Meet Jacq
Hello, I'm Jacqueline
I founded Wicklow Pilates Studio in Ashford in May 2004. That is 22 years of teaching, most of it with people who arrived carrying something.
- Studio
- Ashford, Co. Wicklow
- Teaching since
- 2004
- Class size
- 8 on the reformer
- Phone
- 086 224 3470
- jcobbe@icloud.com
I started attending Pilates classes myself in 2002. Within a short space of time my flexibility had improved, my back pain had improved, and I had a leaner physique than I ever managed working out at the gym. Two years later I opened the studio.
How I teach
Eight people to a reformer class, never more. At that size I can see the shoulder that keeps creeping up, the pelvis that tips on the third repetition and not the first, and the person who is working hard at the wrong thing entirely. Corrections happen while the movement is happening, which is when they are worth something.
It also means the same class can hold a very fit thirty-year-old and someone recovering from a hip replacement, because the spring tension is set per person and the exercise is adjusted as it happens.
What I have built is closer to a boutique than a gym. It is small, it is concentrated, and I work with you personally on what you are actually trying to achieve. It is not an oversized class where the instruction is diluted until it fits everybody and suits nobody.
What I am trained in
I am a fully certified STOTT PILATES® instructor across Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels and Total Barre, including the Injury and Special Populations course. On top of that I have completed specialist training in osteoporosis and bone health, and an advanced workshop in breast cancer rehabilitation and post-treatment protocols. I am a certified member of the Pilates Method Alliance, I.T.E.C. and the International Guild of Professional Practitioners.
As a STOTT PILATES instructor I am required to earn 0.6 continuing education credits every year. That is not a formality I resent. It is what keeps my teaching current with the research on biomechanics and on health across very different bodies, and it is the reason I can take on work that a general class would turn away.
Whichever group you happen to fall into, and most people fall into more than one, it makes very little difference to me. Older, menopausal, pregnant, post-surgical, an athlete, or someone who has simply never exercised. I will come to you with the knowledge and the expertise to get you through it.
STOTT PILATES, fully certified
Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels and Total Barre.
Injury and Special Populations
The training that covers working safely with people who arrive with a diagnosis.
Osteoporosis and Bone Health
Recent professional training in safe, evidence-based programming for low bone density.
Breast Cancer Rehabilitation
Advanced training in returning to movement after surgery and treatment.
Pilates Method Alliance
Certified member, alongside I.T.E.C. and the International Guild of Professional Practitioners.
Equestrian Pilates
Built on twenty years of teaching and a previous life as an event rider.
The work I have gone further into
Continued education is central to how I work. Staying current with the research and with clinical practice is what lets me take on the people who most need this and are most often turned away from a general class.
Post Rehabilitation
Teaching clients after injury and after physio treatment, once that course of treatment is completed. Clients are correctly monitored and managed on their return to full fitness and recovery. Much of this work comes via Medical Referrals from specialist physiotherapists and local GPs.
Bone Health
Osteoporosis and osteopenia are increasingly diagnosed, particularly amongst women. Our specialised training means classes are tailored to build strength and balance, reduce fracture risk, and protect the spine, hips and wrists.
Breast Cancer Rehabilitation
A safe, progressive return to movement after surgery and treatment. Shoulder mobility, strength and posture, with lymphatic and fatigue considerations properly accounted for, and confidence rebuilt through graded work in a safe, supportive environment.
Active Ageing
Helps retain balance, strength and independence. These classes are for clients who want to stay independent, avoid becoming a fall risk and prevent frailty.
Riders
Before all this I evented. That is why Complete Equestrian Pilates exists as its own strand of the work rather than as a line in a brochure. Knowing what a rider is trying to do with their seat is what turns a general core class into something that changes how you sit on a horse.
More about Equestrian Pilates.
What I actually believe
Your back is more robust than you have been told.
Most back pain settles with movement rather than rest, and a scan finding is not a diagnosis.
Strength is the point.
Especially after fifty, and especially for women. Gentle movement is lovely. On its own it is not enough to defend muscle and bone.
Consistency beats intensity, every time.
Two classes a week for a year changes people. Five a week for a month changes nobody.
I am not a doctor.
When something needs medical assessment I will say so, and tell you who to see. Good Pilates works alongside good clinical care.
Where I am
Ashford, Co. Wicklow. I always love to hear from new people looking to learn more about Pilates, so please get in touch any time.
Come and try a class
Terms run six weeks and places go quickly, particularly the morning classes. Have a look at what is running and get in touch.
