Meet Andrea, our Inna Spirit member of the month for September. After suffering a number of injuries in her feet and niggling back pain that hung around for months on end, Andrea saw Reformers at a studio close to her workplace and was intrigued.
After some research into the benefits of Pilates, Andrea Googled “Reformer near me” and found Inna Essence. She now attends classes nearly every day of the week, and has never felt stronger.
What challenges or goals first brought you to Inna Essence?
“The challenge for me was that I was used to having a weak body; I was never athletic or sporty, and then in recent years, I kept getting injuries in my feet. Back in 2019 I also had weird back pain which took months to heal; I was feeling really unfit.”
At Andrea’s previous employer, she was working across the road from a franchised Pilates studio, and she saw the Reformer machines. Andrea did some internet research and read how Reformer Pilates could help with injuries, wouldn’t aggravate pain and would help to strengthen the body.
Andrea goes on to say, “I tried Pilates at that franchise near my workplace, but it didn’t feel personal. Then I Googled “Reformer near me in Runcorn”, and found Inna Essence, which had lots of great reviews. Then in December of 2023, I had some time between jobs, so I did the 3 Week Trial so I could go as much as possible.”
“I’ve known about Yoga for years, but I never thought it was for me. As Inna Essence offers many different types of Yoga classes, I attended these during my trial, and I fell in love with Yoga.”
Andrea says that she finds our Yoga classes are helpful with her balance and flexibility; that she can slowly improve in those areas by doing more challenging poses over time. In Pilates, she can feel her body is building strength; compared to when she started at Inna Essence, Andrea felt as though she had no upper body strength. “I would do exercises on my hands and knees, and my wrists and arms would hurt, but now I’m feeling like I’m getting stronger and I can do these exercises without pain.”
“Mat Pilates is very challenging, and I can feel my abdominal strength is improving following every class.”
What is it about Pilates that motivates you?
“I really enjoy the process – it’s weird, I know it’s exercise but the movement is enjoyable. I can really feel the exercises are benefiting my body.” Andrea really enjoys the group classes, and after a session, her body feels stronger, in less pain and less stiff. “My body feels amazing!”
How have our classes been helping you on your wellness journey?
“Prior to joining Inna Essence, I barely did any exercise. I was in a downward spiral following my injuries; I couldn’t do anything and increasingly felt unfit and I was fearful of re-injuring myself. But with Pilates, I was reassured that I could strengthen my body without getting an injury. Since joining Inna Essence, I feel far more confident with movement, and I no longer feel sluggish.”
Andrea shares with us, “I’ve got ownership of my body again; I’m not dictated by injuries nor am I at the mercy of chronic back pain any longer.”
What do you love most about the studio?
Andrea says that she loves the personal touch, “At Inna Essence, it is so much more welcoming. There is more emphasis by the team to make classes accessible for those who aren’t fit, or for members who have injuries. Inna Essence is so caring.”
“I love everything about Inna Essence; I love that there are so many classes and available times. I can always fit in a session around full time work and musical theatre. It’s great that there is so much variety and all the classes are terrific. I enjoy all the sessions, and I never feel like I need to ‘settle’ and do a class I’m not too thrilled about. All the instructors are wonderful.”
Since joining Inna Essence, Andrea has convinced her partner to join too! “I love doing classes with my partner; he is very busy with work, but he tries to come as often as possible and enjoys all the events and special community classes offered by the studio. We feel even more motivation when we can come together. We make a date of it; we go to Friday night Yoga and then have dinner together afterwards.”
What would you say to a friend who is keen to try a class at Inna Essence?
“I would say to just come to Pilates with me! When I started I felt so weak, I had injuries and I didn’t like the traditional gym environment. I felt gyms were judgemental and I felt confused about what I should do. At Inna Essence, the instructors can adjust the exercise for you, they show you the right way to move, and help motivate you and help you to get stronger.”
Andrea feels really safe in the care of our instructors, and she also describes how much more motivated she feels. “When I’m booked into a class, I’m committed to showing up and attending that class.”
