Teachers

Elena Whitlock

Pilates: Matwork & Studio Equipment

Elena is an accredited Pilates Foundation UK Teacher. Having worked within the fitness industry since 1994, as group exercise instructor in Holland, London and Bristol, Elena began to focus on rehabilitation. In 2001 Elena began working in the Spinal Rehabilitation Gym at Clifton Chiropractic Clinic, Bristol, helping patients who suffered from all types of spine related problems. This work led to an interest in Pilates and in 2005 she completed a rigorous training course with the Pilates Foundation, qualifying as a Pilates Mat work Teacher, specialising in rehabilitation work.

In 2005 Elena established Vital Pilates within Clifton Chiropractic Clinic.

In 2009 Elena achieved a further qualification with the Pilates Foundation to teach equipment based Pilates.

In 2017 Elena opened her studio in Winford, Chew Valley.

In 2020 Elena opened her studio in Westbury Park

in 2020 Elena qualified to become a Reiki Practitioner

Anthony Briggs

Pilates: Matwork & Studio Equipment

Anthony is a qualified Polestar Mat work Instructor with a background in personal training. He has completed his Pilates comprehensive qualification and teaches equipment in both our Westbury Park and Chew Valley studios. Anthony will ensure you have a full body workout, leaving you feeling invigorated with new strategies for movement and better health.

Nickola Evans

Pilates : Matwork and Studio Equipment

Nickola is a comprehensively trained Polestar Pilates Teacher who has been teaching Pilates since 2004 and personally practicing since 1994.

Nickola taught Yoga for many years and was a massage therapist before training to be a Pilates teacher. She loves the creativity involved in teaching Pilates, how exercises can be adapted and combined to produce beautifully flowing, functional movement. She also enjoys the challenge involved in transforming someone with little body awareness into someone strong and graceful.

Nickola believes it is important as an instructor to keep up-to-date with new understanding and teaching in the fitness industry.

Nickola has experience working with all bodies, from injured gymnasts on team GB to an 80 yr old with Parkinsons.

Joanna Palmer

Pilates: Matwork

Joe is a fully qualified Pilates Matwork instructor and a professional aerial acrobat.  She has been teaching Pilates for over 8 years and performing circus arts for 17 years.

Joe was introduced to Pilates during her circus training at ‘Circomedia, School for Physical Theatre and Circus Arts’.  She has continued to practise Pilates alongside her circus work as an effective and necessary prevention against injury.

In 2014, she completed a rigorous Pilates Matwork training (500hrs) with Master practitioner Suzanne Scott at The Scott Studio in Somerset.

She continued her professional development qualifying as a STOTT Pilates Total Barre instructor in 2019.  She is fully qualified to teach both pregnancy and postnatal Pilates having completed her training with full marks with Rachel Rafiefar, director of ‘The Thoughtful Body’ and ‘Mama Pilates’ in 2015 and again as a refresher in 2020

Joanna has an extensive understanding of the human body. This allows her to teach an inclusive class where everyone’s individual needs are met, encouraging and challenging each to their own ability.

Lucy Balmer

Pilates: Matwork

Lucy is a Polestar trained Mat Instructor and has been practicing for over 4 years.  She is passionate about continued learning and development, focusing on anatomy and function to improve her knowledge of the interplay of muscles and facia and improving her practice & teaching of the advanced Pilates exercises.

Lucy’s passion for Pilates comes from suffering with a severe prolapsed disc. Her physio recommended she try Pilates to aid her recovery.  Pilates was the only thing that eased her pain & has made her stronger.  She fell in love with it so much that she left a successful 25-year career in the food industry to retrain as a qualified instructor.

“I have always loved health and fitness and found that with age comes wisdom.  Running and HIT led me to injuries – Pilates has literally changed my life.  It is a full body, workout for everyone, your posture improves, you become stronger & it aids all aspects of your daily movement. It will also help calm a busy mind!”

Charlotte Baker

Pilates: Matwork & Studio Equipment

Charlotte trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and spent four years devoted to her practice completing a BPA Honors Degree and Postgraduate Degree with distinction. Since then she has worked as a professional dancer performing for the likes of Colin Poole and Roberta Jean (MysterySkin) and toured nationally and internationally in venues such as the Royal Opera House (London), the Tsunagu Tayutau Arts festival (Japan), and 100W Corsicana (Texas, USA).

During her time as a dancer she was exposed to many colleagues experiencing injury. She soon took an interest in the benefits of movement for rehabilitation and began working at St Charles Hospital assisting physiotherapists and occupational therapists delivering one-on-one exercise programs. Charlotte believes that prevention is better than cure and felt her skills would be put to best use teaching and inspiring others to move for a strong and healthy body. Dynamic reformer Pilates combines all of Charlotte’s experience and everything she is most passionate about. Charlotte believes in making the most of every minute in the studio. Precision, form and plenty of sweat are hot on her list but her clients enjoying their workout is always more important!

Alice Smith

Pilates: Matwork & Studio Equipment

Alice is a choreographer, dancer and Pilates Equipment and Mat instructor who trained with Alan Herdman, a world leading Pilates training provider. She has a first class degree in Dance and Choreography from Falmouth University. Alice looks to bring fluidity to your movement through thoughtful cues in a fun environment.

Lydia Cowcher

Pilates: Matwork & Studio Equipment

Lydia first discovered Pilates and Barre during her training as a contemporary dancer. Pilates classes were taught frequently and became an essential practice to enhance body awareness, improve alignment, strength and flexibility.

Lydia completed her training as a level 3 Pilates teacher and since then has completed her pre/post-natal Pilates, Pilates for orthopaedic conditions and her Reformer training with APPI. She is passionate about rehabilitation and improving her clients’ overall health and wellbeing. Postural improvement, core strength and mobility are focused heavily in her classes where she aims to create an inclusive and engaging space for all.

Jess Dorse

Pilates: Matwork

Jess has been active from a young age, she participated in a variety of sports which encouraged her passion for movement, but it wasn’t until she started Pilates that she learnt and understood how to move her body.  Jess has found that Pilates restores her body and mind, rebalances and aligns her. As a tall person living in world designed for those a little shorter, she finds that Pilates is a helpful way to train her body to deal with everyday life.  In 2021 Jess decided to undertake mat work teacher training with the Pilates Foundation. Jess has since become fascinated with anatomy and fundamentals of movement.

When Jess is not on her mat she works with children with autism, as part of her role she works on improving body awareness, co- ordination and functional movement. Jess finds the two roles complement each other and believes in the holistic approach of mind/body integration associated with Pilates is instrumental in empowering clients to better understand their own bodies. Jess’s other passions are cooking, traveling, gigs and getting out in nature, whether that be swimming, horse riding, walking, or camping.

Annie Kelleher

Pilates: Matwork

Annie is a choreographer and dancer who trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance and then went on to train with Jasmin Vardimon Company as part of JV2. She has been doing Pilates since she was a teen but it wasn’t until attending dance school that she fully understood and saw the benefits of Pilates to maintain a healthy body and reduce risk of injury.

She qualified as a mat work instructor in 2021 and has been working with Vital Pilates since October 2022.

Annie enjoys getting to know her clients, sharing her enthusiasm for Pilates and showing people how Pilates can benefit their everyday lives.