Meet Tara Riley | Pilates and Barre expert | Founder of Tara Riley Method

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tara Riley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tara, what do you want your legacy to be?
I am a Pilates and Barre instructor and creator of the Tara Riley Method which combines sustainable mobility and strength exercises with cardiovascular stamina and flexibility that that will keep you moving with ease and with less pain throughout life

My goal is to inspire people to get active and stay active at any age and at any ability. To educate what types of exercise can support you as you age and to create a community feeling in all my classes that make people feel part of something, welcomed and encouraged.

I have a genuine interest in how a workout makes you feel mentally, not just physically. The body positive energy and uplifted mood you can get from exercise is where it’s at and I am passionate about helping helping others discover the empowerment and love of doing exercise that feels good in your body and mind!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Hi – I’m Tara, founder of Tara Riley Method which is a combination of creative, mood boosting, life changing classes including Pilates, Barre and Cardio that help reduce stress and build confidence whilst increasing strength, stamina and flexibility keeping you mobile and active for years. My classes are energetic, dynamic and challenging, but they are achievable for all ages and abilities. I believe the positive energy you experience from a workout is as important as the physical results — often times more important.

I was a competetive gymnast for 15+ years, so physical fitness has always been part of my life, but it was an early diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis at 28 years old that set me on a journey of discovery and learning how movement could help me manage my RA. Over time I did discover types of movement that helped and types of movement that hurt. My method is born from this, but what is just as interesting to me is that finding the types of exercise that helped me physcially also ended up having a positive effect on my mental health. The mental aspect of being a chronic pain sufferer can be be tricky to manage and somewhat exhausting.

It wasn’t an easy road as I chose not to go down the disease altering drug route, which many of my doctors didn’t always agree with. But now….when they see how mobile and strong my joints and muscles are, I get very little push back these days.

Helping others (re)connect with themselves, to learn something new and realise that certain types of movement CAN improve their pain AND their mood is what I am most passionate about. This is what makes me most excited and proud about my teaching. Watching my clients gain confidence in their bodies and in themsleves and finding the joy in moving their bodies in a way that feels good is amazing!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well — lets assume my best friend hasn’t visited London before….

We would hop on an Open air Bus Tour (weather permitting obviously) It’s a great way to see a lot of London without having to literally walk all day! We’d hit one of the routes that takes you past all the main London attractions — London Eye, The Shard, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge etc. You can hop on and off for 24 hours so easy to pop off for lunch and a glass of wine along the way!

Hit the Southbank — head up to the top of The Shard (the tall pointy glass building near London Bridge) for a perfect view of all of London and a posh cocktail. From the Shard head through Borough Market — a fantastic, historic foodie market with and incredible range of food from all over Britain as well as the rest of the world. Carry on through Borough Market toward the Thames and hit the Clink Prison Museum for an eerie walk through 12th century history of torture! Head for some fresh air and street artists by walking along the thames up past the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern.

You can’t visit London without a day of shopping! Head to the luxurious tudor style Liberty just off Carnaby street for one of the most beautiful shopping experiences you’ll every have. A wander up Carnaby street to Kingly Court for a brilliant choice of restaurants to choose from in an quadrangle style courtyard — and perfect if you’ve forgotten to book a table!

Gordons Wine Bar is a cosy little bar set in the arches underneath Charing Cross station. Candle lit with brick archways forming a sot of cavern its a great place to have a glass (or bottle) of wine

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Lauren Salaun and PR Accelerator. Expert marketing and influencer queen. Her PR accelerator course has been phenominal in not only helping define my purpose and story, but how to put it into action and gain visibiity through it. Tools i will contine to return to and use for a long time!

Lesley Logan and Agency. A group coaching mastermind with an unprecidented amount of tools, insights and help for instructors who want to move their business forward but don’t know where or how to start.

Website: https://www.pilatesandtara.com/

Instagram: @pilatesandtara

Facebook: facebook.com/pilatesandtara

Image Credits
Helen Boast for outside park shots. Brian Riley for pink wall shot