Leith Pilates

This is a great Pilates studio run by Andy and Ruth. Classes are small and attention individual with an emphasis on backcare and hyper- mobility. Andy is a great teacher not just of how to stretch effectively and strengthen key muscle groups but he wants you to understand the anatomy and the reasons for pain or stiffness so you can learn and take charge. Getting to the studio is difficult just now because of the tramworks but the effort is worth it.
Jul 22nd, 2022

Just a note to say that, thanks to your exercises, I now have what I will call a greater muscular resilience when doing physical jobs. I have recently renewed a work surface in our utility room, requiring lifting, drilling, screwing and generally mauling about on the floor on hands and knees etc. and have survived in a much better shape than usual - more strength in arms and legs when doing the job and able to recover quicker afterwards with fewer aches and pains than usual the next day. With this added confidence ( a day or two later, I should add) I similarly set to to demolish an overgrown ivy - requiring extensive sawing of multiple trunks, and I was again pleased with my ability and quick recovery compared to a few months ago. "Beginners and Backcare" classes are certainly working for me. Keep up the good work ! Something else I have noticed, having attended a number of their Zoom classes over the last twelve months: The constant encouragement to be aware of the muscles and firing on a muscle group - has led me to be more able to avoid over stretching and over lifting in day to day activities. I think more about engaging muscles first before exerting them. Many thanks are due to Carrie for her patient encouragement in Zoom classes.
Feb 20th, 2022

Leith Pilates is fantastic. From the start, they take an interest in you, and what you need. Though I can understand some comments complaining of the cost of an induction, its so important for the guys to understand your needs and get you in the right class. I was constantly amazed at how well Andy would remember those details, and would suggest alternatives if some exercises in class would cause me issues. Having now attended for 2-3 years, my constant back pain is a thing of the past. I honestly put choosing Leith Pilates as one of the most important decisions in terms of fitness I have ever made. The classes are a great size, and the tutors are incredible - so knowledgable and so friendly. I cant recommend this studio highly enough.
Jan 7th, 2020

I'm 41 and never thought I'd be into Pilates. Prior to meeting Andy, I had a number of long-term injuries from climbing and various misadventures, and having seen various physiotherapists, chiropractors and osteopaths, had pretty much reached the point of accepting my various aches and pains. My partner was already a regular attendee at Leith Pilates, but my perception and previous experience was that Pilates would be somewhere on the same spectrum as Yoga - all full of chakras and other pseudo-spiritual nonesense. I couldn't have been more wrong. Andy is an absolute gold-mine of knowledge and takes an honest, pragmatic and evidence-based approach to his one-to-one sessions, and rather than simply delivering an opinion and a prescriptive treatment plan, helped me understand the physiological mechanisms behind my issues for myself. This meant that rather than struggling on with a single painful or ineffective treatment exercise, I could attend classes, experiment with a variety of movements, and identify those that worked for me. The old adage about giving a man a fish has never been more true... Not only did Pilates help me cure my initial knee problem, but its also taught me how to minimise future injuries in the face of a fairly gung-ho attitude to self-preservation and given me a toolkit of exercises to fix minor niggles as they occur. Added to the fact that the classes are fun (in a way that the gym or traditional excercise classes simply aren't) and leave you feeling 2" taller with springs under your feet, the whole experience has been little short of "life-changing". My climbing, which I was on the verge of giving up, has improved; I'm remotivated to general exercise/training, which had become uncomfortable and frustrating; I've saved a small fortune in marginally-effective oesteopathic treatment; and, most importantly, feel like I can do the (probably ill-advised) things I want to do with less fear of injury.
May 19th, 2019

Just had my induction session and after years of back pain and visiting doctors, physios and 'specialists', I have finally been given an explanation of my issues and ways to remedy them. There was no hard sell to continue with classes. The team at Leith Pilates really know their stuff. The induction and classes are excellent value for money. The studio is lovely. Well laid-out, bright and welcoming. They have been very accommodating already with my schedule. I was given some 'homework' to do and already, after a week, I feel a difference. Can't wait to start the real hard work at class!
Jun 4th, 2018