Sharon Shayshutt
My fitness journey began with a background in dance and movement. Following the birth of my second baby, lower back pain led me to Pilates and I felt the benefits almost immediately; I am still feeling those benefits 19 years later. So I decided to train to be a teacher of this wonderful method and qualified with Body Control Pilates in 2004. I was then asked by Lynne Robinson, the founder of BCP, to appear in her DVD and book ‘Pregnancy in Pilates’ while expecting my third child. Since that time, I have furthered my Pilates education with BASI (Body Arts and Science) and BCP to be fully studio trained on all equipment with students at every level and ability, including pre-natal and post natal mums. I am committed to continuing my professional development, taking regular classes and workshops with master teachers like Amit Younger, owner and founder of Yoopod online classes www.yoood.com – in which I also appear taking some of the classes.
Other teacher/trainers and master teachers like Deborah Lessen, Keren Peer, Shari Berkowitz, Benjamin Degenhardt, Tom McCook, Elizabeth Larkham, Zachery Dacuk and Rebecca Leone continue to influence my training and inform my teaching.
My teaching experience has brought me into contact with a variety of client and student populations where I have been able to demonstrate the benefits of Pilates to those with scoliosis, hypermobility, MS, recovery from abdominal surgery, pre and post natal mums, as well as a variety of injuries. Clients from a sporting background also find they can improve their performance and endurance with regular mat and apparatus classes. (hyperlink to testimonials)
I am a fully insured member of REPS and hold current CPR certification.
Sue Baigent
Health and fitness have always been personal goals in my life, even as a busy mum bringing up two children. I tried everything from Jane Fonda to Callanetics, moving on to competition level fitness with the British Keep Fit Confederation – which was actually FUN!
London living and a stressful job led me to yoga as a form of movement meditation. Then Pilates found me 13 years ago following a couple of debilitating ligament sprains which I now understand were caused by muscles imbalances and overstretching. My Pilates training has helped me discover something quite profound: exercising from an unstable base and with poorly aligned joints is a bad idea. Now that I’ve got the message and it makes perfect sense, I listen to my body and engage my mind. Fully!
I do believe that enjoyment is the key to staying motivated and I hope that this is something my students take from our classes. Pilates combines all the elements of what I enjoyed about my fitness and yoga practices. The benefits of Pilates, when performed properly, are unsurpassed and I get the same buzz from watching my students’ progress as I do when I find something new in a familiar exercise.
This is intelligent movement. Pilates! Pilates! So good I did it twice. Firstly with Body Control Pilates Association (BCPA) and more recently with Body Arts and Science Institute (BASI). So I am mat work and studio equipment trained, taking regular classes, courses and workshops with other Pilates professionals and Master Teachers to broaden my teaching and continue my professional development, including most recently Pilates for scoliosis and myofascial release techniques.