Gentle and Strong with Marketa • Pilates • Yoga • Coaching

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Gentle and Strong with Marketa • Pilates • Yoga • Coaching I teach Pilates and yoga in West Dorset, blending mindful, intelligent movement to support strength, balance, coordination, and ease.

My work is grounded in kindness and in helping you feel at home in your body.

✨Advent Pilates Calendar Almost There! ✨Thank you everyone who has already signed up – I’m absolutely delighted! We’re s...
28/11/2025

✨Advent Pilates Calendar Almost There! ✨

Thank you everyone who has already signed up – I’m absolutely delighted! We’re so close… we just need two more people to make this special Advent project happen. 💛

What better way to celebrate Advent than with a little Pilates window every day – a daily moment to move, and feel grounded amidst the December whirlwind. It’s such a lovely way to stay connected to your body and learn more about your muscles - gentle care of ourselves during the run-up to Christmas 🤶 🌟

Do have a read of my latest email for all the updates – we’ve got some gorgeous Christmas offerings coming up, including a free class and a cosy Pilates & mulled wine gathering at ours. 🎄🍷

Would love to have you join us! ✨

…and you think I go hard with the bands? We have a long way to go my friends 💪💪😀
26/11/2025

…and you think I go hard with the bands? We have a long way to go my friends 💪💪😀

A cone that could fit us all 😀💪, have a lovely weekend everyone ❤️
14/11/2025

A cone that could fit us all 😀💪, have a lovely weekend everyone ❤️

🌿 Update on Oakie 🌿Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts, messages, and support — it’s meant the world to us. 💛Af...
12/11/2025

🌿 Update on Oakie 🌿

Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts, messages, and support — it’s meant the world to us. 💛

After a 16-month journey of not really knowing what was going on and watching Oakie not quite enjoy his movement, despite all the physiotherapy and exercises, we finally have some clear answers — and can breathe a big sigh of relief.

The MRI showed no major issues— no disc or joint damage — just muscular tightness and bursitis around his hip flexors and lumbar area. In simple terms, it’s a soft-tissue imbalance rather than anything structural, which means we can work with it.

He now has a plan that includes shockwave therapy, acupuncture, and ongoing physiotherapy, all aimed at releasing his hip flexors, improving comfort, and rebuilding strength and stride.

We’re so grateful to the fantastic team at The Renew Centre — Oakie was seen by four different specialists and cared for by the most wonderful vets and vet nurses. Their kindness, skill, and dedication were incredible. 🙏🏼

And of course — Oakie will be continuing his own version of Pilates! 🐾💪 Gentle, mindful exercises to help him re-educate movement, build stability, and regain confidence… a lovely reminder of how powerful consistent, thoughtful movement can be for healing — whether two-legged or four. 💛

Here’s to happier hips, wagging tails, and steady progress — one mindful step at a time.

Getting sleepy 🥱❤️
12/11/2025

Getting sleepy 🥱❤️

11/11/2025

Please remember there is no class in Beaminster tomorrow morning. Thursday classes as per normal. 💪🌸

Honouring the Turning of the Seasons 🍂This time of year always invites reflection — a moment to pause between the bright...
02/11/2025

Honouring the Turning of the Seasons 🍂

This time of year always invites reflection — a moment to pause between the brightness of summer and the stillness of winter. The garden is offering its last flowers, a final burst of colour and life before the quiet begins. Sunshine, crisp air, the scent of leaves — reminders of the simple, precious joy of being alive in all the beautiful messiness of the human form.

Around this time it is said that the veil softens and I find myself giving thanks for the ancestors who came before us, for the lives and lessons that flow through us, and for the love that continues beyond time. I travelled to Avebury to walk among the stones, spending quiet time in nature, listening and giving thanks. The messages that came were clear and gentle — to celebrate life, to find joy in what is, and to keep appreciating the wonder around us.

It’s also two years since I began teaching in Cattistock and Maiden Newton, and I feel so deeply grateful for the connections that have grown between us — for the warmth, trust, and laughter we share, and for the ways your bodies have become stronger, steadier, and more at ease. It’s such a privilege to witness your journeys and to be part of this community.

I’ll share Holly’s beautiful words below — they truly touched me. Thank you all for being part of this unfolding, for showing up for yourselves, and for the shared energy that continues to ripple out.

With love,
Marketa 🤍

We’re on our way down to Dorset after the most wonderful time in Scotland with dear friends — wild landscapes, big skies...
20/09/2025

We’re on our way down to Dorset after the most wonderful time in Scotland with dear friends — wild landscapes, big skies, and somewhere along the way Andy and I got married 💍✨.

While we were there, nature was already shifting into autumn. We watched the wild geese arriving, their calls echoing over the sea and fields — one of the most beautiful sights and sounds, a living reminder of how everything prepares for the season ahead.

As we head home, I’m so excited to open our autumn Pilates & Yoga term. This is the perfect season to reconnect with movement, build steadiness and care for our bodies as nature slows and deepens.

I’ll be sending an email soon with all the details and sign-up info for next week — keep an eye on your inbox and let me know what you need. Can’t wait to see you all soon!

Marketa x

Woke up in the van 🚐 near Kendal with tea, coffee, and Czech walnut cake for breakfast, then wandered through the soft a...
02/09/2025

Woke up in the van 🚐 near Kendal with tea, coffee, and Czech walnut cake for breakfast, then wandered through the soft autumn colours of bracken, sloes, and heather — so, so lovely 🍂. We’ve now met up with a friend and are camping in the hills not far from Windermere, planning a big dinner together tonight. The van is such fun and we’re settling into little routines — I even love that I can make a cuppa without getting out of bed 😄. Grateful for Pilates keeping my back strong through all the twists and turns of van life.

Stuffing my face with one of my absolute Czech/Slovak favourites… a giant strudel from the very bakery my stepdad used t...
21/08/2025

Stuffing my face with one of my absolute Czech/Slovak favourites… a giant strudel from the very bakery my stepdad used to run. Guess the filling? 😍 Yes… I ate the whole thing, haha!

But Czech/Slovak culture isn’t only about pastries—it’s also about our spa towns, with their stunning art nouveau buildings, colonnades, and bubbling fountains of healing waters. People still come to sip the hot, mineral-rich springs and stays in these places are embedded in the national health systems. The waters often smell eggy, sulphurous, and a bit wild—but they’re so good for you! These spa rituals have been part of our way of life for centuries, weaving together beauty, healing, and community.

So here I am—one minute drinking a steaming cup of sulphur water, the next devouring strudel. And honestly, both feel like nourishment and fun. For me, health is always about balance: movement and mindful choices, but also joy, culture, and the sweetness of life.

Today, that balance looked like flaky pastry + eggy spa water under the colonnades. Oh yes ! 😁🌸

We’ve landed in Prague! 🇨🇿 First stop: the garage raid for our traditional favourite foods 🤭 Andy’s gone straight for a ...
19/08/2025

We’ve landed in Prague! 🇨🇿 First stop: the garage raid for our traditional favourite foods 🤭 Andy’s gone straight for a řízek (schnitzel) baguette, while I’m sticking with my childhood favourite—oplatky (wafer bars) 😍 heavenly flavours and textures, pure nostalgia! Squats later, maybe… haha 🥰

I recently wrote to Natural England to say how much we have all loved the sunflower space for our evening yoga and I rec...
17/08/2025

I recently wrote to Natural England to say how much we have all loved the sunflower space for our evening yoga and I received the loveliest reply back 🌻💛

They said:
“Thank you so much for your email and for getting in touch. We really appreciate your feedback and to hear that you are enjoying and using the reserve. It was purchased in 2023 with the local community in mind, so we are very pleased to hear that it is being used for that benefit. Your yoga class looks great!”

It means so much to have access to land like this — to walk, breathe, and simply be in nature. I feel deeply grateful that these places are cared for and opened up for the community, so we can all reconnect with the rhythms of the natural world. 🌿

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Cattistock

DT20JH

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+447833498407

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