Welcome to Forte Pilates!

Strength comes in many forms

About

Hi! I’m Catia!

I come from a mountain village in a national park in the South of Italy. From a very young age I’ve had a strong passion for fitness and nature. I spent my childhood trekking the beautiful mountains, climbing trees, rollerblading and bike riding (not all at the same time). One of my earliest memories of setting a goal is at five years old. I wanted to be able to ride my bike up the steep and unpaved hill at my family home, (the only way to get to the main road), all the way up without getting off the bike. It took me few days, but I managed to achieve it!

I moved to London in 1998 and I qualified as a fitness instructor at Kensington and Chelsea College a few years later. I was fortunate to have had a knee injury (which then progressed into hip and back pain), at the very beginning of my fitness journey. That injury started my interest in understanding about body alignment, so I began studying the biomechanics of movement and of the importance of maintaining awareness while training.
Pilates and Yoga were the only forms of exercise I was able to do while recovering from my injury and after practicing both for over 3 years, I qualified as Pilates and Yoga teacher in 2005.

I love what I do and I enjoy meeting people from all ages and backgrounds and helping them achieve their fitness goals, from absolute beginners to advanced practitioners looking for extra challenges, or those who have been forced into Pilates as their only option or last resort… I was one of them!

My Mission

Discover your own body

From your very first session you are on the path to learning more about your own body. Why, for example, do you have a recurring injury or what do you need to work on in order to achieve a specific move? You will learn to be aware and that will lead towards change. It is a fascinating journey of discovery that I’m passionate about sharing with you!

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a form of exercise created by Joseph Pilates. During his lifetime this method was called ‘Contrology’.

“Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong posture, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit.”

Pilates strengthens the entire body, with particular emphasis on the core (the power house). Perform every movement with control, from the core to the rest of the body, paying attention to correct form of alignment and as Joseph Pilates said “Above all, learn to breathe correctly”.

Forte Pilates

How it helps

Strengthen The Entire Body

With pilates you will increase muscle strength and tone. In particular your core. Abdominals, Lower back, hips, buttock. But it will be full body integration, from head to toes.
Yes, even your feet wont be neglected.

Correct Posture

When muscles work in harmony, this places less stress on the spine and joints and this is reflected in good postural alignment and alleviation from pain. We work to create this balanced body with Pilates training

Assist Mobility & Flexibility

Joseph Pilates said “If your spine is inflexibly stiff at thirty, you are old. If it is completely flexible at sixty, you are young”. I like to think we get younger through Pilates 🙂

Sport Specific Training

Pilates is a great foundation for any sport and will instil correct form for greater speed and power. Targeted training will improve a golf swing, shorten cycle race times, produce tighter turns whilst skiing and more! Benefits also include reduced injury and recovery time.

Rehabilitation

Through Pilates, we strengthen and train flexibility into the affected and surrounding areas of injury to treat the cause of pain and prevent further damage. Pilates may also reduce recovery time after an operation.

Pre/Post Natal

Exercise should not be performed during the first trimester, but Pilates can be safely performed from the second term and after childbirth, which may speed recovery and correct abdominal separation (diastasis recti).

If you decide to still practice Pilates during the first trimester make sure you are letting your teacher know and that is also specialised in pre and postnatal.

Aid Wellbeing & Mindfulness

Pilates alleviates stress through focused movement and synchronised breathing; by aligning the mind and body in this manner, we create a sense of being in the right place within ourselves.

“You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions”

– Joseph Pilates

Testimonials

I have been having 1:1 pilates sessions with Catia for years starting due to lower back pain which she has completely cured. She has endless knowledge of every muscle in the body and sometimes seems to have almost a magical ability to make me better. I would highly recommend her sessions , you will find you will sit , walk and move better than you have ever done before as her work with you will have a positive impact on your everyday life.

Florence S.

I have been doing pilates with Catia for the best part of 15 years and I cannot recommend her enough. She has an amazing knowledge of the body and a great ability to tailor the exercises to suit any problems. I can start a class with a back ache and end without it. For the last several months we have been ‘meeting’ on zoom and her eagle eye still spots what is good and bad. No one class is the same as the last – her range of exercises seems never ending and I am never bored. I am now 72 years old and still very fit and I credit this mostly to Catia and her pilates sessions.

Marcia L.

Catia is a fantastic teacher! She has a wealth of knowledge and experience which she is able to draw on when working with students whether on particular issues or more generally bringing into her classes targeted exercises for achieving progress. She really listens before making practical suggestions and leaves it to her students to choose the pace of change. I have benefited enormously from my lessons with Catia and I cannot recommend her more highly.

Dawn Giles

Services

Choose a session that’s right for you

Private

1-to-1

Personal session tailored to your own need, goals.

Semi Private

1-to-2

Sharing the session with a friend, partner, family member.

If new to Pilates or if you have an injury, we recommend the 1-to-1 option.

Online Private

via Zoom

30- or 45-minute session to do from wherever you are! Still a private session (not a general broadcast), set your camera well in order to be seen!

Book a Session