One of the questions I get from people before their first class is some version of: “Am I going to hold everyone back?”

It comes in different forms. “Should I start with a beginner class?” “Is there something for people who’ve never done Pilates?” “I don’t want to slow the class down.”

I get why they ask. Most studios have levels. Beginner, intermediate, advanced. It makes sense if you think about it like a big group fitness class where everyone does the same thing at the same pace and the instructor calls from the front of the room.

But that’s not what we do. And we don’t have levels for a very specific reason.

We have Foundations. It’s free, it’s 45 minutes, and it’s designed for people who are brand new to Pilates or new to us. No reformer experience needed. No fitness level required. You come in, we teach you how everything works, and by the end of it you’re either ready to book any class on the schedule or you’re welcome to keep coming back and doing Foundation Classes.

That’s the only on-ramp we have. Because after that, there’s no ladder to climb. You just belong. In every class.

Our classes have a maximum of 9-12 people. That number isn’t an accident and it’s not a marketing decision. It’s the entire model.

When you’ve got 18 reformers in a room and one instructor calling the class from the front, everyone has to do the same thing. You physically cannot give individual attention to that many people. So you need levels. You split people by ability so the instructor can pitch the class to one group.

We don’t have that problem. With 9-12 people, your instructor can see everyone. Actually see them. And they do something that bigger studios can’t: they teach different people differently within the same class.

The person who started three weeks ago gets more cues, more hands-on guidance, sometimes a simpler version of the exercise. The person who’s been coming for two years gets challenged with harder progressions and more complex transitions. Same class, different experience.

This is the part that people don’t expect.

Our instructors design their own classes. Every single one. There’s no head office programme. No standard template. No “Week 3, Day 2, Exercise Sequence B.”

Each instructor plans their sessions based on what they want to teach, what they know about their regulars, and what they see in the room that day.

That takes a different kind of instructor. Someone who isn’t just certified to teach Pilates, but who understands bodies well enough to modify and progress exercises on the spot. We invest heavily in their training because this is the thing. The small class and the instructor’s ability to read the room and respond to what’s in front of them. That IS our product.

It means no two classes are identical, even from the same instructor. And it means that a class with someone in their second week and someone in their second year isn’t a compromise. It’s actually working as designed.

So if you’ve been wondering whether you’re “ready” for a regular class after Foundations, the answer is yes.

And if you’ve been coming for years and wondering whether you need something more advanced to keep progressing, look at what your instructor is offering you. The progressions are there. The challenge is there. You just might not have noticed because it doesn’t come with a flashy level name.

The person next to you might be doing a simpler version of the same exercise. That’s not a sign that the class is too easy for you. It’s a sign that your instructor knows exactly what both of you need.

That’s what small classes and well-trained instructors give you. Not levels. Just the right challenge, for everyone, every time.