“I started this year very excited to embark on the course and despite some of the more challenging moments, the rewards have been far greater. My motivation in taking the course was to learn more about the human body and to challenge myself physically. I definitely succeeded in those objectives but in the process I also found a true love for the practice, a passion for teaching and met some wonderful people along the way. Thank you for your integrity as a teacher and for sharing your love of pilates”.

Thanks for such a memorable time and for being such an inspiring teacher. It has been a beautiful journey you have taken us on.

I am so thrilled that I chose to do my Pilates Mat Certification with Kyrie. Her course is the perfect match of in-depth lectures, engaging discussions that push your thinking and reasoning and precise and detailed practical sessions. It was so wonderful to be a part of a smaller group with plenty of one-on-one attention and Kyrie’s passion and enthusiasm for what she does is all the motivation you need to get you through the course! This course was everything I had hoped for and more.

I asked this client (who I will call Jane as she wishes to remain anonymous) if she would like to write a testimonial for me as her personal experience with regards Pilates has been so life enhancing. Jane lived in Germinston and would visit her mother here in Johannesburg from time to time. Jane’s mother has been a client of mine for many years and Jane would come and join her mother’s Pilates class whenever she was visiting. When Jane was diagnosed with cancer last June she moved to Johannesburg to live with her mother. This is what she wrote:

“On the 27th June 2012 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had scheduled a mammogram just before I was due to leave on an overseas trip, and instead of going on holiday I found myself plunged into a vortex of tests, scans (and) doctors appointments. Within two weeks I was undergoing chemotherapy. The shock of it took my breath away, and I don’t think that I truly breathed properly again until I started Pilates classes with Kyrie two months later in early September. When I first dragged myself into Kyrie’s class I was not sure what I would manage at all. I was exhausted from the chemotherapy and from the shock of the diagnosis. I was also suffering from an inner ear virus that caused vertigo. I felt as though I could hardly stand let alone manage a class. I had been doing Pilates at another studio in a different town for four years so I knew the basic principles of Pilates practise. What stands out clearly for me from that first class (with Kyrie in September) was that for the first time ever I really understood the power and importance of breathing. I remember lying on the transformer (Reformer) moving my legs gently back and forth, and for the first time in months taking long, slow, healing breaths and feeling like it would all be okay. I continued my Pilates class(es) through the remainder of my first round of chemotherapy, resuming three weeks after my mastectomy and continuing through my second round of chemo. Sometimes I have managed to keep up with my much older classmates, mostly however I have worked very slowly indeed. The value in working this slowly is that it allows me to truly concentrate on correct technique and breathing. I have found (that) Pilates has helped me to maintain strength, flexibility and mental focus. It has been very helpful in terms of stress relief. Kyrie is a gifted teacher who has been able to assess what I can and can’t manage, and has tailored my programme accordingly. I count these Pilates classes as an important part of my recover process”. Jane has since completed the last treatment of radiation and continues with her Pilates sessions once a week.