In less than a year, Gloucester's Nicola Knight has transformed a vacant office space in the city centre into a beautifully decorated, fully equipped Pilates studio, where clients of all ages, genders and abilities are improving their balance, mobility and posture under expert instruction.
SoGlos sits down with Nicola to find out how she started Palm Flow, the key benefits of Pilates, and what's on offer for clients at the fitness studio, whether you're a total beginner or fully adept.
Nicola, tell us a bit about yourself.
I'm Gloucester born and bred, and I've worked since leaving school. I didn't go to sixth form, I went straight into an apprenticeship at Thomas Cook. I've held various admin roles, but I think I'm the kind of person that enjoys leading and being creative. I had a little inkling in my mind that I might eventually have something of my own. I didn't know what it would be, but I think I knew that I could do it.
I'm a mum – my daughter is 15 – a wife and I have two dogs. I was on the PTA for my daughter's primary school – and still am! – and I have a reputation with my friends as being Monica from Friends because I'm very organised, clean, neat and tidy. That's just me!
Why did you decide to open a Pilates studio in Gloucester?
I first got into Pilates because I have scoliosis – curvature of the spine. After having my daughter, I had various gym memberships to try and get back into shape. I also did yoga, which I wasn't that fussed on – I found it too relaxing. And then I found Pilates, which I practiced with a local instructor, Isa, in a studio at her house for around two-and-a-half years, before she moved to France.
I find Pilates to be really good for my back – when I've been practising and have been working hard on say, shoulder mobility, shoulder strength and core strength, it really helps keep everything in check.
When Isa moved, although there were studios in Gloucestershire, I wasn't familiar with them and they were mainly in Cheltenham, there were definitely none in Gloucester at the time. So I think I probably went for a year without doing any Pilates.
Then I attended classes at The Studio in Cheltenham, for a while. But there was this niggling thing in my mind that there was a gap in Gloucester – could I fill it? At first I thought, 'I don't need to do that, I don't really want to do that', could I, 'no, I actually think I can'.
So I told my husband I was serious, and he knows when I set my mind to something, I'm pretty determined – luckily, I had his support! That was August last year.
Finding the premises was quite easy – at the time my husband was using ASH Chartered Surveyors, so I got in touch with them. Below our studio is ProSkin, and I happened to know the owner. I went to view what was the landlord's office, got the tape measure out and found there was space for five reformers.
I then got in touch with Hayley from Interior Style, who I've also known for a long time, and she'd also recently done ProSkin's refit. Luckily she was able to fit me in, I gave her a few Pinterest boards, colours and ideas and she just ran with it. It was a seamless, perfect partnership!
Her tradesmen got to work in November, and I opened in mid January, so it all moved quite quickly!
Who can benefit from practising Pilates?
Pilates is for everyone – young, older, male and female – not just for women, believe it or not! My brother and my stepdad have been coming quite consistently to mat classes with our instructor, John, for example, as they both play golf. I've seen a lot of people online using poles (one of the Align accessories) on the reformer, holding them in the same way that you would hold a golf club, and using that to practise their swing.
The benefits are endless – improving mobility, flexibility, strength – whether on the reformer or the mat.
What are the main differences between reformer and mat Pilates?
The principles of Pilates remain the same whether practiced on the mat or the reformer – you do similar exercises with a big focus on breathing. Breathing is key, it's what helps to deepen the exercise.
Reformer can sometimes be a bit scary especially for beginners – online you can see people falling off (sometimes just for effect), because it's raised off the ground and you're on a moving carriage. With mat you obviously don't get that because you're on the ground, there's not really anywhere to fall and that makes people feel a little more comfortable.
If someone is really new to it, maybe start with the mat first. That's a really good way to learn the fundamentals, the breathing, the principles, and then maybe after two, three, or even 10 sessions, you could move to the reformer if you choose.
On the reformer you have five resistance springs, and that's where you can build strength – you're not just using your body weight. With the mat, you have equipment you can use – handheld and ankle weights, things like that – but mainly you're using your body weight, so it can be a bit harder to build strength.
What’s a good place to start for anyone new to Pilates?
If you're new, our introductory offer for two classes – for reformer or mat – is a really nice thing to do, because having two classes means that you don't just try it once and give up. You're not going to see anything after one class. You would probably need to go to, I'd say, five to get a really good feel for it. And we offer a five-class pack for both reformer and mat Pilates, a 10-class pack just for reformer, and then there's membership. A lot of members choose to do a combination of reformer and mat.
I would recommend starting small, but to actually see results, twice a week is good to aim for. Consistency is key – you wouldn't just go twice a month and expect to get anything from it, it's the same as if you're running or if you're at the gym – you need to give it time.
We also offer a 20 per cent blue light discount, because we're so close to the hospital.
What about those looking to take their movement to the next level?
We have beginner and more advanced sessions – but really anyone can attend any class. Once you build a little bit of consistency and have gotten to know the instructor, you'll know their style and can progress from there.
We haven't got any classes that are 'hard' per se – we've got instructors that have different styles. Where I've got to know clients, I've built a rapport with them and they understand that just because the name of a class is 'intro', it doesn't mean they can't take it.
There are five reformers, which is nice because it keeps it intimate – one person might be new so the instructor can dedicate a bit of time to them, but at the same time, with the other people they might have seen for three, four weeks on the trot, they might tell them to change their springs, which have varying degrees of resistance.
They may say, 'Bea', change from a blue spring to a yellow spring. That means it's slightly lighter, they'll get more from the exercise. So each instructor will tailor the class to who is in and what they're doing. The main reason behind 'intro' in the title is so someone completely new to Pilates can choose that class with confidence.
I would say to anyone that's unsure which class is for them, just ask the question – either message on Instagram, e-mail, or ask the instructor.
How can people book classes at Palm Flow?
For more information about everything on offer at Palm Flow, and to book classes, visit palmflow.co.uk.
