01

At first, you will be totally baffled by the breathing. For something you have nailed pretty reliably since the womb suddenly you'll be *thinking* about breathing for the first time and you'll worry you're doing it 'wrong'. You will get the breathing patterns eventually, though....or maybe you won't. Soon you will realise it actually doesn't matter too much and as long as you are breathing full stop, you are doing just fine.

02

You will hate the spiky balls for 30 seconds. Unless your tastes are very niche, rolling parts of your body over something spiky never featured very highly on the list of things you find relaxing. Until....

03

…You will have an overwhelming urge to buy one. And you will. No more waiting for your partner to offer a foot massage in front of the telly, now you can give yourself a treat. Good luck keeping it away from the dog, though.

04

At first you'll have doubts, then you will become obsessed. "Surely this can't be doing much," you'll think as your instructor gets you working through an elaborate routine for your ankles. Fast forward two weeks and you are enlisting everyone you know into the class. You are an unstoppable one-woman marketing machine from which no-one is safe: your brother, your nan, a stranger you met in the Co-op. For the 400% increase in their new client enrolments your instructor really should be paying you.

05

You will become that person who talks about Pilates at parties. Sorry, it's just a fact. Should you get even the slightest whiff of a sprained ankle or a person with back problems, you'll be reeling off your 'Pilates Changed My Life' story.

06

You will be surprised by some unexpected changes. Yes, you thought you might get a stronger core, you half-knew that you'd feel a bit more flexible but you didn't know how bad your balance was until you stop wobbling over every time you bend to get something off the floor. You also notice some other more personal benefits in the bedroom... you thought childbirth has ridden you of your pelvic floor completely. You thought wrong.

07

You will make new friends. Because when you are being asked to balance on a wobbly ball on one leg while waving your arms over head you will feel silly and, it turns out, so does everyone else. Soon your hour of Beginners Pilates will turn into your favourite time of the week where you miraculously forget about that thing that has been keeping you awake at night and it might even turn into pilates-plus-a-chat-over-a -coffee-at-that-nice-place-round-the-corner.

08

You will become very aware of your posture. Nevermore the shape of a well-done prawn, now you float through your front door like Darcy Bussell.

Beginners Pilates Classes run twice weekly in Colchester and Rowhedge. Check out the latest timetable here and email laura@colchesterpilates.com to book your £5 taster class.

About the author: Laura Harding is a Pilates teacher based in Colchester, Essex, UK. laura@colchesterpilates.com
Instagram: @colchesterpilates

References:

• Bowman, K, 2014, ‘Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement’