Jane Hamilton Pilates

Over the last 12 years, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed teaching Pilates to many people of all ages and abilities, and with varying muscle and joint problems, back issues and health conditions. I started my complementary healthcare training 19 years ago, qualifying in 2002 with a diploma from the London School of Sports Massage. I returned to my home city of Edinburgh that year, successfully building up a client base and running the complementary healthcare clinic Happy Being for 12 years in the west end, until 2020. Back in 2009, I decided to train as a Pilates teacher and qualified with a certificate in mat Pilates teaching Level 3 CYQ (Central YMCA Qualifications). This came from a desire to help my massage clients develop the tools to care for their own bodies rather than relying on regular massage treatments and doing their own exercises between sessions with varying results. The two disciplines successfully ran side by side, with many people coming to the clinic for both massage treatments and Pilates classes. In 2016 I developed my physiological and anatomical knowledge and practical skills further by achieving an advanced remedial massage diploma from the Scottish School of Sports Massage. I apply the knowledge I gained through this training to my Pilates teaching, drawing on a deeper understanding of the human body and how it works. I am constantly developing ideas, combining my vision with a structured modern approach. I’ve worked with many clients with varying levels of fitness and health conditions, from athletes to those with chronic fatigue syndrome CFS/ ME. I start with the 8 fundamental principles of the Pilates Method and the many Pilates movements to bring about new ideas. These are often from varying disciplines which I’ve studied and practised over the years such as Qigong, Tai Chi and even meditation with breath work. Many of the balance, warm-up stretches and cool-down movements in the classes are Qigong-based.