All Pilates classes are beneficial, though depending on your individual medical history and physical requirements one format may be more suitable to you than another. You can discuss the best options for you with your Pilates Foundation Teacher.

Wear comfortable clothing that you can easily move in. Pilates is usually practiced in socks or bare feet.

Pilates can help with back pain, provided it is taught properly and practised with care. There is more to healing from back pain than strengthening the abdominals (as is commonly perceived). Both teacher and client should work together to help correct faulty movement patterns and strengthen the whole body to enable a life with less pain.

Yes, definitely! When Joseph Pilates created his method 60% of his clientele were men. It can aid in developing athletic ability, meeting specific training goals, developing stamina and rehabilitating injuries. More and more top level athletes are incorporating Pilates into their training routines and are seeing results. Everyone benefits from Pilates! And no, it's not a 'girlie thing'.

More and more top level athletes are adding Pilates to their regular workout practice and are seeing and feeling the results!

Pilates increases peak fitness by fine-tuning where movement comes from, balancing musculature and developing neural pathways to 'non-dominant' (and underused) parts of the body. This creates the opportunity to move with more ease, fluidity and power - increasing the athletic ability through regular practice.

Pilates is beneficial throughout pregnancy, though the goal of the work changes as your physical needs change. Pilates can bring a lot of relief during pregnancy and build tools that help during birth and increase the rate of recovery afterwards.

We do not recommend starting an open Pilates class during pregnancy. Pilates in pregnancy should be done in a specialised natal class or in personalised sessions. All Pilates Foundatuion Teachers are trained in safe adaptations for teaching during the natal period.

With a Pilates Foundation Teacher the client can be assured that they are in safe hands. There are other Pilates Teachers out there, some of whom are truly excellent, some of whom have done a short and near-worthless training course. Is it worth putting your physical health in lesser hands?

Ask your teacher when and where they did their training, and who is their accrediting body. Not all Pilates teachers are trained to the highest standard, so asking about training before choosing to work with a teacher is important.

All Pilates Foundation Teachers have a current membership certificate; look for Pilates Foundation membership certificates, posters and fliers in the Pilates studio. If they are not visible, ask!

Pilates Foundation trainings recognise that Pilates is a complex and thorough method and that to be qualified to the highest standard takes time.

The cost reflects the length and comprehensive nature of the training. Though the modular trainings offered by other Pilates bodies seem cheaper, when compared to the hours delivered, Pilates Foundation courses come out significantly cheaper.

Both Pilates and yoga aim to bring the mind's focus inwards to achieve release in the body. Yoga poses are held to allow release and tune inwards, while PIlates focuses on achieving balance, buoyancy and strength through precise whole body movements. Pilates is a movement practice that develops fluidity and ease in the body.

While yoga in it's various forms is an ancient practice, Pilates is around 100 years old.

While Pilates DVDs and online videos can be beneficial in supplementing the home practice of a Pilates client who is working with a regular teacher, we do not recommend trying to learn the Pilates Method at a distance.

As the purpose of Pilates is to re-educate movement patterns in the body, the benefits cannot be fully achieved unless being taught under the watchful eye of a quality teacher; further, Pilates is a hands-on practice which cannot be achieved from a distance.

DVDs and online videos offer participants the chance to go through the Pilates exercises and get a 'workout', but they cannot offer the full benefits or depth of practice available from regularly attending Pilates classes. Find a great teacher, attend class regularly and you will never regret it!