This is the third in our series of Getting to Know Your Instructor.  Meet Mariapia Cleopazzo our resident Italian dancer, Pilates instructor and massage therapist….

When you were younger what did you want to be when you grew up? 

I was teenager when I started doing theatre but then I wanted to became a dancer. I applied for the Performing Arts School and I got in. What’s where my journey began.

What inspired you to become a Pilates teacher?

I really wanted to learn more about my body in a anatomical scientific way; plus the method helped me to recover from my injuries I’d suffered during my dance career.

What’s your favourite thing about teaching?

People (most of the times)!

What’s your least favourite thing about teaching?

People (just sometimes)!

What’s your favourite Pilates exercise? Why? 

Flying Eagle on Cadillac makes me feel as if I can fly.

What Pilates exercise do you like the least? Why?

Hip twist, too much tension in the hip joint, I rarely teach the original choreography.

Describe your teaching style in less than ten words.

Athletic. Dynamic. Flowing. Technical. Hard.

What are your top tips for a client starting out with Pilates?

Forget about the old restrictions, you are going to experience a new way to feel your body. To do that you need to learn how to shift from a thinking mode to a feeling mode, then magic can happen!

What are your top tips for clients on progressing their Pilates practice? 

Ask yourself what do you want to get out of your Pilates practice, even if it’s just feeling better or more energised. And ask your instructor how you can achieve your goals.

Who is someone who inspires you? Why?

Massimo Bottura, an Italian chef who has created a perfect blend of tradition and innovation with his restaurant Osteria Francescana. That’s the challenge: to remain loyal to your roots finding your own voice in the world.

When you’re not teaching what do you like to do? 

Travelling. Reading. Writing. Hiking. Being with friends and family. Living. And thinking which exercises I want to teach my clients tomorrow!

Tell us one thing we might not know about you.

The thing that fascinates me the most is how the mind shapes body and posture. And how working on the body and the posture we can change one’s approach to reality.