About
Suzy Gibbons Mitchell – Biography
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Originally from a dance and performance background, my early career took me through various jobs in West End theatres, both on and off stage.
I trained as a Reflexologist, Personal trainer. I joined Magpie Dance as a dancer and facilitator working with young people and adults with learning disabilities.
Pilates finally became a full-time feature in my life in 2002 when I qualified to teach Mat work with Body Control Pilates in London.
Up and to that point, the truth is I’d had a love-hate relationship with Pilates since I was 18 but now a new curiosity was born.
While clocking up thousands of hours teaching Mat and small apparatus sessions in venues ranging from health clubs to living rooms and kitchens, I knew there was something still missing.
In 2014 I joined a fully Comprehensive Studio training with Alison Goodman at Pilates Nation.
This training joined so many unrealised dots and I will be forever grateful to Alison’s teaching for bringing me towards the teacher I am today.
It allowed me to cross paths and learn from some extraordinary teachers such as Kathryn Ross Nash and Blossom Leilani Crawford – true fountains of Pilates wisdom.
Forever a curious movement spirit my passion for learning has taken me through many courses and workshops and in May 2021 I qualified as a Vinyasa Yoga teacher with the extraordinary Jacq St Pierre & Cole Chance.
Yoga has confounded me physically and spiritually for years, so I figured a global pandemic would be a good time to take the challenge.
The training took me to levels of exhaustion I haven’t experienced since my dancing career but opened so many new learning opportunities, my movement world has truly got curiouser and curiouser.
Philosophy
“You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost.” – Martha Graham.
Our bodies and minds are magnificent examples of evolution at its best and all-too-frequently we fail to pay attention to both until the faintest cracks – sometimes major – start to appear.
I believe if we can learn to pay a little more attention daily, we can indeed make significant progress in how we move through life and therefore how our bodies and minds age. We can physically and mentally learn to not only survive but thrive as we do.
Whether it’s using Pilates, Yoga, Mindfulness or simply taking a walk, we can all adopt better daily habits. What we do today will show up tomorrow so it’s essential to learn to listen to our bodies innate wisdom and pay attention.
The extraordinary gift of daily movement practice is that the same exercise can have an entirely different effect on the body from one day to the next.
In short, the Pilates and Yoga work on multiple levels. Just as no day is ever the same, no one body I teach is the same from one day to the next.
Whilst respecting the legacy of Joseph Pilates Classical Mat sequence my classes are never the same – maybe that’s because equally, my perspective changes from one day and one client to the next.
The truth is I never thought I would be a teacher. The profession seemed to choose me. And I’m so glad it did because I’ve found it more ultimately satisfying than anything I’ve ever done in my life.
I’ve seen bodies transform, mindsets change, and lives turn around as people have gained physical strength, an ability to encourage a flexible body and attitude and an all-round healthier mindset.
I’m truly blessed to be able to bring my passions to others daily and more broadly through my retreats..
As a teacher I believe you never stop learning and I am fortunate enough to regularly train with some of the most experienced and respected teachers in the world from multiple disciplines.
Their influence, faith and love of movement and health has inspired me more than I can even begin to describe.
I am a better teacher for their generous sharing of the work, they have shown me what it is to teach, and to embrace the power of Pilates, Yoga & movement in all our lives.
Recommendations
Below are links to websites of some individuals in whom I have absolute faith. Since movement is just one part of the puzzle, I encourage you to take a look:
