“Due to lower back pain, which had been worsening over the past 25 years, sometimes I was choosing not to go out. So I had to do something. Having done a couple of years of “normal” pilates (which helped little) I was sceptical whether Menezes Pilates would make a significant difference. But it has. Hard work yes, but now my back pain is minimal compared to what it was before starting – most of the time I have no pain at all. My back pain no longer determines my participation in my life’s activities.”

“I had an issue with breathing for around 18 months, finding it hard to draw a deep breath; I had been to see 2 high-level sports physicians, countless physios and a breathing specialist at the hospital. My wife booked into see Allan for a pregnancy Pilates session and I thought I would give it a shot….nothing else had worked. Within 6 months, Allan had managed to assess, diagnose and treat the issue, which was a postural and muscular tightness problem. I see Allan once-to-twice a week and now I can not only breathe more freely but am back playing soccer and living a happy life again!!! The man is a genius!!"

“My early onset-osteoarthritis in both knees and hips was ruining my life. My specialist said it wasn’t bad enough for an operation and offered me stronger pain drugs and injections to cope until it was, although said it could be several years! He said I would cope better with targeted, supervised, core-strengthening exercises. I never quite managed to do my physio exercises properly or regularly at home, so I found Allan, who trains the physios in Pilates and began to learn his Menezes Method. Four months later I was bushwalking, skiing and playing tennis again – albeit slowly and with some pain – but feeling so much fitter and happier. Allan made me work hard, but knew just what was needed and what tools to use to get me moving again. An added bonus was exercising with a very small group of always lovely people – just what I needed to keep me motivated! Thank you Allan and my fellow Menezes practitioners”

“I first went to Allan Menezes on a referral from my GP nearly twenty years ago, at age 40, when scoliosis-related pain had me so disabled I couldn’t dress myself. I was considered “too far gone” for surgery by one specialist. At that point of desperation I commenced sessions with Allan. Within a year of intensive work, together with chiropractic treatment and remedial massage, I was back to a physical state of independence and competence I thought was gone forever. Recent X-rays have shown that the degree of curvature in both lumbar and thoracic curves has reduced by a significant amount. Allan’s deep knowledge of anatomy, his motivational powers and his amazing intuition, keep me on my feet. Two years ago my husband and I walked 300km of The Camino in Spain, and we’re now contemplating walking the Portuguese Camino – only 260km!”

“Mine is one of Allan’s real success stories, I came to Allan after being disappointed with my other Pilates classes. I was recovering from a shoulder operation following a frozen shoulder as well as plantar fasciitis. Within six months I was playing golf and tennis. My shoulder is now strong and my plantar fasciitis is gone!”