What is Reformer Pilates?

Reformer Pilates is Pilates done on a machine called a reformer, a sliding carriage with springs, straps and pulleys that add resistance and support to the exercises. It looks a bit like a medieval bed frame, and it can give you a fantastic workout.

We don't teach reformer here. The Pilates Corner is a dedicated mat-based studio, and that's a deliberate choice, not a limitation.

Here's the honest truth most studios won't tell you: mat Pilates is where the method started, and in many ways it's the harder of the two. On a reformer, the springs and carriage guide and support your movement. On the mat, there is no machine helping you. Your own body provides the resistance and the stability, which is exactly what builds the deep core strength, balance and control that carries over into everyday life.

Mat work is also far more accessible. No intimidating equipment, and everything you learn in class can be repeated at home, on holiday, anywhere with a floor. You can't tuck a reformer under your bed.

Plenty of our members came to us after trying reformer classes elsewhere and feeling like a passenger on the machine. If you want Pilates that teaches your body to do the work itself, with an instructor watching your every move in a class of 12 or fewer, mat Pilates is where it's at.