Jamie Carr
“I've suffered persistent back pain over the past 10 years which has massively improved since I've built up my core strength, flexibility and spinal rotation.”
Google review
Cranham & Upminster · plus live online
Low impact Pilates for busy women with back pain.
Fifty minute classes in small community halls, taught by a coach who has had three spinal surgeries of her own. Every exercise gets adjusted to what your body can do today.
Back rehab, gentle mat and chair based classes
Every exercise adapted to your body
No membership needed, pay as you go from £8
Rated 5.0 across 45 Google reviews
Rated 5.0 across 45 Google reviews.
Valerie Robinson
“I had a total knee replacement over 18 months ago and Kim has really helped me manage the pain. Now my knee is feeling normal again.”
Google review
Jackie Bines
“Kim is extremely knowledgeable and can adapt any exercise to suit, she encourages everyone to work at their own pace and ability. Her classes are very inclusive.”
Google review
Beth Morgan
“She is an enthusiastic, relatable instructor who makes you feel instantly welcome (which is particularly impressive over zoom!) and encourages you to push yourself in whatever way you can.”
Google review
Janina Tomlinson
“I have severe mobility issues but Kim has always been extremely helpful, showing me how to adjust the exercise to suit my individual needs.”
Google review
Helena Dove
“I'd never taken a pilates class before this and I have seen a massive difference in strength and posture.”
Google review
Erin Talbot
“I have been attending Kim's classes for nearly 2 years following a back injury. The classes have really helped to strengthen my core and better protect my spine.”
Google review
Tara Ansalone
“I have been doing pilates with Kim for a few months now. It has literally changed my life mentally and physically.”
Google review
Injury. Post natal. Chronic back pain.
Who these classes are for
Built for backs, not bootcamps
Low impact mat work, fifty minutes, programmed around spinal mobility, rotation and deep core strength. Nothing high impact, nothing you have to keep up with.
Small halls, minutes from home
Classes run in three community halls in Cranham and Upminster. Rooms of ten to fifteen people where nobody feels watched, and class sizes are capped, so book ahead.
We meet people where they are at
Coming back after an injury, post natal, living with chronic back pain, or unable to get down to and up off the floor. There is a class for each of those, and you do not need to be fit or flexible to start.
If you think you're too broken to start
What is Pilates for back pain?
No jargon and no prior experience assumed. Here is what you would actually be doing.
Mat Pilates, in plain English
Controlled, low impact movement on a mat on the floor, led from the deep core muscles. Bodyweight and small props, no machines, fifty minutes.
Why 'back rehab' is in the class name
The programming is built for spines that hurt: mobility, spinal rotation and the deep core strength that protects the back rather than provoking it.
Chair based, for anyone who can't reach the floor
The whole class runs from a chair. Same principles, no getting down to or up off the floor, and it is where most people start after surgery or a joint replacement.
Every exercise gets adjusted to you
Kim modifies as the class runs so you work inside your own range. Nobody works through pain, and nobody is asked to keep up with the person next to them.
Mat or chair?
If you can get down to the floor and back up, start with Mat Pilates (Back Rehab). If that is the part that hurts, start with Chair Based. You can move between them.
Four formats, fourteen classes a week
Our classes
Mat, gentle mat, chair based and live online. Pick the one that suits your back, not your fitness level.
Mat Pilates (Back Rehab)
The one built for a bad back.
For anyone managing chronic back pain, a back injury or a post-natal core. Fifty minutes on the mat with small props. Mondays 10:00 and 11:00, Wednesdays 19:30 and 20:30, Saturdays 07:30 and 08:30 at Cranham Social Hall.
Gentle Mat Pilates
Slower, still on the floor.
For people who want mat work at a gentler pace, or who are early in recovery. Tuesdays and Fridays 13:45 at Cranham Community Centre.
Chair Fit (Chair Based Pilates)
The whole class from a chair.
For anyone who cannot get down to or up off the floor, post joint replacement, post surgery, or with balance and mobility issues. Mondays 12:45 at New Windmill Hall, Tuesdays 11:30 and Thursdays 12:15 at Cranham Community Centre, plus Thursdays 09:30 live online.
Live Online and On Demand
Thirty minutes, from your front room.
For anyone whose week will not hold still. Three live Zoom classes: Classic on Mondays 20:00, Sculpt & Tone on Tuesdays 20:00, Chair Based on Thursdays 09:30. Every class is recorded for monthly members, plus a weekly on demand class.
All classes are 50 minutes in person and 30 minutes online. Wear comfortable clothing and have a drink of water ready. Booking in advance is recommended, class sizes are limited. In-person classes are sold in three week blocks around school terms, with pay as you go options for flexibility, and they do sell out from September.
Meet the founder
The coach behind PilatesCOREuk
Founder and Pilates coach
Kim Karlsson
Teaching in Cranham and Upminster since 2020
Fully insured. Qualified and DBS-checked teacher.
In 2014 I had spine surgery after having my first child. My existence was daily pain killers and not being able to lift and carry my newborn without immense pain. Surgery got me walking again but it ended my career teaching dance, so I moved to teaching primary school, then left teaching altogether to run PilatesCOREuk full time.
I fractured my spine at 8. I slipped a disc during labour at 26. I had surgery, then needed it again, and again. I live with a chronic back condition, and Pilates is the reason I can still move, work and live my life. Maybe that is exactly why I am good at this. Because I get it.
“If you've ever felt like your body is holding you back, or you're 'too broken' to start, you're not. You just need the right approach and someone who understands.”
Cranham & Upminster
Where we teach
Three community halls a few minutes apart, plus live classes on Zoom. Every class is recorded for monthly members, so a missed week is not a lost week.
THE THREE HALLS
Mat Pilates in Cranham
Click a photo to view it full screen
What runs here
Mondays 10:00 & 11:00
Mat Pilates (Back Rehab)
Wednesdays 19:30 & 20:30
Mat Pilates (Back Rehab)
Saturdays 07:30 & 08:30
Mat Pilates (Back Rehab)
Location
Cranham Social Hall
Cranham, Upminster RM14
All classes 50 minutes. Booking in advance is recommended, class sizes are limited.
Get directionsA member's story
Three sessions in, already steadier
Kelly Marie Joy had lower back pain every day since her daughter was born eight years earlier. She came to a mat class in Cranham, and Kim adjusted the exercises around her back as the class ran.
By her third session she already felt more stable on her feet and her posture had improved. She bought her own mat. Kim's reply to her was simple: keep going and fall in love with the process.
“I started pilates as I suffer from lower back pain since I had my daughter 8 years ago. Tonight was my 3rd session and I absolutely love it. I already feel more stable on my feet and I have noticed my posture has improved. I have even purchased my own mat.”
Kelly Marie Joy, three sessions in
One to one
When you want a coach in your pocket
Group classes are where most people start. If you want the programme built entirely around you, Kim runs one to one sessions in person and a bespoke online coaching programme. It is the accountability that makes the difference, not just the exercises.
- 1-on-1 in person, limited availability, by email enquiry
- 1:1 Elite Online Coaching: bespoke Pilates, exercise, nutrition and habit training
- Weekly check-in calls, stat tracking and a members' WhatsApp group
- Mindset lessons with Amanda, our mindset coach
- Reset, a six week programme at £199, with a full refund if you are not happy
Elite pricing is set on enquiry and runs on a four month minimum, in cohorts.
Mention it when you book your first class and Kim will talk it through with you.
From £8 a class
Plans & pricing
Pay as you go is where nearly everyone starts. No joining fee, no membership needed.
Start here
Pay as you go
£15per class
No membership, no joining fee. Come to a class and pay for that class.
- £15 per 50 minute mat class
- £8 per chair based class
- No membership and no joining fee
- Sold in three week blocks around school terms, with pay as you go for flexibility
- Book ahead, class sizes are limited
PilatesCOREuk Online
£59per month
Three live Zoom classes a week plus the on demand library.
- Three live 30 minute Zoom classes a week: Classic, Sculpt & Tone, Chair Based
- Every live class recorded, so you never miss one
- Weekly on demand class in the members' library
- Accountability and the members' community
Reset
£199for 6 weeks, one off
A six week programme for getting stronger and back in control.
- Six week programme, one off payment
- Doable workouts and family friendly nutrition
- Programme delivered and logged in Trainerize
- Half terms and school holidays off
- Full refund if you are not happy
Elite 1:1 Coaching
Ask us
The coach in your pocket, built entirely around you.
- Bespoke Pilates, exercise, nutrition and habit training
- Weekly 1:1 calls and a members' WhatsApp group
- Stat tracking and mindset lessons included
- Four month minimum, cohort based
- Priced on enquiry
Looking for a gift card? £66.
Majorca retreat, Friday 2 October 2026, from £520 for 3 nights all inclusive.
No joining fee, and you do not need a membership to come to a class. Booking in advance is recommended, class sizes are limited. Prices shown are the published PilatesCOREuk rates.
Before you book
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask Kim when you book.
Ready when you are
Book your first class. You don't need to be fit or flexible.
Fifty minutes, a small hall in Cranham or Upminster, and every exercise adjusted to what your body can do today. Pick a class below, or start with a free 30 minute class online from your front room.
Rated 5.0 across 45 Google reviews
- Every exercise adapted to your body
- Fifty minutes, small halls in Cranham & Upminster
- £15 pay as you go, or free online to start
Pick a class that fits your week
Choose a class, then pick a time that works for you.
Select a class
Next two weeks: Mat Pilates (Back Rehab)
What to expect
- Wear comfortable clothing and have a drink of water ready.
- All classes are 50 minutes. Book ahead, class sizes are limited.
- Tell Kim about your back, your surgery or your knee before you start, so she can plan the class around you.
- Online: have the host on speaker view and minimise gallery. Camera off is fine, though it would be lovely to see you.
Need the halls and maps? Get directions to all three
Prefer to email? Email pilatescoreuk@gmail.com