For Georgina Burke, the owner of the Barre Fitness Studio in Bristol, the benefits of barre became evident after the birth of her second baby. Now she is keen to share the benefits that barre can offer to mums and mums-to-be through a range of classes offered by her team of instructors at their studio just off Whiteladies Road in Clifton.
“As a mum of two I found barre after my second baby, I instantly fell in love with the practice as I found muscle groups I never knew I had and healed from the inside out,” recalls Georgina. “I noticed my glutes and core were most affected in pregnancy, and left non-existent!
“With the help of a specialist post-natal trainer and barre classes, I have rebuilt these better than before I had my children. After a barre class, I felt like I’d worked my entire body, building strength, muscle tone and stamina, but also with the added benefit of leaving feeling relaxed after the end of class stretch and savasana resting pose.”
Georgina explains that her thinking behind starting the Barre Fitness Studio was to create a calm space that people will visit to get a fantastic, focused workout, by some of the best barre instructors out there, all in a welcoming environment.
“Making people feel comfortable working out, looking forward to it and enabling them to reach their goals was a high priority,” she explains. “I wanted there to be little touches to make the experience a pleasure, from free toiletries, fresh flowers, towels, essential oils and a retail space to treat yourself post class.
“I know from experience that enjoying your workout means you’ll be consistent, and consistency translates into long lasting results. This mantra was the drive for me to retrain as a personal trainer and barre instructor specialising in pre and post-natal fitness.”
Throughout, Georgina has kept busy mums at the forefront of her planning, with the timetable built around pre-work and school drop off for various school times, and post pick-up and post night time routine, allowing mums to build in some time for themselves.
“Barre classes are friendly, suitable for all levels, offering modifications for newer clients, returning post-natal or post injury or on those days your hormones are talking to you. We focus on posture, pelvic floor and deep abdominal muscles throughout the classes, helping you to find mind muscle connection and improved strength. This is good for male and females alike, particularly so if you’ve had children.
“The classes on the Barre Menu are suitable for pre and post-natal clients. We advise you book a one-to-one with one of our pre and post-natal trained instructors to support you with modifications as your pregnancy progresses, or post-natal, to restore the core, tailored to the individual. Every pregnancy and birth is different, so the more we work with you, the more individual the experience is.”
Georgina’s team also offers a relaxing Pre Natal Barre Flow Class on a Tuesday evening, taught by an instructor whom is also a trained reflexologist, so very focused on you and your bump! They are also about to launch a ‘Mum and Me Post Natal Barre Classic ‘on a Friday Morning, where babies under one will be welcome.