Bethnal Green and Bow, east London · Book online in under a minute
I'm Ellen. I teach small mat classes in Bethnal Green and Bow for people of all ages, genders and abilities, at your own pace.
Beginners' classes every week
I work around injuries and long-term conditions
Pay as you go, no membership
5.0 on Google. Every review, from people who actually come.
Caroline Ellis
“I did a Google search for a beginner Pilates class local to me. I have chronic back and neck pain and felt put off by some of the other classes, which seemed focused on body image and the kind of flexibility I will never achieve.”
Google review
alba pedrini
“I love Ellen's classes, she's absolutely brilliant! I came in after serious lower back pains and I'm now back to my previous levels of activity.”
Google review
Alison Montgomery Heath
“A fab Pilates class that will leave you feeling supple and refreshed and ready for the weekend. Ellen is a superb teacher offering plenty of support and tailoring exercises to each individual need.”
Google review
Deborah Bicknell
“I have been going to Ellen’s class for about 3 years and I love it. Its the best thing about Mondays!”
Google review
Catherine Morrissey
“I've done Pilates quite a few years now in a few places; really like Ellen's classes. I've done both beginner and intermediate with her.”
Google review
Abigail Craske
“A gentle and supportive Pilates class in a spacious studio a great way to start a Friday morning”
Google review
Yvonne Ammann
“Highly recommend Ellen's classes! She is a brilliant, fun teacher and very knowledgable.”
Google review
Emma Bell
“Ellen's pilates classes are wonderful. I have attended both her Monday class and Friday class.”
Google review
Before you book
All ages, genders and abilities in the same room. If you have never done Pilates, or you feel like group exercise is not for you, give my classes a try.
I adapt every exercise to the person doing it. I am a Level 3 Body Control Pilates teacher, with further qualifications for pre- and post-natal clients and for osteoporosis.
I teach functional movement for everyday life, balancing strength, flexibility and resilience. Bring a mat, pay as you go, nothing to join.
Never done a class
If you have never done a class, here is what you are actually signing up for.
The original Joseph Pilates method, done on a mat. Slow, controlled bodyweight movement led from the centre of the body. No jumping, no impact, no mirrors.
Bring your own mat to the classes at Victoria Park Baptist Church. Everything else, small props included, is provided.
The sprung reformer beds you see online are a different format, and they live in the 1:1 studio. Group classes here are mat only.
The point is movement that works outside the class: carrying shopping, sitting at a desk, getting up off the floor. Not flexibility for its own sake.
A reformer is a sprung bed with straps and a sliding carriage. It is a genuinely different format, and I do teach on one, along with a Tower and a Pilates Chair, at the Victoria Park Pilates studio. That equipment is for 1:1 and 2:1 sessions only. Every group class on the timetable is mat work, so all you need to start is a mat and clothes you can move in.
Four a week, plus one online
The real question is whether there is a class you can actually get to, so the day, the time and the venue are on every card.
Start here. Mondays 6.00pm and Fridays 9.30am, Victoria Park Baptist Church.
Book this one if you have never done Pilates, or you have not moved much for a while. I introduce every exercise from scratch, and every one has an easier version. Beginners are genuinely expected here, not tolerated.
Once the basics feel familiar. Mondays 7.00pm, Victoria Park Baptist Church.
For people who already know the foundation exercises and want more range and more challenge. Plenty of regulars do the Beginners class first and move across, or keep doing both.
Mid-week, mid-morning. Wednesdays 9.15am, Victoria Park Harriers, Cadogan Terrace.
Strength and mobility work in the same session, building the balance of strength, flexibility and resilience I teach toward. Mixed ability, so come whichever level you are at.
From your own front room. Fridays 7.45am, online.
The same teaching, live rather than a recording, so I can still adapt exercises for you as you go. You need a mat, a folded towel as a cushion, and a laptop, tablet or phone with a camera and speaker.
Bethnal Green, Bow and Victoria Park
Three venues around Victoria Park, plus one class you can do from your own front room.
THE VENUES
Classes at Victoria Park Baptist Church
Click a photo to view it full screen
Good to know
Mondays 6.00pm Beginners / Improvers, Mondays 7.00pm Improvers, Fridays 9.30am Beginners / Improvers.
Your own mat for this venue. Everything else, small props included, is provided.
The entrance is on Bunsen Street rather than Grove Road. Reviewers call the hall spacious, and it has plenty of natural light.
Location
Victoria Park Baptist Church
Victoria Park Baptist Church, 186 Grove Road
Bow, London E3 5TG
Entrance on Bunsen Street. Bring your own mat, all other equipment is provided.
Get directionsYour teacher, every class
Qualified with Body Control Pilates in 2013 · Teaching in Bethnal Green and Bow
My classes and 1:1 sessions are supportive, approachable and fun. I am passionate about helping people with long term or chronic conditions and find teaching Pilates hugely rewarding. I teach people of all ages, genders and abilities.
I came to Pilates for my own back pain, after years at a desk. I am a Level 3 teacher, qualified in Matwork, Reformer and other studio equipment from beginner to intermediate level, with additional qualifications to teach pre- and post-natal clients and clients with osteoporosis. Away from the mat I am into music, books, gardening, singing, making things and travel.
“I believe that Pilates is for everybody.”
One member, in her own words
When alba first came to my class, she had serious lower back pain. I adapted the exercises for her and explained each one rather than just demonstrating it.
She is now back to the activity level she had before. That is what most people who come to me are after: not a different body, the same one working properly again.
“I came in after serious lower back pains and I'm now back to my previous levels of activity. She's extremely knowledgeable and explains the exercises very well.”
- alba pedrini, Google review
1:1s are collaborative and completely bespoke. We work together to create a programme that addresses your needs and lets you progress safely. I hold them at Victoria Park Pilates, in the north corner of Victoria Park.
1:1 is £70 a session, or five paid in advance for £325, valid 6 months. 2:1 is £90 a session, or five for £425, valid 6 months.
Pay as you go
Book a single class, or buy a pass once you know you like it. There is nothing to join and nothing to cancel.
Single class
One in-person class. No commitment, no membership.
5-class pass
£15 a class. Valid 2 months.
10-class pass
£14 a class. Valid 4 months.
Online class
Fridays 7.45am, live on Zoom.
Pay as you go. No membership, no joining fee, no contract. Passes are valid from the date you buy them. 1:1 and 2:1 session prices are in the 1:1 section above.
If yours is not here, email me and I will answer it myself.
Ready to book?
Pick a class below. It is £16 for a single class with no membership, and if it is your first one, fill in the short medical questionnaire when you book so I can adapt the exercises for you.
Choose a class, then pick a session. Beginners, start with Beginners / Improvers.
Select a class
Upcoming Beginners / Improvers sessions
Prefer to ask something first? Email me
