This wellness enthusiast is on a mission to popularise classical pilates in Singapore

In a fitness scene dominated by high intensity circuit training, skyrocketing heart rates and calorie burn during a sweat sesh, consider pilates the quiet luxury alternative to this Type A gym culture.

After all, the practice of pilates, which comprises targeted, mindful movements performed on specially designed equipment or on a mat, encourages practitioners to focus on proper alignment, muscle engagement and breath control. Proponents say they leave a class feeling taller, more poised and with a heightened awareness of the way their bodies move.

Enter Flex Studio, the latest addition to Singapore’s flourishing pilates scene, located within the swanky Palais Renaissance. What makes this studio’s offerings different is that it focuses on classical pilates, which uses the original system of movement, equipment, and sequences meticulously crafted by Joseph Pilates, the founder of pilates.

Jet-setting wellness enthusiats may already recognise the name of this studio – it originated in Hong Kong and was founded by Heather Thomas, who is a well-respected pilates instructor with multiple certifications in classical pilates and other modalities in yoga, barre and TRX.

Originally from New York, she launched the premium Flex Studio in Hong Kong in 2005 – it currently has two locations in Southside and Central – and had long been interested in expanding to Singapore. The pandemic delayed her plans but now that the Singapore studio has been established, she is based here to oversee its day-to-day operations and returns to Hong Kong every six to eight weeks.

“The Singapore market is becoming a lot more mature and has a well-travelled population. They want the best in luxury and fashion and dining, why should it be any different when it comes to being knowledgeable about this kind of movement,” said Thomas, who is also a lead educator for Real Pilates Teacher Training, a globally recognised classical pilates education centre based in New York City.

“Flex Studio ensures Singaporeans get the best of the best and  take their knowledge of pilates confidently across the globe to practise elsewhere with ease and sophistication.”

While there are many pilates studios in Singapore, most of them focus on contemporary styles, which tend to be more trend- and fitness-based. “A lot of contemporary classes are more like a workout where you sweat and then it is over,” she said.

On the other hand, classical pilates, which is based on Pilates’ original teachings, features “consistent foundational components” that Thomas likens to baseline exercises and movements that are what the body needs.

The difference can be subtle since some of the exercises and movements are the same, but she noticed how her clients began making significant improvements when she transitioned from teaching contemporary to classical pilates.

“As a result of our commitment to the classical method, we saw bodies getting stronger and people understanding how this could be therapeutic and beneficial to their bodies,” she observed.

“People have moved in the direction of ‘I just want to sweat’ so classes have gotten shorter, faster and harder. But Joseph Pilates belonged to the traditional school of repeating certain movements to get better as a benchmark.”

This means the classical classes at the roomy, light-filled Flex Studio, which include private sessions as well as small groups of up to four people at most, start with sequences in a set order. Based on this, the instructor is then able to assess each individual and structure the rest of the session to target specific issues.

In addition, the use of a sequence helps to encourage mindfulness, especially when repeat practitioners can enter a “flow state” while doing their reps. This is because it requires full attention for individuals to pay attention to the specific alignments and placements of their bodies, down to the position of their toes.

“I’ll say the name of the next exercise and they will know what it is – the more they perform it, the more internalised it becomes. I think this mindfulness element is something people are keen on right now especially because it is rare for people to enter into an unbroken 55-minute chain of concentration,” she observed.

“By paying this much attention to your body, there is just so much more intellectual and physical intelligence at the end of the class.”

The training results in an improvement in functional fitness, a strengthening of the core and other key muscles in the body as well as a reduction in pain and the likelihood of injury due to the focus on controlled, precise movements, she said.

“This is not a workout that leaves you when you end the class. We are trying to put the springs – and the knowledge – in the client’s body so their practice is what really happens when they walk out the door.”

This also means this form of pilates is not just for those dealing with physical issues or rehabilitating from an injury; it is also an ideal complement even for those who are hooked on the endorphin rush of a blow-out gym session. Noting that F45 junkies and their ilk are increasingly seeking out classical pilates sessions for balance, Thomas said: “When you learn to squat properly and align yourself so that you use a proper range of motion, you will do your gym workouts better – and injury free.”

In a way, things have come full circle for this style of pilates, which was created almost a century ago in the 1930s. “Back then, Joseph Pilates wrote about how the modern lifestyle is ruining us, such as by stuffing our feet into small shoes. He said we should be exposed to fresh air and that vitamin D from sunlight is good for us,” she said. “He said the body wants to do the right thing and return to its natural state, but we just need to give it the opportunity to self-correct.”