Dinah Siman is a Pilates teacher and founder of Menopause Pilates, a project designed to help, encourage, empower, support and celebrate the effort and success of her clients. We chatted with Dinah about her practice and her inspirations…
What does a typical day look like for you?
I start my morning with hot lime and then a large cup of English breakfast loose leaf tea – nothing happens before this and it is one of my most loved rituals. I teach every week day, working with clients in my Pilates studio in the Cotswolds and of course as most of us do also adding in zoom sessions. I like to fit in a walk and meditation time, but I don’t always succeed! Social media requires some focus as lots of you will know, and I’m very happy cooking in the evening, especially if I can try out a new recipe – but it has to be quick and easy for me!
How did your Pilates journey begin and what inspired you to become a yoga teacher?
I began my Pilates journey in the mid ‘90s and started to train to teach a few years later. In those days it was an Apprenticeship style training, learning all the mat and equipment based exercises in the Studio environment. The traditional style of teaching means a teacher will have a group of clients together, but they are all progressing through their own individual programme. I still teach in this style with a maximum of 4 clients in each class. That’s how Pilates became renowned for the bespoke approach early on. I actually never wanted to be a Yoga teacher!! BUT I wanted to study with the two awesome master teachers Jo Avison and Alex Filmer-Lorch and in order to do so I enrolled into the Art of Contemporary Yoga school and spent a transformative 2 years learning fascial based yoga and the Universal Teachings, it was the best time and I became a Yoga Teacher…and I love Yoga.
What inspired you to specialize in your practice
I have spent 26 years teaching women in the Menopause demographic and often desperately wanted information on the conditions and issues I was seeing them experiencing over this time. I felt very strongly that as a teacher I needed to understand the role of hormonal depletion and have the resources to support and signpost/refer my clients for help. My own very difficult perimenopause experience was the catalyst – I truly wanted to help not just my clients but other teachers also to join up the dots of what we see in our clients and what is happening with hormones to make life more manageable for all of us. So I wrote a course and had it accredited and now my book ‘Pilates-Based Movement for Menopause. A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners’ has been published. It’s the book I wanted during my ‘30s and ‘40s and I really do hope it will help.
How have you seen your practice benefit your students?
I’m very fortunate to have been able to work with a number of my clients for a long time. I think one of the most humbling and heartwarming aspects of my work is seeing how clients begin to understand how to support themselves with movement. They develop their own tool kit and have confidence to use it – they start to trust that their body is able to move and will gain strength and mobility even if they have a set back from an injury or a menopause symptom.
What is your favorite quote or life motto?
‘Only Make A Difference’ This is something my Mother always said and showed me in her life – contribute to your community.
What’s coming up for you in 2024?
Well… I’ve been on National TV with the Lorraine Programme, I turned 60 and I just had my book published! It already feels like a really monumental year for me and I am super grateful for all the opportunities I have – such as joining Yogamatters to share a class. Thank you for asking me.
Find out more about Dinah:
Website: https://menopausepilates.mykajabi.com/class-membership-signup-page
Instagram: @menopausepilates
