A new Womens Health Pilates courses now running in Lansdown Stroud. Taught by Amy Cooke. Amy has been teaching Pilates for the past 11years and is now bringing her business back to the town she grew up in.

Amy trained for 3 years at the Scott studio with master practitioner Suzanne Scott (High performance movement coach to England mens football team)

Alongside Pilates, Amy has studied anatomy and physiology at Oxford Brookes University.

Amy has worked at Bristol University training the High-Performance squad. The HPS are athletes from a variety of disciplines, competing at national and international level. This includes present and future Olympians. Amy has also worked with premier league footballers and instructed physiotherapists from a selection of football clubs including Liverpool and Manchester City.

Teaching Pilates at the highest level has made her more passionate about promoting Pilates in the community.

Amy says ‘I believe Pilates should be available to everyone, irrespective of age and physical ability. I teach classes for people who are suffering from serious injury and back pain or those simply wanting to feel well in their bodies’

In more recent years Amy developed a special interest in women's health and trained as a UK Hypopressives teacher and Pilates for pelvic health specialist.

Damage to the pelvic floor muscles can occur for lots of reasons. The muscles can become weak from lack of use, poor posture, bad habits, pregnancy, childbirth, post surgery / medical procedure or nerve damage. An overactive pelvic floor can be caused by trauma in childbirth or an inability to relax.

Pelvic floor dysfunction is not exclusively a female problem or a sign of lack of exercise. Many elite athletes have been found to suffer with it. According to research up to 70% of trampolinists, 56-67% of artistic gymnasts and 43% ballet dancers suffer with some form of pelvic floor dysfunction possibly from overstretching areas of tension in the pelvis and endurance training in other parts of the body at the expense of the pelvic floor. Amy teaches Pelvic health one to one sessions using a combination of Pilates, Myofascial release and Hypopressives training. In addition to the classes you will learn helpful advice and techniques to help improve your symptoms along with Pilates exercises and the Hypopressives ’flow’ to use in your own self practice. Amy is passionate about helping anyone with pelvic floor dysfunction improve their symptoms So they can start doing the things they love again with confidence. ‘I am super excited about my new course as it’s been many years in the making and I cant wait to help as many people as possible to feel better, pelvic floor dysfunction can feel life changing but I believe there is so much than can be done to improve symptoms and get people feeling great again ’

What is your full name?

Amy Marie Cooke

What is the name, address, contact details of your business?

Ownzone Lansdown Stroud

Are you the owner? Business owner

What do you sell?

Pilates one to ones group classes and womens health courses

What is the most popular service you sell? All of it

What is Stroud like as a town to operate in? I love working in Stroud the people and community are so friendly I’m so happy to be teaching in my home town