I am Annie Duff, and have taught Pilates since 1999. I come from a fitness background, and am certified by Stott Pilates, in Matwork, and one of the few teachers in the Carlisle indeed, cumbria area qualified to teach on all of the large apparatus and have a small studio with two reformers, a Cadillac, chair, and barrels. I am also a certified Fletcher Towelwork instructor. I teach Matwork group classes in village halls using the more familiar, regular mat, swiss ball, foam roller and bands, and less familiar, spine corrector (balanced body Pilates arc), Rotational discs, and Fletcher towelwork.

Scotby is 2 miles from Carlisle city centre and located just 2 minutes off junction 43 of the M6 with ample free parking.

I came into Pilates through my own injuries as a Fitness Instructor, and having healed my own body would like to help others get the most out of theirs.

Much of my Pilates teaching was in Abu Dhabi until I moved back to the UK, in 2007. In the UAE I worked with many of the Sheikha’s (the women of the ruling family), where I would train them in their homes on  their own Pilates equipment. I also had a small studio, where I could teach one to one, and small group classes. I taught freelance group classes, mixed ability, and advanced at Abu Dhabi Health and Fitness.

Mostly, I run progressive group matwork courses, where a skill is honed and perfected over a matter of weeks, allowing strength and flexibility to develop. I also run Back care courses, and beginners courses depending on demand. I am shortly starting a Fusion group drop in class, with a half hour of circuits followed by a half hour of Pilates, to incorporate cardiovascular (and fat burning) exercise.

The large equipment is suited to one to one/ two.  At the beginning of a course of one to one, a posture analysis is done, to help identify areas of the body which need attention. Pilates works by lengthening short muscles and strengthening weak ones. It helps recreate balance within the body, and helps mobilise stiff areas .

Pilates is one of the safest forms of exercise, when performed correctly, and can be helpful in alleviating neck and back pain. It is also useful  in helping rebalance the body from sports such as Golf and Tennis which are very one sided (one directional). Sports injuries often occur when a part of the body compensates for another that isn’t working correctly.

Age is no barrier. I have worked with teenagers  through to eighty plus year olds.

Available in the one to one/ two classes are the use of Cardio equipment such as treadmill, upright bike, and an eliptical trainer for those of you wanting to combine Pilates and Cardiovascular fitness, for general conditioning and toning, or weight loss.

Please contact me for information regarding classes or one to one training.