Pilates Academy Arjan
Practical guidance on classical Pilates from the studio in Arjan, Dubai. Written by the team who teach the anatomy behind every movement, in classes of no more than five.
Most beginners should start on the Reformer. The springs assist movements you cannot yet do unaided, and the sliding carriage tells you immediately when you have lost control. Matwork, despite using no equipment at all, is frequently the harder of the two for a newcomer because nothing supports you and nothing corrects you.
Ask the class size before you ask the price. A studio capping classes at five delivers a fundamentally different product from one running twenty, even if the equipment and the hourly rate look identical.
The Reformer is one piece of a set of five. The Cadillac supports the body in positions the Reformer cannot reach, the Chair demands balance with almost no supporting surface, and the Fuse Ladder covers standing full body work. Together with Matwork, they make up the classical apparatus set.
Your first class starts with a conversation, not an exercise. The instructor asks about your movement background and what you want from the sessions, then sets your spring tension before you begin. Most of the class that follows covers footwork, breathing and basic spine articulation on the Reformer.
Classical Pilates follows the original method Joseph Pilates taught with a fixed sequence of exercises across the full apparatus. The Reformer Cadillac Chair Fuse Ladder and Matwork each play a unique role in building strength and control.
