This is the story of one our amazing Team members – Tracey Puttergill. Tracey is an awesome Pilates Instructor, and we are very lucky to have her on the team! But she wasn’t always a confident mover. This is her story of how Pilates changed her life.
Before I discovered Pilates
17 years ago, I was a young mum in South Africa with three young children. Like many Mothers do, I felt tired & disconnected to my body. I felt weak and lacked confidence when it came to moving my body. What I really wanted was to feel strong and energized and have better posture.
It was around this time that I discovered Pilates. Straight away I loved how mindful the movement was. Practising the exercises helped me to to experience that mind/body connection that had been missing for so long. Pilates quickly became my happy place. As I practised, my strength increased, my energy came back and I felt empowered! A whole new world opened up to me!
Discovering a passion for running
Encouraged by late-bloomer athletic ability, I started running, and over the years completed 15 and 10 km races, and several half marathons! My running culminating in a 32km marathon run up and over Table Mountain. Pilates proving an invaluable addition for my training.
I practised for several years with the most incredible BASI & STOTT Pilates instructors. Not only did they teach me, but they also encouraged me to dive deeper into what Pilates offered. I finally decided to swop careers and moved from teaching in a classroom, to teaching in a studio. Once again Pilates changed my life, and I embarked on a new career path.
Pilates changed the direction of my life
I completed my BASI Mat and Comprehensive Teacher Training in Cape Town, South Africa, and am qualified to teach on all Pilates equipment from beginner to advanced level. My passion to increase my knowledge has also led me to attend several courses on working with special population groups including Pilates for the Mature Client, Chronic pain Syndromes, Osteoporosis, Men, and Pregnancy.
Pilates is amazing, and I am so passionate about sharing it’s life changing effects with others. Wherever you might be on your fitness journey – a novice mover or an experienced athlete, a newly pregnant mamma or a great grandparent. Pilates is accessible & suitable to / for every – body.
I love being able to guide and support clients as they discover how amazing their bodies are. At ONFORM Pilates we have a class called The Golden Gang, and it’s specially for clients ages 70 years and older. Our amazing clients are testament to the fact that age is not a factor when it comes to discovering new movement patterns! And it is possible to improve your balance, strength and overall health at any point. It’s never to late to start. In these classes we focus on movements that build your strength & confidence in movement, challenge your thinking, and we have a good giggle in class too – so its not just serious stuff!
My classes are designed to get you moving in a mindful way. You’ll progressively build up your strength, flexibility and confidence. And you’ll be challenged to find new levels of connection to your body, that will leave you feeling motivated, encouraged and more equipped to keep moving.