"I'm new to your studio! Where do I start?"

Welcome! Whether you're joining us online or in the studio (or maybe both!) we're so happy for you to join our studio community!

You can find more in-depth info about our studio and our values on this page, but here are some quick things you should know about us before you sign up:

Our studio is all about movement education, so our approach to Pilates is structured, methodical, detail-oriented, personalized, and progressive. We're more than a place for a casual workout or exercise class.

We don't rush or take short cuts. We always start by supporting you in building a strong working understanding of foundational Pilates concepts and build up from that foundation through consistent practice. You'll want to start your journey with us when you feel you're potentially ready to commit to a dedicated practice.

We are body neutral. We don't use aesthetics or looks for motivation and we believe anybody who practices Pilates has a "Pilates body". Our classes never focus on making our bodies smaller or weight loss and they are intended to be a safe space for everyone to enjoy moving our bodies and improving our physical and emotional health with joy without worrying about what they look like. See our FAQ: Will Pilates help me lose weight?

"Reformer Pilates" is not its own separate thing, despite what Instagram might tell you. Pilates is Pilates, and it's the same thing no matter where you're doing or what you're doing it on. Yes, we do teach Pilates exercises that use the reformer, but Pilates is a movement education system/method that utilizes a whole bunch of equipment to help you move your best and feel your best, including the mat, reformer, and more. At Root + Reach, we help you develop your Pilates practice using the comprehensive method, not just using one limited piece of equipment... Every Pilates exercise is interconnected, and the skills from each piece of equipment transfer to one another. Pilates exercises on the reformer are not "harder" or "better" than the mat exercises, and vice versa. To find out more about what Pilates actually is, you can check out this page.

Explore Our FAQ

Group classes

Our newcomer-friendly group classes and semi-private studio classes are run by the semester (2-month period) so that you can experience noticeable progress in your personal practice week by week. Our group classes are preregistered (full commitment, no cancellations).

Level 1

Our newcomer-friendly group classes are "Level 1" classes, with the level designation indicating the required amount of Pilates experience and familiarity and the level of exercise complexity, not necessarily how "hard" the class is or your personal level of athleticism.

You do not need to do a new client intake or consultation in order to enroll in a level 1 or newcomer-friendly class.

Our most newcomer-friendly group classes are:

Matwork:

Kind Movement (online only; drop in available; offered irregularly)
Pilates Roots (in person) *on hiatus at the moment, as everyone in Roots graduated and they needed Flourish Matwork instead 🔥
Reset + Restore (online and in-person options) *on hiatus until we can find a peaceful and quiet evening timeslot; the martial arts gym behind us started offering children's jiu jitsu during our usual time, and it was no longer restorative 😂

Equipment/Apparatus:

Align + Reform (Level 1) - reformer only
Alpine Method (Level 1) - comprehensive studio class (includes reformer, matwork, barrels, springs, etc)

Level 1-2

Level 1-2 classes may be a good fit for newcomers who already have some Pilates experience or who are strong movers:

Flourish Pilates Matwork
Alpine Studio Method group classes (Level 1/2)

Drop Ins

We occasionally will have spots available for drop in to clients who have (a) past experience at our studio, or (b) done at least one 1:1 session, or (c) the green light from their instructor.

We do not offer casual drop-in for studio newcomers and newcomers cannot late-enroll in a class that is already partway through its semester. If you're new to the studio and you'd like to join a class, you will need to enroll for the next semester.

Schedule and Class Descriptions

You can find out more about our group classes and our current weekly schedule on this page.

Upcoming Group Class Registration

Public registration for the September/October semester will open on August 16. You can subscribe to our newsletter (on our homepage) and follow us on social media to get first invitation to enroll for our next semester. We also share registration reminders to our social media pages.

1:1 Training, Initial Assessments, and Group Class Prep

Our new client intake was closed for quite awhile since our roster was full, but with schedule changes, longtime clients moving away, and folks transitioning to group classes instead of regular 1:1s, we are finally able to reopen new client intake for 1:1 sessions!

You are welcome to book an in person (Whitehorse studio) 1:1 new client intake session with Nadea or Mykaela, or you can book a virtual new client intake session (Zoom) with Nadea or Heather.

If you're looking for highly specialized individualized care, such as for injury or surgery recovery, hypermobility, complex back pain, support for neurological conditions (MS, Parkinson's, brain injury, etc), sensitive or specialized pre/postnatal wellness, pelvic floor dysfunction support, slow and trauma-informed care, etc, we recommend that you book in with Nadea, as those are her areas of passion and expertise.

Heather, Mykaela, and Nadea are all fully able and enthusiastic to support individuals who are:

Managing chronic pain
Hypermobile
In larger bodies
Neurodivergent
Older/"seniors"
Anxious
Pregnant/postpartum
Athletic and strong movers

Please feel welcome to come as you are, but if you'd like some more guidance or reassurance about how we can support you on a 1:1 basis, feel welcome to reach out.

Using 1:1s to Prepare to

Drop Into Group Classes

If your goal is to casually drop into group classes or to build up your practice and confidence until you feel ready for groups, Heather, Mykaela, or Nadea can start you off with an initial assessment, and then work with you to build up necessary foundational Pilates skills and exercises to prepare you to jump into a group class. If you're new to Pilates, this will likely require multiple appointments as well as home practice/homework. The skills you build in your 1:1 training will transfer not only to group mat classes, but also group equipment classes (including reformer, barrel, and springs work).

We need to know you have a strong working understanding of specific fundamental concepts and exercises before green-lighting you to parachute into an already active group class semester.

Foundational exercises (with or without adaptations) for Level 1 group classes include (but are not limited to):

- Diaphragmatic breath and healthy core engagement

- 100 prep
- Half rollbacks
- Roll up
- Articulating bridge
- Leg circles
- Single leg stretch
- Double leg stretch
- Spine stretch forward
- Swan prep
- Plank prep (four point kneeling)
- Side leg series
- Mermaid
- Shoulder bridge prep

Foundational exercises (with or without adaptations) for Level 2/Intermediate group classes include:

- 100
- Roll up
- Rollover (fine if the student needs props; just needs to be safe and thoughtful)
- Rolling like a ball
- Saw
- Open leg rocker
- Corkscrew prep
- Swan dive (modified is fine)
- Teaser (modified is fine)
- Shoulder bridge (including single leg work)
- Leg pull front
- Side bend/twist
- Student should be ready to experiment safely and thoughtfully with inversions like jack knife, scissors, bicycle