The Core Factory - Yoga, Pilates and Complementary Therapies

01/04/2026

“Pilates should prepare you for movement —not compromise it.”

I spoke to The Guardian this week about why reformer classes are booming and what’s actually driving the popularity of these classes.

📈 Bookings up 66% year-on-year
📈 Instructor startups up 948%
But with that growth comes a shift.

Reformer fitness is increasingly being sold as Reformer based Pilates without the training or safeguards that underpin the Pilates method.
Ultimately, it’s the public who pay the price for misclassified classes.

The Pilates Method is precise, progressive and incredibly effective. Delivered outwith the foundation of the method, Reformer fitness classes can miss the mark entirely.

Full article below 👇

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/apr/01/as-soon-as-i-left-the-first-session-i-felt-taller-is-reformer-pilates-as-amazing-or-awful-as-they-say?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQ6actleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeyITZRTH1lTVH8ef3b3VehD9vGkdn_14_sMZbZpOrMhzRnQv56infUrvltEo_aem_z6a3QqKgux6fbQswUfMoOQ

(ADDENDUM: For their article Guardian chose to use a Getty image of a white haired person in their 70s rather than the photo that I provided - see comment below for the image that their photo editor liked but was not published. I’ve been invisible as a Pilates teacher since my mid 40s because I don’t meet the thin, young, white chick criteria. If you don’t either, you are safe in my studio space)

One of the fastest-growing fitness trends is also one of the most divisive. To its fans, it promises a stronger, healthier body; to its critics, it’s another way to make women feel insecure. Time to sort fact from fiction

23/03/2026

🧘New Renfrew Wellness Yoga class alert 🧘

We’re so pleased to welcome Dee Butler to the space with a series of gentle, breath-led yoga sessions designed to help you slow down, soften, and come back to yourself.

These classes will be a big sigh of relief for your nervous system.

Dee’s teaching blends yin, restorative and gentle vinyasa, with a strong focus on breathwork as a tool for regulating stress, settling the body, and steadying the mind.

✨ Trauma-aware
✨ Inclusive
✨ Suitable for all levels

Class times:

🗓 Tuesday 31st March — 9:30am
🗓 Thursday 2nd April — 10:00am
💷 £10 per class

🔗 Book here:
https://app.classfit.com/Studio/Dee_Butler?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaAQuAtRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAafIcGJpaw0BPCphPUwTxjn7TelauA8AZmL6b71fllfSK90cQEpLaBWgyabDtA_aem_oVvMXtsAHY0rnYMVU0JsHA

18/03/2026

16/03/2026

Running a small business isn’t always Physio, Pilates, yoga and peaceful breathing.

Sometimes it’s this 🫟

Sometime between last Wednesday afternoon and yesterday morning someone decided the back door of the clinic needed their artistic contribution.

A quick tag for them… and four hours of work for me.

This morning’s job list ended up looking like this:

• cleaning marker pen off a freshly painted door
• reporting the incident
• saving CCTV footage before it overwrites
• waiting on hold for an hour to speak to Police Scotland

Not dramatic at all really but one of those slightly annoying “day in the life” moments that come with running a small business on your own.

The good news? Most of it came off with a lot of scrubbing and a heroic amount of hand sanitiser. I might be able to get the rest off or I might have to repaint.

And if you ever wonder why it takes me a little while to reply to messages or social media queries… occasionally my never ending to-do list includes “remove graffiti from back door.”

One of the things I do love about running a business in Renfrew is that the vast majority of people here really do care about their town and look out for each other.

Anyway… the door is almost clean again and the studio is open as usual.

Running a small business is never dull.

Megan 🙈

04/03/2026

Reformer fitness is one of the fastest growing fitness trends worldwide. The question is - how do you know if the class is Reformer based Pilates or something that bears no relationship to the Pilates Method at all.

The global Pilates & yoga studios market size is projected to grow from USD 161.98 billion in 2024 to USD 430.87 billion by 2034, at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 10.47% (reduced from 11.5% anticipated), according to a new report by Polaris Market Research.

30/01/2026

Thank you so much for all the lovely messages and interest following the Mill Renfrewshire

I’m honestly a bit overwhelmed (in the best possible way).

It’s just me running the clinic, the studio, answering email and I’ve got clients in throughout the day today.

I promise I’ll be back in touch with everyone later this evening who has written to me. Thank you all so much for your patience and kindness 💚

05/01/2026

THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL - DM ME WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITLIST FOR THE NEXT COURSE

Thank you to everyone who has shown interest in the Pilates Foundations course, the response has been lovely.

Six of the twelve places have now been booked.

A few quick clarifications based on common questions:

– This is a 4-week foundations course, not a drop-in class.
– It’s physio-led, includes a pre-course movement assessment, and is taught in a small group to allow for individual adaptations.
– Further Pilates courses and class options will be offered in future.
– Yoga offerings are also planned.

If you’ve commented or expressed interest and haven’t yet received details, please feel free to send a DM and I’ll get back to you.

Thank you again for the support, it’s very much appreciated.

31/12/2025

Happy New Year folks!

Don't know about you but I’m gently opting out of frantic resolutions and “new year, new you” energy.

The last couple of weeks have been a reminder of that in an unexpected way. After 2.5 weeks of waste water flooding in the studio, it turns out the cause was a narrowing cast iron pipe. A bit like a sclerotic artery: things age, systems stiffen, flow reduces.

Without attention and movement, function quietly declines. Our bodies aren’t so different.

What I do care about for me is starting the year feeling more at ease in my body: a bit stronger, a bit clearer, and more confident about how I move. Do you feel the same?

If so, from mid-January, I’ll be running a small Beginners Pilates: Foundations series on Sunday mornings at Renfrew Wellness Hub PA4 8PQ.

This series is for you if:

– you’re curious about Pilates but want to understand it properly
– you’ve been to classes before and felt slightly lost (and wondered if it was just you, it wasn't by the way)
– you want to build strength without rushing, forcing, or hurting yourself
– you appreciate calm, clear, physio-led teaching.

I’ve been teaching movement for over 15 years, trained through Polestar Pilates, and I’ve worked with thousands of different bodies in Pilates and Yoga studios, wellness clinics, and classes, both here and far further afield.

This foundation series will help you build solid foundations so that Mat-based Pilates makes sense in your body and your mind.
More details in the next few days.

For now? May your 2026 begin grounded with long slow exhales.

Remind yourself. > You are not broken.
Your body doesn’t need fixing.
Your body just needs moving: kindly, consistently; so that it can keep being itself to support you.

Movement is medicine.
Prescribed with care.

Love, Megan

22/12/2025

News!

My Saturday morning yoga class at David Lloyd is moving back from 11.35 am to 10.35 am. This was the original time, and one that’s been quietly missed by many of you.

The new time will take effect from the first open Saturday in January.

Earlier in the day. More space for your afternoon.

Same class with for many of you, better timing 🤍

See you on the mat soon!

21/11/2025

Someone described the studio today as “a soft space”… and I can’t think of anything truer.

Warm light, grounded shapes, quiet corners that tell your whole system it’s finally safe to exhale.

This Saturday we’re settling in for Two Hours of Calm: restorative yoga with yummy hands on assists + a crystal bowl soundbath, created to soothe the nervous system on a deep, honest level.

1–3 pm · £55 · 2 spaces left

Book: bit.ly/43z429o
Bring cosy socks. We’ll handle the rest.

12/11/2025

Step out of the holiday rush and into stillness.
Join us for a Restorative Yoga & Soundbath Mini-Retreat — a boutique small-group experience designed to calm, soothe, and renew.

🧘‍♀️ Gentle Iyengar-inspired restorative yoga
🔔 Immersive sound bath
🍵 Herbal tea & light refreshments
📘 Take-home Restorative Practice Guidebook (PDF)

🕯️ Saturday 22 November | 1:00–3:00 pm | £55
📍Renfrew Health & Wellness Hub
15–17 Dunlop Crescent, Renfrew PA4 8PQ

✨ 12 spaces only | 2 community places (pay-what-you-can)

Book online here https://renfrew-health-and-wellness-hub-cic.uk2.cliniko.com/bookings

or

message this page to reserve your place.

03/11/2025

🌿 A clearer path to wellbeing

Our new Cliniko booking system is now live — making it easier than ever to book your path to movement, calm, and recovery at Renfrew Health & Wellness Hub CIC

💚 Book now for:

🩺 Physiotherapy & Clinical Pilates with (Megan)

🕯 Mindfulness & Sound Healing with (Dee)

🌸 Holistic Therapies with (Claire)

🧘‍♀️ Yoga for Every Body with (Emily)

🏋️‍♀️ Exercise Therapy & Movement with (Laura)

🧠 Mind, Body & Balance with
(Jacqueline)

💻 New bookings now open via Cliniko — link in bio.

🌱 And we’re growing!

Follow our new home for all things wellness → — where community, care, and calm come together in the heart of Renfrew.