Pilates Sanctuary was started in 2006 by Alice Croucher and Julia Skene-Wenzel with the aim of providing high-quality studio and matwork classes in and around the Clapham area. Agur Arrien took over as co-Director from Julia in 2009 when Julia moved back to Germany to start her family.
The heart of Pilates Sanctuary is our insistence on the highest standard of teaching, an engagement with new research, continued teacher development and collaboration with other practitioners to provide the best results for our clients as quickly and effectively as possible.
People come to us for many reasons, be it to rehabilitate after injury, to improve performance in their sport or dance, to gain tone and strength after giving birth, for an all-round workout, or to find some space for themselves to exercise in a thoughtful, conscious way, away from the stresses of everyday modern life.
At Pilates Sanctuary, the teacher will work with you to assess your individual needs and devise a programme to help you realise your goals.
Pilates Sanctuary has a long relationship with Balance Performance Physiotherapy, one of London’s leading Physiotherapy clinics. Our collaborative work together has developed into specialist knowledge and experience of rehabilitative Pilates for a range of injuries and conditions including serious spinal injury and surgery, hip and knee injuries and replacements and neurological disorders such as MS.
Teachers
Pilates Sanctuary has a small team of teachers who work closely together to provide the best quality of classes for all our clients.
All teachers have been trained through the Pilates Foundation and adhere to the highest standards of Pilates teaching.
Agur Arrien
Agur was trained as a classical dancer and taught dance for many years in Spain. She moved to London in 1997 and danced professionally both in Spain and London until 2009 when she had her son. Agur discovered Pilates during her rehabilitation from a shoulder dislocation which occurred during a dance performance in 2004. She was then inspired to train as a Pilates teacher not only to share the benefits she experienced but also to incorporate her love for movement into her teaching.
She completed her Matwork and Apparatus training with the Pilates Foundation UK. She is also a antenatal and postnatal specialist. She enjoys continuous exploration of Pilates both in her own body and with others. She aims to develop people’s understanding and awareness of their bodies while encouraging wellbeing through functional exercise. She has been part of Pilates Sanctuary since 2007 and took on the Co-Directorship of Pilates Sanctuary together with Alice Croucher in 2009.
Alice Croucher
Alice began attending Pilates classes ten years ago to help with a back injury. Along with the marked improvement in her back pain, what really resonated with Alice was the Pilates approach to movement “whilst managing to stay grounded in Pilates Principles it constantly evolves to reflect current biomechanical thinking”.
Alice went on to train with the Pilates Foundation and then with Suzanne Scott at the Scott Studio. Alice formed the Pilates Sanctuary with Julia Skene-Wenzel in 2006 in order to realise their shared vision of Pilates as being accessible to everyone, regardless of injury, age or fitness level.
Sana Basma
Sana’s love for Pilates started when she took her first Pilates class. She loved the feeling she got being challenged and energised. Pilates makes her feel strong and helps her to feel younger.
Sana trained as a Matwork teacher with the Pilates Foundation qualifying in 2008. Her addiction to Pilates became very real when she decided to train with Pilates in Motion as a studio teacher in 2014 and she has been teaching for Pilates in Motion ever since.
Sana’s classes focus on Alignment, Breathing, Lengthening and Precision and having fun. She loves to help people to discover what they are capable of and be part of the experience that challenged their bodies and minds. Her biggest satisfaction is to see happy faces and while helping to guide them through their journey of movement, awareness and strength.
When she’s not teaching, Sana loves spending time in nature and with friends.
Emma Lister
Emma trained at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and worked as a professional dancer whilst doing her Pilates training at the Pilates Foundation.
With over a decade of teaching experience Emma’s classes are based in classical Pilates technique, with influences from strength training, yoga and her dance background. Though a professional ballet dancer for 20 years, Emma is equally at home teaching elite athletes, Pilates beginners, injury rehab and general maintenance class
Alongside her work in dance and Pilates holds a BA HONS in Arts & Humanities from the Open University and is the host of MOVERS SHAKERS MAKERS, a performing arts podcast.
Karrie Dene
Karrie began dance at an early age and knew early on that a stage career was for her! At 16years old she had a back injury, and was told that she may never dance again. Devastated, Karrie began to do studio pilates daily for 2 hours to help her rehabilitation as recommended by her physio and dance teachers. Her diligence and determination paid off and she graduated with a Performing Arts Diploma and went on to work professionally as a dancer and dance teacher in Asia.
Whilst managing a large gym in Singapore, Karrie trained with Polestar Pilates and is a qualified Mat, Allegro and Studio Instructor. Never one to get bored, she continued her movement education in other modalities and is also Gyrotonic, Xtend Barre and Core Align trained, which allows her to bring lots of variety to her classes.
Karrie teaches pilates with passion as she knows what it has done for her career and life. Her goal is that her clients have a positive movement experience and learn the tools to carry this into their everyday life. She may seem all sweetness and light but her class will give you that extra little kick!!!
