Pilates transforms the way your body looks, feels and performs. It teaches body awareness, good posture and easy movement. It promotes flexibility, agility and economy of motion - essential for peak performance. Pilates conditions the whole body so no muscle group is over or undertrained. Some workouts, especially those designed for elite and professional athletes, may promote muscular imbalance, creating a potential for injury. A body with balanced strength and flexibility is less likely to be injured so you can enjoy daily activities and sports with greater ease. Moreover, at Conscious Connections, quality is valued over quantity. Most Pilates exercises are low impact and partially weight bearing, making it the safest workout. Pilates facilitates safe and rapid rehabilitation of orthopedic, neurologic, and chronic pain conditions. Pilates is a unique method of conditioning that reawakens yours body through movement and your mind through conscious thought. It is not an arduous technique and uses springs rather than weights to increase muscle mass and density. Every workout leaves you feeling refreshed and energised rather than tired and sore. Pilates is a sensible program that will help you look and feel your best, no matter what your age or condition when you start. 


Sarah’s particular approach blending the teachings of Irmgard Bartenieff with the Pilates method has been highly successful in the rehabilitation of accidental, repetitive use and chronic injuries, as well as in body conditioning programs for professional athletes and dancers designed to prevent injury and increase efficiency. Her experiences as a dancer with Fibromyalgia inspired Sarah to develop her unique approach to the Pilates method that is heavily influenced by the works of Rudolph Laban and Irmgard Bartenieff. See her book, The JPD Method of Bodyworks: A Practitioner's Primer, to find out more! The subtle interplay of muscular contraction and release patterns are explored during the training sessions, enlightening participants on their particular body’s movement habits. As this self-knowledge grows, it becomes increasingly easier to integrate all muscle fibers in an even, balanced manner to produce elegant, free-flowing movement expressed without pain or restriction. As such, Sarah creates an environment where each Pilates workout leads to a deeper mind-body connection, and a deeper understanding of one’s body.

Some benefits of Pilates include:

• elongates and strengthens muscles • evenly conditions the body through deep strength training • strengthens the trunk and results in deep core conditioning • generates maximum power and efficiency • experience less injury in daily activities • improves mind-body connection and helps with coordination • builds spine and hipbone density • reduces stress • safe for post-rehabilitation and can help with back or neck pain • slows effects of ageing • matwork develops strong abdominal, back and pelvic muscles • reformer and other equipment offer great resistance-based workouts • helps the healing process of knee and hip replacement surgeries • creates a strong balanced and well aligned body • improves posture • improves joint range of motion • increases flexibility • combines isometrics and isotonics in a flowing workout • strengthens all abominal layers, even the deepest, transversus abdominus • increases stamina and endurance •