I started teaching Pilates because I believe movement should change how you live, not just how you look.

Helen, founder and teacher at The Movement Retreat, leading a class in a rustic brick-walled studio. She is wearing a dark long-sleeve top and grey joggers, with her arms outstretched as she guides her students. Pilates equipment and class participants can be seen in the background.

A black and white photo of Helen, founder and teacher at The Movement Retreat, smiling warmly as she provides hands-on guidance to a student during a Pilates session in her studio.

My journey

A life spent teaching the joy of movement

I started teaching Pilates in my twenties, and what began as a passion quickly became a vocation. Over 25 years I've worked with hundreds of people, from complete beginners to those managing long-term conditions, and the thing that has never changed is my belief that movement should work for you, not the other way around.

Over the years I've trained extensively, certifying across all Pilates equipment with Polestar Pilates, where I also work as a mentor on their education team. I've studied anatomy and movement in depth with Gary Carter's Natural Bodies programme, not because I wanted letters after my name, but because I genuinely believe that the more you understand the body, the better you can serve the person in front of you.

Moving to Tickhill, Doncaster felt like the right moment to build something new, smaller, more focused, and entirely on my own terms. The Movement Retreat is my answer to that.

A black and white photo of Helen, founder of The Movement Retreat, teaching a Pilates mat class in her rustic brick-walled studio. Several students lie on mats performing a floor exercise while Helen stands and observes, with Pilates equipment and studio mirrors visible in the background.

How I teach

Movement taught well changes everything

Movement is a lifelong skill

I don't teach exercise for its own sake. I teach people to understand their bodies, how they work, what they need, and how to move with confidence in everyday life. That understanding is what makes the change stick long after the class has finished.

Small steps, real progress

There are no targets to hit in my classes, no performances to give. Just small, carefully considered progressions each week that build on what came before. Movement that compounds quietly over time is far more valuable than anything dramatic that fades after a month.

Anatomy informs everything

After 25 years and extensive training in anatomy and movement science, I bring a depth of knowledge to every session that shapes how I work with each person. I'm not guessing. I know why I'm asking you to move in a particular way, and I can explain it in a way that makes sense to you.

”What I didn't expect was how much I'd actually learn. I understand my body so much better now. Helen explains everything in a way that just makes sense.”

Andrew

Class attendee