Panacea Pilates is the studio for every body

Created by a German boxer in the 1920s and later popularised by heavily sculpted fitness junkies, the pilates method of body conditioning has always been more versatile than many practitioners realise. 

“I always felt like pilates had this stigma of being for a really particular body type, and that you had to look a certain way and be a former dancer to do it,” says Panacea Pilates owner Catherine Harding. But she envisioned a different approach; she wanted to create “a studio that was for everybody.” 

“Core strength is what pilates is most known for but it really is a full body exercise,” she explains, and it’s a lot more versatile than most people realise. While many reformer-based studios have everyone performing the same exercise simultaneously, Harding oversees tailored programs that use specialised equipment like a trapeze table, chair and ladder barrel. 

It means that everyone can follow their own routine and because the classes are capped at three participants, Harding can spend plenty of one on one time with each client. “That helps to make it comfortable and approachable for everyone,” she says. “You’re not trying to keep up with fifteen other people and feeling really self-conscious… Everyone can do whatever they want to do.” 

As a result, her clients range in age from 14 to 80 and she works with everyone from elite athletes working on their strength to grandparents who want to stay mobile so they can play golf without pain. But they all have one thing in common. 

“I believe that we exercise via distraction,” laughs Harding. “Because we talk a lot, some clients who hate exercise are really surprised when the hour is up because we’ve been talking and enjoying it instead of fixating on doing 100 reps.” 

It’s why many of Harding’s clients have become friends since she started Panacea seven years ago. And after moving through several locations in the Norwood area, she’s found the perfect home at 138 Magill Road in a spacious upstairs studio with plenty of natural light. 

There, she hosts classes six days a week, helping her clients build their strength and flexibility in a uniquely tailored program that keeps the costs down while offering personalised routines – “like a personal training session in a group setting.” 

Panacea Pilates is offering a special introductory offer of $20 for your first class through Mindbody