Hi everybody,

 

First of all, a very huge thank you to each and every one of you for your ongoing support.  It’s really hard to believe that we are in August!  What a strange year it has been thus far.  Maybe a little light at the end of the tunnel.. some normality beginning to seep in?

 

I trust and hope that you are finding it a little easier re classes online.  Doesn’t quite seem so foreign anymore?

 

So I mentioned in a previous email a shift in billing structure……….. so here is my idea going forward.. till the picture changes in front of us.. and I can invite you back into a ‘real’ studio.

 

I would like to change my billing structure to a straight membership fee for mat classes.

What that means is .. I will invoice R500 per person per month until we are back in a studio.  You can attend as many classes as you like or do as many recordings as you like.  I will invoice R500 irrespective of the day your ‘chosen’ class falls on.  (Some months have more than four days).

You can do more classes, and/or more recordings!!   So whilst some of you may be paying this already, the amount will not change on a monthly basis and also I would like to encourage everyone to try and do more than one class a week.  The ability to choose a recording allows you to fit it in at any time.  I regularly get  positive feedback from jumping from one class to two.   The benefit is really felt.

I really would appreciate your thoughts on this.

A reminder that you can join a ‘live’ class at any time, as well as click on a link to do a class at any time… the only thing I would pay attention to is the level in respect of your experience.  So easier is good sometimes, difficult is also good, but not so difficult that it leaves you disheartened (or injured!!).  It is also critical to get into a ‘live’ class so an instructor can monitor you.

Choose chunks of class or whole classes.  It’s fine to click a recording and do 20 min if that works for you.. move in smaller if that’s better for your diary.

Make it work for you.

 

Let me know.. look forward to hearing from you.

I will be invoicing this week (by Wed), so a brief yay or nay would be great & I let every know re the response.  You are also welcome to What’s App a quick response too.

 

Wishing you an awesome week ahead.

 

Best regards

Charmaine

Moving Arts Pilates

Hi all,

 

I’ll try to keep this quick.. I know everyone is flooded with emails & messages from different platforms all the time.

 

First of all, hoping everyone had a fab long weekend.  I know many of us are home anyway, but hopefully we were able to shift our workloads aside and managed to enjoy some different time…. So belated Happy Woman’s Day to all!!

 

Then going forward…..

I trust and hope that you are managing to make the online platform work for you.  Whilst it is my business, I really am passionate about us keeping moving and breathing in this strange world we find ourselves.  So a reminder, if you are struggling with it all, please let me know if I can help.  If you do have a tv, it’s easy to plug a cable from your lap top into your tv which gives you a fab screen to watch perhaps.  Take the time to set yourself up well and then it pays off with your enjoyment & experience of a class.

I am still sad about the studio having to close, but do believe it was the right thing to do.  I’m unsure if we will get the studio to re-open this year… we will just take it day by day and see how it all pans out.

 

So therefore, If I may ask… if your picture (your membership with Moving Art ) is not working for you (although I sincerely hope it is), it would be very much appreciated if you could give warning about discontinuing (30 days would be so appreciated).  I am doing my best to keep everything running until such time as we can open again.   Although my picture should be vastly improved having no studio rental.. it was a shared space and with about 40 % drop off of clients already… the picture is not great.  Hence, the possibility that I only re-open again in the new year.  We only have 19 weeks of year left.. and my sincere hope that it improves vastly for everyone as we go forward.  So I would love to try to keep everyone moving, motivated and set our sights on 2021!!!  Goodness.. that sounds weird.

 

I do know that it is easier to not ‘press the button’ to come to class in a ‘virtual class’, but I do believe your class is possibly even more valuable in this strange time…so put it in your diary!!!  Please let me know how I can help,  I can only help if you give me feedback.

 

Many are finding that it really is working for them… & I’d love to help you feel & find that too.  So let me know what you are needing.  (Pretty fab to be able to come to class in slippers when the weather is really bad J).

 

I am thinking of changing the “membership” structure .. to make it more achievable for all.. but more to come on that.

 

Take care, keep well, keep safe,..

 

Best regards

Charmaine

Moving Arts Pilates

Hi all,

 

Just a quick short one to give you some idea of the response I received from the survey and which in part assisted and guided us with our decisions.

 

• Does the Zoom experience work for you.

YES         77.5%                    NO         22.5%

• If we were allowed to open our doors in the near future, would you be happy to resume classes (obviously with all the correct safety measures in place).

YES         75%                        NO         25%

• As we are still unsure as to when we are legally allowed to re-open the studio (& a possibility of a harsher lockdown looming…), if we were unable to open the studio in the near future, would you continue to support MA and stay online with us on Zoom until we are able to re-open?

YES         92.5%                    NO         7.5%

• If we took the huge decision to close the studio and continued on Zoom until we were over the mountain that is Covid, could you see your way forward to stay with us online and resume at a new venue as soon as we are allowed to re-open?

YES         92.11%                  NO         7.89%

 

Best regards

Charmaine & the Moving Arts Team

Hi all,

So here we are….almost an incredible four months into lockdown (day 117!!).   The world looks so different.  Who would have thought!

I hope that this email finds you coping, keeping well, warm, and looking forward to a ‘more normal’ time hopefully not tooooo far in the future.

So a catch up email….

The studio for the moment is no more.   A very hard and sad decision to take after all the effort that Nadia and I put into it, and whilst it wasn’t really complete (still many ideas to execute), it had become our home and our new place.   I think, however, that we have done the right thing.  We have a ‘body’ that is fighting for Pilates studio’s, but even so, I think it will be a while before studio’s reopen. (I will pop a ‘shorter’ email to everyone re the survey that went out – thank you for taking the time to participate).

When the time is right.. we will look to have an even better space/studio… with even more thought going into it.   I don’t think it will be as big.. but I will go for soul, (parking, easy accessible toilet etc. etc.).   So.. maybe it will evolve into an even better ‘space/picture’.

For the moment, please help me to enable you to keep your Pilates journey happening.  I know that it is more tough, with all the different ‘hats’ everyone is having to wear.. but remember.. write it down and glance at it regularly.. what are the benefits of Pilates to YOU.    Whilst, yes, it is my business… it really is more my passion.. and honestly believe that in this crazy time we find ourselves… breath and movement are key and can make a huge difference.  A stressed body does not allow us to stand strong…… breath, movement and giving ourselves some ‘time out’ is what will do it for us.  So, you may have to ‘fight’ to make that a possibility and it won’t be easy. Book ‘your’ time out in your diary… if the only option is early morning.. let me know.. we can start an early one again.. or a late one, but your feedback is going to be what helps us get through this crazy time.

Many of you are opting to do recordings, which is fabulous, and I am thrilled that it is working for you.  Try and get to the odd ‘live’ class though, so that an instructor can have an ‘eye’ on you.    Find a time and put it in your diary and pitch up to class.. make it non-negotiable.  Let me know if I can help you to  be accountable to yourself.

Having said all the above, some of our pictures will not withstand the pressures at the moment…. please let me know. We can put your ‘membership’, as such, on hold till the world tilts back to some normality.  A month’s notice would be very much appreciated so that I know how to plan going forward.   I will keep in contact with everyone… those that are managing to stay in class, and those that have to wait till we re-open.   With everyone choosing what works for them at the moment, (I don’t see everyone/& I miss the contact) I will continue to invoice unless I hear differently from you.

So, all that is left for me to say .. is Thank you!  Thank you for continuing to support Moving Arts.   As I said to someone.. I/we want to give value to you and believe with the picture that we have created.. the ability to go online for ‘live’ classes or grab a recording when it works for you… the ability to do as many classes as you like with a variety of teachers (all with wonderful expertise), the value is there, albeit in a different format.  Without a doubt, a studio session is hard to beat.. but if you take the time to get your set up right for you and for us (so you can see us well, and we can see you well), there is no doubt that your sessions can be just as beneficial.

That was quite a long read.. if you’ve got to this point (thank you).  Keep well, strong and warm… We will come through this.

Best regards

Charmaine & the Moving Arts Team

 

I think it’s important to note that the distinction between classes is not so much that one is a “Beginner” (have just begun Pilates) or an “Advanced” client, but the nature of the work dictates the class.  So whilst it might be labelled a “Beginner” class, it is more about doing more ‘focused’ work in the class, for example connections, speed etc.  Often as an Int/Adv Pilates practitioner, the benefit of going to do a “Beginners” class is immense, as it enables one to revisit and focus differently in different classes.

So it pays to do a one *  class, and then challenge yourself in a different way with a ‘more’ star class – but always being very aware of one’s experience and capabilities, as well as one’s own body issues.  Far better to challenge oneself with a higher star class in the safer studio environment than online!

 

MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY
08H30 Int	09h00 Beg/Int	08h00 Beg/Int	08h00 Int	09h10 Beg/Int	08h30 Beg/Int
18h00 Int	18h00 Int	13h00 Beg/Int	16h50 Beg/Int
			18h00 Int/Adv

 

An idea of the levels of the above classes:                                                     Degree of difficulty 1 – 5 stars

Monday 08h30            More Intermediate                                                                             ****

Monday 18h00            More Intermediate                                                                             ****

Tuesday 09h00            More towards Beginners than Intermediate                                     **

Tuesday 18h00            More towards Intermediate than Beginners                                     ***

Wednesday 08h00      More towards Beginners than Intermediate                                     *

Wednesday 13h00      Very much shared between Beginners & Int                                     **

Thursday 08h00          More Intermediate than Beginners                                                   ***

Thursday 16h50          Very much shared between Beginners & Int                                     **

Thursday 18h00          Intermediate class into Adv work                                                       *****

Friday 09h10               More towards Intermediate than Beginners                                     ***

Saturday 08h30           Very much shared between Beginners & Int                                     **