Why Pure Pilates Ilkley is Your Go-To for Training in Classical Pilates
Local entrepreneur and Pure Pilates studio owner Kirstin Ferrie has been teaching the practice for nearly three decades, and has travelled the world teaching celebrities, athletes and royalty
Pure Pilates Teacher Training (PPTT), centrally located in the North in Ilkley (near Leeds, York and Manchester) offers Romana’s Pilates International (RPI) Instructor Training, the world’s most respected and a comprehensive Classical Pilates Programme.
Now they’re excited to be welcoming RPI colleagues to deliver seminars for the first time in the North and starting with a new group in April 2027. They are welcoming people for their new 2027 intake to start preparing now, with the first stage of the journey being to advance your own practice. Romana’s Pilates believes that you must embody the work before you can teach it, so you don’t need to arrive at Pure Pilates Ilkley fully advanced. Kirsten says you simply need dedication, discipline and a willingness to work hard.
Following years of intensive training, monitoring and evaluation whilst running her own studio, Kirstin, 46, founder of Pure Pilates Ilkley, has achieved global recognition in one of the most respected and traditional forms of Pilates, Romana’s Pilates, the world’s oldest and most authentic practice developed by founder Joseph Pilates
‘Romana’s Pilates training is recognised worldwide as the epitome of excellence in the Pilates industry, and we continue to see a boom in the uptake for Pilates, with over 12 million now practising,’ says Kirstin. ‘I’m passionate about helping to keep the standards high. We’re working with the human body, which is complex and unique, and without proper training there’s a real risk of injury. High quality education isn’t optional, it’s essential, and for too long the only place available for this has been down south. How amazing is it that a Yorkshire town is now leading the biggest wellness trend!’
Tell us a little bit about yourself, and what led you to open your Pilates studio?
I first started doing Pilates in the late ‘90s as part of my professional dance training and then went on to do my first classical apprenticeship in Pilates and began teaching in the early 2000s. I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world teaching, working in many countries, with such a wide variety of people. I loved it, but I missed home and being in Yorkshire. I always knew I wanted to open my own studio one day but felt it was important to gain as much experience as I possibly could before I did that. Coming home and opening my studio in Ilkley has been the best decision, I love my work and have wonderful clients, many of whom have been with me for over 16 years now.
Can you give us a quick insight into Pure Pilates Ilkley, and why it is different to other studios?
Pure Pilates Ilkley is a classical Pilates studio. What we mean by the word 'classical' is that we teach the original work of Joseph Pilates using the same equipment he used, following his system, and we are now a Romana's Pilates teacher training studio.
You use various different pieces of equipment, including the reformer – what are the real benefits?
The Pilates method is more than just a series of exercises, more than just reformer and matwork. It’s a system, a concept and way of using our bodies to align, strengthen and stretch. The equipment is there to give us the feedback and support we need to connect to our bodies in the best and, more importantly, the safest way. It's about working honestly with your body, your range, and progressing from there.
Can anyone join a class at Pure Pilates Ilkley?
Absolutely! We have everyone from aged 14 to 89 here. Pilates is for everybody, or rather there is something within this method for everyone, not everything is for everyone.
What type of classes do you offer?
We offer private, duo and small group classes, along with an online option for private and mat classes for those travelling. We also run regular client workshops and workshops for those that are interested in doing the teacher training programme.
You have recently announced the opening of a new Training Centre. Why?
Romana’s Pilates is regarded as one of the best, safest and most thorough training programmes in the world with a global network in more than 150 countries. Romana's Pilates is still led by Sari Mejo Santos, Romana's daughter, and her granddaughter Daria Pace. After years of hard work and dedication to continued learning, I’m very proud to have been promoted to a Level 4 Romana’s Pilates teacher trainer. Up until now, the training [in the UK] was only available in the South, mainly in London, and we have an incredible amount of talent in the North that just hasn't been able to access this level of training without some considerable travel and sacrifice. I’m very excited and proud to bring this globally-recognised Pilates training to the North, and the opportunities that come with it.
Pilates has been enjoying a big boom and seems to be everywhere, but it's not all the same is it?
It’s wonderful Pilates has become so popular, it really is. However, because of that it has become very difficult for the public to know what is the right thing for them to do and keep themselves safe, particularly if they have injuries. The most important thing is safe and healthy movement, so ask questions, lots of them – no one should mind you asking about their training. Generally, a Pilates teacher should have trained for at least 12 to 18 months, supervised while learning and supported while teaching. They should be learning from someone who has more than five to 10 years experience at a minimum, and should be properly insured. And in this day and age, I think it's paramount that their training was done in person and not online. This is a physical and personal practice, it needs to be learnt in person.
Why train with PPTT and Romana’s Pilates?
Romana’s Pilates instructors teach the exercises and philosophies of Joseph and Clara Pilates as handed down to their world-renowned protégé, Romana Kryzanowska, and later her daughter, Sari Mejia Santo, and granddaughter Daria Pace. Romana’s Pilates are dedicated to preserving the legacy and the work of Joseph and Clara Pilates. RPI is globally recognised and has studios in over 50 countries. PPTT has a supportive team of RPI instructors and apprentices to work with, alongside a close relationship with our UK, Europe and Global network of RPI teachers and teacher trainers.
Why is Classical Pilates teacher training the best choice?
Joseph Pilates opened his studio in 1926, and 100 years later the Pilates industry has seen a massive boom, even more so in the last 10 years, and studios are popping up everywhere with multiple different and quick ways to get a qualification, the majority of which do not resemble Joe's work of Contrology. The cracks in this process are starting to show. The public want more, they want assurance in knowledge and quality, but quality and a depth of knowledge take time. Romana's Pilates gives you a depth of knowledge and lineage that goes back 100 years to the very roots of the method, it also gives you a global community of support, education and continued education.
