Our Instructors
Blackheath Pilates is comprised of Sue Baigent and Jennifer Ainger. Sue works mainly in and around Blackheath Village, while Jennifer started off working in Blackheath and now runs a dedicated Pilates studio in East Greenwich. Rather than competing with each other the pair decided to work together to develop a comprehensive schedule of classes and pool their knowledge. You can find out more about both instructors below:
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! Moving to London and a stressful
job brought me to Yoga and a way of mindful exercise with relaxation. It
didn't take me too long to realise that to get the most out of my fitness
routine, I needed to enjoy it - which I believe is the key for most of us
if we are to stay motivated.
Pilates found me 7 years ago, following a couple of quite debilitating injuries to my groin and knee ligaments. Through Pilates training I discovered that if I had known more about my own body, I would not have asked the impossible of it. I was effectively trying to 'fire a cannon from a canoe' but to make dynamic movement happen safely, you have to work from a strong, stable base. I have now learned how to listen to my body and my mind is fully engaged in this intelligent form of movement and exercise.
Pilates combines all the elements of what I enjoyed about my fitness and yoga practice. 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.
I am Body Control Pilates qualified and a Level 3 REP's member, committed
to continuing personal and professional development. I am qualified to
teach matwork using small equipment and Swiss balls and I attend regular
courses and workshops with other Pilates professionals and Master Teachers.
I'm CPR trained and fully insured.
- Email: sue@blackheathpilates.co.uk
- Phone: 07932 325552
Jennifer Ainger
I
was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and studied ballet for 12 years before
moving to the UK in 1993. I discovered Pilates in 1999 after being forced
to give up my job as a website designer due to the development of Repetitive
Strain Injury. I was so impressed with the method that I enrolled on the
Body Control Pilates® teacher trainer course and, after qualifying,
have been teaching classes and one-to-one sessions in and around London.
After 2 years leasing space in Blackheath I opened up the Little Pilates
Studio in East Greenwich (a lovely walk away through the park) in January
2007.
Qualifications:
- Beginners matwork
- Intermediate matwork
- Pilates for Pregnancy 1 and 2
- Pilates on the Ball
- Pilates Overball
- Beginners/Intermediate Reformer
- Wunda Chair
- Baby Arc
- REPs level 3
- CPR
I am fully insured and a member of the Body Control Pilates® Association.
- Website: www.littlepilatesstudio.co.uk
- Email: jen@littlepilatesstudio..co.uk
- Phone: 07968 025204
*Body Control Pilates is a registered Trade Mark used under licence