Pallavi Singh takes us inside Studio M, Leytonstone’s newest pilates studio, where a reluctant promise turned into a lasting routine
I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions. In fact, I’ve often found quiet amusement in strolling down a high street in January, peering into gyms packed with highly motivated individuals – bloated from weeks of merriment – embracing the ‘new year, new me’ ethos.
Like clockwork, Easter rolls around, resolve falters, and the cycle begins anew. But this year, maid of honour duties for my best friend’s wedding somehow roped me into joining her mission to get ‘wedding ready’. And so, during the first week of January, I found myself at Leytonstone’s reformer pilates space Studio M, feet in straps, toning muscles I hadn’t felt in years.
Studio M was founded by Victoria Rock, a long-time Leytonstoner, whose persona is the heartbeat of the studio. Victoria, who exudes a genuine warmth that is both striking and lingers, says she wanted to ensure her yoga studio was not intimidating to the wider community. “I wanted people to feel like there’s no excuse – movement should be easy to choose,” she tells me over a cup of tea.
Excuses I had not for Studio M was a short walk away from my home. On the dark, depressing days of February, I forced myself to wake up, fighting every fiber of my body to confront the reformer machine at 8am. In the beginning, it looked extremely daunting; I was worried I’d fail or worse, hurt myself.
But my very first class, under Victoria’s watchful eye and a calming green ceiling, erased most of my anxieties. I quickly noticed how welcoming and inclusive the foundation class was, catering to everyone from complete beginners like me to seasoned professionals keen to revisit the basics and fine-tune their form.
Reformer pilates isn’t easy but it isn’t as hard as I imagined either. It blends yoga, strength, conditioning and flexibility into a surprisingly soothing flow. Over the course of the first month, I noticed the back pain I carried from hunching in front of a computer nine hours a day disappeared.
Upon telling Victoria, she smiled widely, saying: “A client told me he hadn’t been able to play snooker in years. After five private sessions, he could bend again and play. I love stories like that.”
At the start of this year, the walk to Studio M was a begrudging one; today, my feelings have completely shifted.
When I ask Victoria if she has a message for anyone hesitant to give reformer pilates a try, her response is immediate and sincere: “If someone feels anxious, I urge them to drop me a message on email or Instagram.”
It’s what she says next, though, that really resonates and encapsulates my pilates experience: “Consistency doesn’t have to look like seven perfect days. Some days it’s 80%, some days it’s 20%, and that’s still showing up.”
What started as a reluctant promise to a friend has become a quiet, consistent reminder that showing up for yourself, even imperfectly, is more than enough.
You can find Studio M at 2, The Hitchcock Business Centre, Station Approach, Bushwood, London E11 4RE. You can visit their website here
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