Core and Soul Pilates

MARIETTA IS AMAZING!I cannot recommend her highly enough!I started with Marietta for 1:1 Pilates classes around 6 months after I had my baby. My core and pelvic floor were shot, and my lower back ached almost constantly.I was really scared about how I would cope with a new baby, if my back went and I couldn’t lift her! I wanted something highly effective because I have such little free time now.Well, I am so glad I did something about it! WOW!!! I felt the positive impact of Marietta’s Pilates sessions within just a few weeks! The lessons are paced well, specifically focused on my problem areas, and we set personal goals to work towards and have made such a difference in my life!When I started our sessions, I felt worried about how I would carry the baby as she got heavier, and my core felt weak, and now I feel totally in control and so much stronger!Marietta’s style is gentle but fun, and she explains everything thoroughly. Great as I was a complete beginner to Pilates. I really appreciate her thoughtful approach, and always feel that I’m in expert hands! She adjust sessions when I have niggles (breastfeeding hunched shoulders for example), and I feel really comfortable that she will push me, but within safe limits.I really look forward to our sessions and feel and look much stronger and in control! I would 100% recommend Marietta for helping you with whatever your personal body goals are.You have NOTHING to loss and EVERYTHING to gain!

I really enjoyed my pilates class with Marietta. I’ve done various classes of beginners pilates before, but she had such a personal and authentic manner to her teaching that it felt really fresh and fun. I loved her descriptive imagery when explaining poses, which actually made me understand where to put bits of my body (I’m not a natural!) and keep a constant mental check of my positioning. She was attentive and observant throughout the class, making me feel really well looked after and like I was getting personal value out of it, not just one-size-fits-all. As a result, I left the class having a better awareness of my own body and posture which I wasn’t expecting. She’s super friendly and warm, with great energy and humour, plus a perfect dash of no-nonsense motivation. I finished the class feeling calmer and looser, but also like I’d been pushed *just enough* out of my comfort zone to feel a sense of achievement, and the physical benefits afterwards. Totally recommend!

Marietta is an amazing teacher. Her compassion, humour, commitment and talent shine through from beginning to end.In the few months I've been working with her, my back pain has gone, and I've had more fun than I could imagine doing exercise. Marietta's classes are very visual and fun in the way theatre can be. She's built my confidence to do things I couldn't imagine when i started and to enjoy exercise in a new way.She's very easy to work with, reasonably priced and an all round gem. I'm very glad I met her.

Love Marietta's classes! As a complete beginner to Pilates I was looking for something that would teach me the basics while challenging me physically & mentally - these classes have ticked all the boxes. I'm now 10 weeks into her classes and can already feel a clear improvement in my core strength and posture. The small group sessions on Zoom are perfect for me as I can do them from the comfort of my living room while still feeling very much part of a class and it's nice seeing familiar faces every week. Marietta allows you to take the class at your own pace and offers variations on certain exercises if you want to push yourself even further. She also provides helpful individual feedback throughout, to make sure that each person is on track. I always leave the sessions feeling stronger and re-energised - I'd recommend these classes to anybody wanting to learn/practice Pilates in a warm, encouraging environment!

I've really enjoyed Marietta's online beginners Pilates class for the last few months. She has a really relaxed teaching style which makes you feel immediately comfortable, and describes the postures and breathing techniques really well. She uses great little analogies (imagine squishing a blueberry" and "imagine you're pushing through marshmallow") which make perfect sense in the context!Although the postures are very gentle (I find them more gentle than yoga) I feel like I've had a good workout after every class and my abs can often feel it the next day!I would absolutely recommend Marietta's online classes if you're thinking about starting Pilates. It's been a brilliant introduction to Pilates for me. I do the group class but she also offers one on one sessions and intermediate classes."

I started Marietta classes after two years of suffering constant debilitating back pain (caused by a c-section back in 2020).I decided to bite the bullet and contacted Marietta after three back strains that had me in bed, missing weeks of work and feeling hopeless and scared for my future. I was so desperate, I googled one to one instructors and landed on Marietta page after seeing all the positive reviews.Not only was Marietta understanding and empathetic to the mental toll of back pain (and the juggle between self-care versus child care!) she was patient, encouraging, extremely professional and an absolute master instructor. I've done several other classes in the past which either left me even more confused or unchallenged (due to incorrect positioning rather than grit!). I had assumed Pilates just wasn't for me.With Marietta, I've had an amazing education, she's demystified Pilates and has made it absolutely accessible. Marietta guided me through the fundamentals of positioning and breathing in one to one, face to face classes and now through group online classes. Marietta has an amazing way of teaching, using visual and really simplified descriptions to help me in the correct movements or shapes. She's also super encouraging, a cheer-leader and a real support.The impact has been life changing - I no longer have the constant low grade back pain that was always in the background, I've stopped the weird protective stances or being super cautious as I feel more stable and strong. I'm not scared anymore and I feel as though I have control of my body in a way I never ever could believe. I highly recommend Marietta, literally the best Pilates instructor (and all-around lovely person).

I found Marietta on Google and contacted her as both her 1:1 and group classes are very reasonably priced, with great reviews. True to the reviews, she is an excellent Pilates instructor who uses every day scenarios to describe the exercises clearly - making it very easy for beginners like me to visualise and understand.Marietta is friendly, positive and encouraging, giving the classes a good energy which really helps when you are trying to hold a pilates pose! Or simply if you are having a rough day.I was initially hesitant with group sessions due to past experiences where instructors do not have time to observe everyone - and I struggled to keep up - but Marietta's group sessions are small which means she has ample time for everyone and goes at a good comfortable pace.I strongly recommend her classes for anyone who has been thinking of picking up Pilates or even as a refresher course!

I found Marietta through a google search of Pilates classes in East London. I wasn’t sure if reformer or mat pilates would suit me so I decided to try both, but in a class setting. Luckily for me Marietta was teaching in person at one of the local studios.Marietta was very welcoming and was professional. She made sure to ask about any injuries and if I had any previous Pilates experience.One thing that I liked about Marietta was that she explained how to find the neutral posture position, which was something that wasn’t explained to me in two previous Pilates sessions I had tired.Through out the class, Marietta reminded us to relax our shoulders and let go of tension. Marietta is observant and will notice when you’re tensing or when you need to adjust yourself to get the best out of the postured. I also like that Marietta’s description of the exercises are different and can help you visualise what you are trying to do.Marietta is consistent. Every class she will start by reminding you to find your neutral posture position, she will takes a few minutes to-remind us of our Pilates breathe and some of the Pilates principles, which i feel is needed because sometimes you can forget.From the class sessions, I decided to invest in one to one sessions with Marietta and I have not been disappointed. Even though I had already had a session with Marietta in class, she still sent me an assessment form to complete before our session. Marietta competed the physical assessment which helped inform our sessions and provided guidance on how I can address issues that were highlighted:Marietta will always ask if you want to push harder and she doesn’t impose that on you which I like.Since staring Pilates, I haven’t had to see my osteopath as much. I am also mindful of my posture when I’m standing. My balance has improved, my core strength is getting better, i get less pain in my hips and find that my flexibility has improved. I am also getting stronger and know that I will be able to meet my fitness goals.I would recommend booking a session with Marietta, whether it’s in person or one to one.

I really enjoy Marietta's classes. They give me hope that I may not have back issues in the future. My personal goal is to improve my back pain and manage it so that I no longer have issues picking up my 6 month old son. I have long-standing back and postural issues but it was after carrying my son in a sling on a coastal walk, causing considerable back spasms and injury which initially brought me to Marietta's class. When I attend regularly I feel clear improvement in my back pain and posture. Her instruction is very clear, always explaining why we are doing what we're doing! This really helps with self motivation, as well, when completing recorded classes or YouTube exercise sets of Marietta's. Her free initial consultation was very bespoke, the outcome of which and on-going plan she always includes in classes by way of prompts for me, to either rest or by providing an alternate way of completing the exercise. I always feel a sense of achievement when I've completed a class! They're not easy, which is how it should be, right?! Marietta is very personable, and brings fun to each class. I'd highly recommend her, which is why I'm trying to get mates to come along with me!

I have been taking the 1-2-1 sessions since June 23 due to postural issues and general wellbeing. When I first joined I didn't know much about Pilates and struggled with the begginers sessions, but I quickly gained strength and moved up to the intermediate level. I now have a much better understanding of physical alignment and the way in which my own body moves. Marietta's sessions are always energising and fun and the sessions always end with me feeling mentally calm and relaxed. Marietta has a kind and gentle nature. She is a very knowledgable instructor and takes time to continue to learn in order to provide what is best for her students. I have recently started taking the online group sessions too which are just as interactive as the 1-2-1 sessions. Thank you Marietta, you are a great Pilates instructor!