Cheshire Wives, a tsunami, a rock star and Shetland Ponies

Summer 2018 – the summer I taught Pilates/Align & Define in Puerto de Andratx, Mallorca.

It all started in summer 2017 when a met a neighbour (now friend Becky) by the pool of our second home. The conversation was ‘so what do you do then’, me ‘I teach pilates’, Becky ‘oh any chance I could have a few sessions while I am here’, me ‘sure no problem’.

Fast forward to 2018 and over WhatsApp the conversation with Becky started – ‘fancy teaching some classes this summer to me and a few of the girls’?

Background: 3 of the apartments in our small complex are owned by folk from Cheshire ‘the Cheshire wives’ – not to be confused with the ‘Real Housewives from Cheshire’! The families (including me) go to Mallorca for the summer 7-8 weeks! The ladies all go to Barrecore at home and wanted to do some sort of classes through the summer. So it was ‘Welcome to Fitness Pilates and Align & Define’ and a straight talking instructor from Yorkshire.

The location for the classes was the ‘boardwalk’ which is at the entrance to the port, totally stunning – see photos and videos. Perfect for class unless it is a little windy – more of that later.

After agreeing to teach my thoughts where ‘What to charge’ for the summer? In my head I was thinking ‘this is really really not work’. But it is! While I was not teaching as part of my annual income, I was making a commitment 2 mornings a week for 7 weeks during my extended holiday. I had to remember that. Even when my friends, family and of course my husband were with me, the teaching commitment remained. I decided to make a nominal charge of 70 euros for the summer (an absolute bargain) and for those who just came every now and then 5 euros a class. You could easily charge double or treble that amount during the summer in Mallorca.

The next question in my head ‘What to teach? What should the focus be? What do they expect? ‘Will they enjoy it?’. All the usual stuff ran through my head. Earlier in the year I enrolled on the Align&Define programme being run by Kelly Reed Banks so that gave me a focus for one class each week. For the other I taught freestyle FP, taught as I felt and to the capabilities of the ladies in front of me. As the summer progressed the group increased as more neighbours joined in. I introduced a new group of people to FP and they loved it, absolutely loved it. They enjoyed the fact that I taught for them, watched them, corrected them, made it different, balls/bands etc and had a giggle. I created a small and temporary FP community.

Being a Yorkshire lass and I runner (in any weather) I am used to it being a bit windy. One morning we all met as normal and walked the half a mile to the board walk. We commented that it was a bit windy and the sky looked a bit stormy and grey. We arrived at the boardwalk and okay it was a bit breezy, well maybe a stiff breeze but still nothing that should stop the class – or so I thought. We stayed closer to the shore line than normal, put down our mats and put bags, shoes and what ever to stop them blowing away. Standing work and balance was a little fun due to the ‘stiff breeze’. I am shouting above the now howling wind with the sea looking rough ‘come on ladies stand like a Shetland Pony in the wind, FEET HIP WIDTH, you would never see a Shetland Pony with its hooves together as it will fall over! Start to channel your inner Shetland Pony!’ See the photo of Bomber my friends Shetland (in the UK) who is showing us how to do dead bug. So we carried on. Towards the end of the class one of the participants said ‘Ali you might want to look behind you’, I turned round to see the whole of the rest of the boardwalk had been covered in water, a huge wave had come over and drenched it – missing me by about 6 feet! My comment, ‘oh well that was a near miss, the storm is getting a bit worse so lets just crack on and finish up, only a few more things to do’. Later in the day messages came in from friends and family asking if we were all okay and was there much damage from the Tsunami that had hit Mallorca earlier that day! My response was ‘well it can’t have been that bad as it never stopped the class and in Yorkshire it felt like a stiff breeze!’ However it had been that bad and thank goodness it passed us by.

The hubby of one of the ladies is a Rock Star but I just know him as that nice guy by the pool who’s wife is my friend. One on of his visits between his tour he asked me if he and his wife could have a pilates session – no problem! Did it stress me NO! What a laugh and what a nice chap. I taught to the ability in front of me not to the person. By the end of class he could touch his toes – he’s not done that for years. That night they took me out for dinner as their treat – how absolutely lovely.

Back to a bit of commercial stuff. What I began to notice was the number of people watching me teach. It was 8am and people were out walking, running, looking around or just doing their own stretches etc and clearly the boardwalk was the place to be. A German lady approached and asked if she could join in. I explained I was only working this year with my neighbours so it was not possible but next year? Another German couple, father and daughter just watched and watched and said how professional it all looked. Had I asked them to join in they would have.

I am now back in the UK and my community classes begin in September. I have had an amazing summer and am already thinking about Summer 2019.

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Cheshire Wives, a tsunami, a rock star and Shetland Ponies