A Pilates and yoga studio aimed at bringing “a London feel” to Harrogate has opened in an old chapel on Skipton Road.
Alicja Palutkiewicz, launched Empowered Movement Space, which specialises in Reformer Pilates, after spending years teaching in community centres, halls and gyms across district.
Ms Palutkiewicz, who is originally from Poland and has lived in Harrogate for 14 years, started instructing Pilates in 2015, before qualifying as a yoga teacher a few years later.
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She said:
“I decided to open this studio to create a relaxed environment for my students where they can come along, socialise, meet like-minded people, move their bodies and clear their mind.
“Also I wanted to be able to teach from one place, have all my equipment stored there and ready to use whenever needed.”
The studio, based at The Old Chapel, offers mat Pilates, Reformer Pilates and yoga classes, as well as private one-to-one sessions.
The new studio is based in The Old Chapel on Skipton Road, Harrogate.
Ms Palutkiewicz said:
“I am a big fan of Reformer Pilates. I have had one Reformer for numbers of years and was teaching private classes only.
“It’s an amazing piece of apparatus and having a space in a studio allows me to have four of them and make it more accessible for everyone to join and try it.
“Also, when I was looking for a Reformer class, I felt there wasn’t one in Harrogate so I had to travel to Leeds to attend one.
“The main difference between mat and Reformer is that you work with your body weight on a mat and against the spring tension on Reformer, so it is more suitable for people with injuries.”
The Reformer Pilates machines in action.
Ms Palutkiewicz said the old church in which the studio is based provided lots of space and a “really good atmosphere”.
She added:
“I hope my studio will bring a little bit of a ‘London feel’ to Harrogate, as nearly every Pilates studio in London is equipped with Reformers.”
January can be a pretty depressing month.
Our finances have usually taken a hit thanks to Christmas, we feel run-down due to the impact the festive season has had on our nutrition and sleep and the cold, gloomy days don’t help either.
Add to that the effect the pandemic has, and continues to have, on our mental health, it comes as no surprise some of us just want to lie down in a dark room and hibernate until spring.
If the past year has been a slog, these breaks focusing on nutrition, yoga and mindfulness in the Harrogate district can help restore balance, health and creativity.
Switch off at the Acorn Wellness Retreat, Brimham Rocks Road, Hartwith
With stunning views of the rolling fields of Nidderdale, this calming boutique retreat at Hartwith has a not-for-profit business ethos and uses its funds to support cancer patients. If you want to step away from the real world and completely switch off, Acorn Wellness offers a number of retreats and pop-up events. All the guests have use of the sauna and steam room and can book massages. Healing Day Retreats run regularly – including one on January 26 – and include yoga, visualisations and gong baths, as well as use of the spa. If you’re looking to escape for a few days this month, a Heart and Soul Weekend Retreat is taking place on January 29 and 30. The retreat includes a combination of yoga-nidra, somatic meditation, mindfulness, sound healing with gongs, a cacao ceremony and nourishing vegan food and is priced from £280.
Jules Cooper and Trish Nugent, who will be leading the retreat, said:
“We endeavour to give you the right balance between activity and rest so that your body is able to release tension, giving you the space to discover lightness of mind, your deep intentions and your true spirit for 2022.”
Rejuvunate at the Yorkshire Centre for Wellbeing, Duchy Road, Harrogate
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Escape from modern life at Swinton Bivouac, Masham
If you are craving somewhere away from the beaten path, the two-night wellness retreat at Swinton Bivouac could be just the ticket. Guests can completely unplug and unwind, and find space to clear the mind in an off-grid tree lodge. There is chance to relax, recuperate and recharge with a hosted programme that combines sound baths, forest baths – which are mindfulness forest walks – and reiki drumming around the campfire. This retreat is perfect if, like most of us, you are suffering from low levels of energy, or feeling anxious or stressed, and spending too much time on your screen at too fast a pace of life. The retreat also includes complimentary access to the spa at Swinton Country Club and Spa. The package cost is £375 per person, based on two sharing a tree lodge and takes place from June 26 to 28 and September 25 to 27.
Workout with a celebrity personal trainer at Grantley Hall, Ripon
Ok so this one definitely isn’t cheap. But it is at luxury hotel Grantley Hall, the playground of the rich and famous, so it’s to be expected. This is a brand new retreat that is being launched at Grantley by Pillar and features sessions with a celebrity personal trainer alongside Michelin star-quality food. It also includes a four-night stay in a deluxe room at the hotel. Taking place from January 24 to 28, the retreat costs £3,350 based on two adults sharing a room or £4,910 for single occupancy and offers a variety of activities, aimed at targeting both physical and mental health. A gut health-specific workshop with Joey O’Hare, who was a 2015 Masterchef finals contestant will also take place and there will also be a personal concierge service. It is the first retreat in the UK to be launched by Pillar, which is led by personal trainer Harry Jameson, who was hired to help Prime Minister Boris Johnson lose weight.
A boutique yoga and pilates studio has submitted plans to open in the former Laura Ashley shop on Harrogate’s James Street.
Ebru Evrim currently provides provides classes in Skipton and sells activewear clothing.
According to planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council, the owner wants to replicate the business in Harrogate town centre.
If approved, the plans would see the James Street unit converted into a retail and teaching space over three floors.
The two upper floors would be used as yoga and pilates studios and the activewear would be sold on the ground floor.
The company, which also arranges holidays, retreats and workshops, says on its website:
“The boutique brand founder and owner Ebru Evrim moved over from Istanbul in 2015, and began to teach ashtanga yoga and basic pilates as a freelancer in village halls and other local venues in Upper Wharfedale.”
The building, at 3 James Street, has been vacant for 12 months after Laura Ashley went into administration in March last year before going into partnership with Next.
The plans are currently under review by.
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