Zory Burner

About

I've always had an interest in the world of fitness and dance, right from the tender age of 7 when I trained in Artistic Gymnastics for a few years. In parallel, I was developing a passion for music, playing the piano for over a decade, with years of effort in maintaining a perfect upright posture at the classical instrument. In time, a persistent discomfort in my lower back led me to discover a permanent problem in a section of my spine, which had become an obvious limitation, both physical and mental. Until I discovered the power of Pilates!

As soon as I started practicing, I felt a change in my in my energy levels, followed by a surprisingly rewarding overall sense of stability and body awareness. It gave me a first hand understanding of why Joseph Pilates called his method The Art of Control. It's exciting to see what you are capable of achieving for your body and health, especially in a world where we have so little control of pretty much everything else. And so, Pilates became my passion.

I've come to see its true value for why it actually works. I feel especially strongly about the concept of "quality over quantity", slow and controlled movements in full range, targeting the deep postural muscles, thus building strength from the inside out and creating lasting results, which is much more effective than sloppy, endless repetitions of crunches, or forced and prolonged cardio, performed ad nausiam. Becoming aware of these has convinced me of how much Pilates has to offer those who want to keep doing all the things they enjoy well into the second half of life.

Since I moved to London in late 2008, I quickly started noticing the very ill effects fast-paced life has on people: at the workplace, on the streets, even in the home environment. Tight muscles and restrictive breathing due to stress, headaches and back ache due to poor postural alignment, all related to a hectic and 'rushed' lifestyle. I started exploring the combination of the precision and strength work of Pilates with the deep release work of Restorative Yoga. Introducing progressive flowing sequences of movements to help draw out all benefits of the practice in each individual.

Even though teaching Pilates isn't my only career focus (I'm a music composer), I am dedicated to spreading its ideals and benefits in the most practical sense to anyone desiring to feel the difference, whether for strengthening and toning or rehabilitation purposes, or simply enjoying the body they were born with.