You know, you could really benefit from regular Pilates Libby,” purrs my glamorous instructor as she guides my shaking leg to a previously unattainable angle. Probably true, as right now my hip flexes are screaming at me about my days spent sitting at a laptop. I have been persuaded to try my first Reformer Pilates class after my friend, Anna Lancaster, raved about her instructor Millie and she certainly is very encouraging of my beginner’s skills.
I was also lured by the fact the class is in a not-officially-open-yet members wellness club, the gym being surrounded by a wrap-around wine cellar. I guess that is what is called motivation. It comes as no surprise Anna got us into this space for a private class before the launch, her little black book is unmatched and Tatler once called her “the best kept secret of Society’s elite”, while naming her the best hypnotherapist in the UK.
From a background of luxury property and fashion, Anna suffered a spinal leak over a decade ago which made her completely rethink wellness and the power of the mind. After three failed operations, she used a series of visualisation and healing techniques and, when the fourth operation was a success, it led her to retrain as a hypnotherapist specialising in RTT (Rapid Transformational Therapy). We met years ago in Soho’s Groucho Club, when I took issue with her creepy date, who quickly fell by the wayside while our friendship grew with escalating evenings of champagne and shots pinwheeling.