to empower every individual to create a life of vitality and mobility. The ability to move freely and with ease, and to function with diminished risk of injury and pain, is essential to one’s quality of life.
From what began as a hobby for our Education Director, Thicha developed Singapore’s first Mobility class with the aim to improve the flexibility and range of motion on specific joints to ensure clients (like her!) can move better, feel better and live better.
Instructor Spotlight: Fiona
“Be in control of your body and not at its mercy” – Joseph Pilates. This has been the guiding philosophy ever since Fiona was diagnosed with degenerative discs and spondylolisthesis in her early 20s which her doctor ascribed to her mountain climbing days. Frustrated at the lack of results from rounds of physiotherapy sessions, Fiona was introduced to Pilates and soon mastered control over her own body.
Q&A with Studio Manager, Zurina
This month, we are excited to sit down with our lovely Studio Manager, Zurina Bryant. As the life and soul of the studio and the Queen of getting stuff done, we get to know more about her, what her role is like and get the gossip on the goings-on in the studio
Lower Back & Hip Pain
Lower back and hip pain is extremely common. For some of us, this could be a simple ache that improves quickly. However, for others, it can be a much longer-term problem. These range from simple stiffness due to poor posture to more serious conditions like herniated discs and sciatica.
In this series, we begin to explain the most common causes of lower back and hip pain and over the next few weeks, we will publish exercises and self-massage technique videos to help relieve that tension so you can stand tall and pain-free!
Instructor Spotlight: Mari Tang
This month, we speak with Mari. As we celebrate her 5 years teaching at Breathe and her promotion to Senior Instructor – we delve deeper to speak more of her Pilates journey, her favourite fashion items and wellness rituals and advice she gives to those aspiring Pilates Instructors out there.
Neck & Upper Back Pain
The most common complaint we’ve been hearing this circuit breaker, has been that of neck and shoulder pain. Prolonged neck and upper back strain can result in wear and tear of the underlying structures resulting in degenerative disc disease and compression of the spinal cord. In this series, we explain the most common causes of neck and shoulder pain, and over the next few weeks, will publish some videos and articles of exercises and self massage techniques to help nip the problem in the bud.