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Pilates Colours offers a path to an improved you

Studio started late 2024, but Maharaj has high hopes to grow in her new community
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Kav Maharaj, owner and instructor at Pilates Colours on Erie Street, is certified in Stott Pilates and hopes to help Stratford feel better one session at a time.

Sometimes, all it takes is a small change in fortune to make a big difference.

That’s not to say that Kav Maharaj opening her Pilates Colours studio in Stratford late last year was a small change. It was more of a case of happenstance that started her down the path to opening the studio in Stratford at all.

“I was living in Paris and I was teaching pilates from home, but my husband became ill in our apartment and we wound up doing a test for mold,” she said. “There were actually two kinds of toxic mold there, so before we moved out I began to search Facebook for other opportunities. I was still liking the in-home situation, but then I saw this studio space. My husband and I had a ‘date night’ here in Stratford and thought it was a nice town, so I began to think about it.”

The studio space, located at 42 Erie Street, might better be called a micro-boutique. But that’s fine for Maharaj, as the Stott-certified instructor prefers having a more intimate setting to work with her clients in.

Stott pilates is a more contemporary, anatomically-based program that focuses on using core stability to generate the best neuromuscular performance possible and is accomplished through balancing muscular strength and flexibility safely.

“I began teaching stott pilates because I prefer it over the more classical forms because it allows me to adapt to what I can do with clients based on their health history,” Maharaj said. “It’s like every day, someone who comes in and their body is like a river: it’s always moving and adapting. And that’s also something you want to remember, that our winter bodies are very different from our summer bodies.”

Things like shoulder position, how we hold our bodies, what our posture is like from one day to the next can lead Maharaj to select particular exercises to work on with clients to help increase the benefit they get from their sessions. She’s also happy to explore social media for things that might be of interest as well.

“I look at whether or not someone’s shoulders are more rounded on Thursday than they were on Tuesday, and we can do something that day based on that,” she said. “And sometimes they’ll see cool moves on TikTok and want to experience the joy of moving like that. It’s really beneficial for your joints, your range of motion, your strength … all that stuff. They’ll see something that interests them during their orientation class and want to revisit that, letting us build their foundation of breathing mechanics pelvic posture. There is a mental component to it as well – from my personal experience, I can feel relaxation and increased focus, and there are studies that show it reduces depression and anxiety.”

Maharaj likes to focus on her own personal experiences to help people develop their own connection to working on themselves. She makes it clear that pilates, while promoting overall health, isn’t designed as a means for weight loss; joint stability, mobility and strength are the primary goal, which can lead to weight loss in its own way.

“Once you take care of getting joints more stable and mobile, you’re inclined to go out and walk more and do more stuff,” she said. “And because you’re now finding it easier to move and your posture is a bit better, you’re not going to be discouraged by pain and you will want to do more things.”

Teaching about 20-25 hours a week is her goal, and Maharaj said she has anywhere from 8-13 regular spots still available but can only work with two students at a time given the size of her studio. Those interested in booking a class or finding out more about Pilates Colours can find her online via her website and social media channels (@pilatescolours).



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