Spring & Summer Pop-ups 2024

FORNIGHTY HALL: Pop-up Pilates, Coffee & Cake

Tues 25th June, doors open 9.50am, starts 10am.   This session is capped at 15 participants maximum, so must be advance booked by emailing Ali Ayres on fornightyhall@gmail.com.  She will confirm whether there’s still space and provide the hall bank details, and you can then secure your place by transferring £10 to Fornighty Hall.  You don’t need to have Pilates experience to come to this session: it is suitable for anyone able to exercise from standing and on a mat from all fours, seated and lying down positions.  You need to bring with you: your mat; a hand towel; and two light weights (cans of beans will do fine if you don’t have weights). We will do an hour of Pilates and follow it with a cuppa, cake and chat!

Pilates in Fornighty Hall

FISHERTOWN NAIRN: Pilates ‘Semi-Private’

Tues 9th April, 10-11am (doors open 9.50am). This bespoke Pilates session will have a maximum of 4 participants. It is suitable for people thinking of coming to the next block of Pilates in Fornighty Hall (starts 16/4; see Timetable), but equally can be done as a stand alone ‘one-off’. The content will be tailored to whoever has booked in and there will be plenty opportunity to ask questions, etc. – these are key benefits of a semi-private, compared to a large general class. This particular semi-private is open to people with any level of Pilates experience, including beginners, but you must be able to exercise from standing and on a mat from all fours, seated and lying down positions.  Equipment is available in the studio, but you are welcome to bring your own. If you have your own mat with your preferred level of padding, I’d recommend bringing that! Email catherinemccabeyoga@outlook if you’ve any questions or wish to book your space. Booking is done by payment of £15. Please note this is like booking a concert ticket or cinema seat: it is non-refundable once paid, but if you decide you can no longer attend, you are welcome to gift or sell your place to a friend (I’d appreciate if you can let me know you’ve done this, so I know who to expect on the day). If you’ve not previously been to my studio, I will email you directions once you’ve booked in.

Fishertown Nairn studio

FORNIGHTY HALL: Pop-up Pilates, Coffee & Cake

Tues 26th March, doors open 9.50am, starts 10am.   This session is capped at 15 participants maximum, so must be advance booked by emailing Ali Ayres on fornightyhall@gmail.com.  She will confirm whether there’s still space and provide the hall bank details, and you can then secure your place by transferring £10 to Fornighty Hall.  You don’t need to have Pilates experience to come to this session: it is suitable for anyone able to exercise from standing and on a mat from all fours, seated and lying down positions.  You need to bring with you: your mat; a hand towel; and two light weights (cans of beans will do fine if you don’t have weights). We will do an hour of Pilates and follow it with a cuppa, cake and chat!

Treat yourself to a mini-retreat on 12th August

Spot the difference competition…which is Laura? which is Catherine? which is Fornighty Hall? And joking aside, can you spot the yoga asana difference?**

Exciting news! We are holding a mini-retreat on Saturday 12th August, to celebrate Fornighty Hall being fully refurbished, and to raise awareness firstly of where the hall is, and secondly of the regular Pilates and Yoga which will take place there over the autumn and winter. 

Our wonderful mini-retreat is co-hosted by Ali Ayres, Laura Ross and myself. It will start at 10am and last till approximately noon (depending on how sociable you’re feeling!).

No previous experience of Pilates or Yin Yoga is necessary to attend this event. Laura and I are welcoming and inclusive teachers, very familiar with providing modifications and alternative positions or exercises for varied levels of fitness or experience.

The morning will begin with 45 minutes of gentle warm-ups then Pilates exercises led by myself. Pilates targets whole body and particularly core strengthening, for general fitness and wellbeing. It also includes exercises to improve balance and flexibility. Pilates exercises are done from standing, all fours, sitting, and lying down. Pilates and Yoga have many techniques in common, but Pilates is done in flowing sets of repetitions (e.g. 6-10 leg lifts) and doesn’t have the long static holds practised in Yoga.

Laura will then teach 45 minutes of Yin Yoga and lead a guided relaxation. Yin Yoga brings attention to the more subtle and hidden qualities of our physical (bodies and tissues) and spiritual self (breath, energy channels and mind states). The opposite of active, fast-paced ‘yang’ styles of yoga, in Yin Yoga, postures are predominantly floor-based with longer holds in each pose. Rather than ‘holding’ postures, we ‘melt’ into them. This style of yoga teaches us the awareness and techniques we need to relax both on and off our yoga mats.

Following the guided relaxation, there will be plenty time to chat over a cup of tea or coffee and some cake (courtesy of the baking skills of our co-host Ali).

Your investment to secure a place for the whole event is £25. There are only 12 spaces available. Your place can be secured by transferring the booking fee to Fornighty Hall. Please contact Ali Ayres by emailing fornightyhall@gmail.com to check availability and get the bank details to make your booking payment.

Please note, to be fair to everyone, it is not possible to reserve spaces without paying for them. Full booking/cancellation information is available from Ali, but obviously if we had to cancel the event for any reason, we would offer those booked in either a refund or a rescheduled date. If you book a place and realise nearer the time you can no longer come, you are welcome to treat your booking as you would a concert or theatre ticket, i.e. gift or sell your space to a friend to come instead of you. But please let us know if you’ve done that, so we know who to expect on the day!

**Spot the difference! Did you notice the arm wrap change?! There are many variations of Gomukhasana/Cow-face pose, but like Garduasana/Eagle, it is often taught with the arms and legs in an ‘opposite wrap’ i.e. if the right leg is crossed on top of the left, the left arm is crossed on top of the right (or vice versa). We are both sitting right leg over left, & Laura is left arm over right (as I would also typically do in this asana) but for the pic, I changed my arm wrap to right over left. Give yourself a 10/10 yoga geek award if you spotted it!

Yoga & Pilates Pop-Ups in Nov/Dec: shorter & longer sessions; in-venue & online; mornings, afternoons & evenings!

A broader menu of yoga & pilates options is on offer this November and December.

My regular classes continue as usual. They are: Mondays 5.30-7pm Yoga via Zoom; Wednesdays 1.30-2.15pm Chair Yoga in Highland Yoga Collective; Fridays 9.30-10.30am Yoga in Nairn Sports Club; Sundays 5.30-6.30pm Pilates via Zoom. Full info about these classes can always be found on the Timetable page of this website.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER EXTRAS:

Weekend Treats, Online via Zoom. Immersing yourself in a longer yoga session is a delightful way to spend a winter afternoon! These 2hr sessions are £17 each, or £30 total if advance booking both. Replay recordings of these sessions will be available, to those who have booked in, for c48hrs after the session.

Saturday 3rd Dec, 3.30-5.30pm. ‘Garuda’. The full version of a popular class I did earlier this year, themed around the mythological King of the Eagles. We’ll begin with a settling practice involving Garuda mudra and a relaxing breathing exercise. We will then work from supine, standing and prone positions (i.e. there is no weight-bearing on wrists or knees). No all-fours weight-bearing does not mean ‘unchallenging’! The session will include focused strength and balance work. But as always, you’ll be encouraged to practise at a level of effort appropriate to yourself, and variations will be offered throughout. And of course, in a 2hr session there is time for a luxuriously effective guided relaxation at the end…

Saturday 10th Dec, 3.30-5.30pm. ‘Energising Slow Flow’. In this session, we will initially flow gently through a standing warm-up of the whole body, followed by working through potentially stronger flowing variations of Cat/Cow, Low Lunge, Planks & Downward Dogs, and a couple of rounds of Sun Salutations. In other words, there is weight-bearing on hands and knees – but if you are familiar with using a chair to do alternatives (e.g. Warrior 1 instead of Low Lunge, Half Dog and Plank with hands on chair, etc.) you are very welcome to do so. We will end with standing, then supine, flow sequences. And of course, in a 2hr session there is time for a luxuriously effective guided relaxation to finish!

Pilates ‘Semi-privates’ in my Fishertown studio, Tuesdays 10-11am. A ‘semi-private’ falls between a general class and private tuition. It is more affordable than private tuition, but with a maximum of three in the group, it is a much more bespoke experience than a general class. There is more individually tailored content and feedback than in a large class; and most people find it easier to ask questions about particular techniques or exercises than they do in a general class setting. There are sessions on: 15/11, 22/11, 6/12. You can book any or all, at a cost of £15 per session. These are matwork Pilates classes in which the content will be designed to be appropriate for the specific individuals booked in. Please make sure you’ve read my booking and cancellation policy here. (Once you’ve booked a place, it can’t be refunded/transferred to another date – but if you realise you can’t come and wish to give/sell your place to a friend, that is fine with me, providing your friend can manage the same sort of class as yourself, and you’ve let me know about the substitution).

Four weeks of Early Birds Online: 7.15-8am Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Fridays. Getting moving in the mornings, in the company of others yet in the cosy convenience of your own home, is a fabulous antidote to winter blues – it can improve mobility, lift mood and energy levels, and set you up well for the whole day ahead. All sessions are 7.15-8am. A Class Pass (entitling you to attend all 12 sessions) is £48, which is a fantastic bargain if you’re planning to come to more than half the sessions. You can join individual classes at £7 per session, which is a better option if you plan to attend fewer than half the sessions. Let me know if you want to receive the Zoom link/invite. You don’t need to book specific dates in advance – you can get the link then simply drop in any morning you’re free, paying £7 by bank transfer that day if you’ve not already paid for a Class Pass. Please also note these sessions will not be recorded.

Tuesdays 15/11, 22/11, 29/11, 6/12: Yoga Movement & Meditation. We will spend around half an hour mobilising our joints, easing out stiffness, warming up and stretching out, so we’re ready for about 10-15mins of guided meditation/relaxation/breathing exercises.

Wednesdays 16/11, 23/11, 30/11, 7/12: Pilates/Yoga. We will focus on easing out stiffness, mobilising and energising our bodies, stretching and strengthening, with the option of using light weights (around 1kg each; or a couple of tins of beans will do fine) in some exercises.

Fridays 18/11, 25/11, 2/12, 9/12: Yoga Slow Flow. A less ‘wordy’ session, in which we’ll be moving through gently dynamic warm-ups then some more energetic flowing sequences. I will speak as needed, but this one is more about watching and flowing along with me, and of course doing your own versions and modifications as you prefer!

Summer 2022

My timetable is a little different from usual during the school holidays this summer.

Check it out, including two new classes which combine Yoga and Pilates!

‘Rise & Shine’ is an early morning class which doesn’t require any previous experience of Yoga or Pilates, and is suitable for anyone who can exercise in standing and mat-based kneeling, sitting and lying down positions.

‘Fit for Life’ is an afternoon class of standing and chair-seated Pilates and Yoga – anyone is welcome, but it’s especially suitable for you if you’ve any reasons (e.g. joint pain in wrists, hips, or knees) you don’t wish to get down on a floor mat to exercise.

You can also still join me at my regular 5.30pm online classes via Zoom (Pilates on Sundays and Yoga on Mondays) and my ongoing Yoga class in Nairn Sports Club on Fridays at 9.30am.

More information about all these classes is available on the Timetable page of this website.

Looking forward to seeing you at classes this summer! Catherine