Jenna van der Merwe grew up in Kokstad and attended St Anne’s in Hilton. “My mum is a teacher and my dad owns a hardware store, so it makes perfect sense that I would embark on a career of teaching people about their form and function. I just love working in the field of biomechanics and movement. It’s a hybrid between art and science.”
The newly opened Stretch Pilates Studio in Hillcrest is an extension of the Durban North Studio. “My husband Stefan and I are both BASI compressively trained instructors, we met in Stellenbosch where we both studied a BSc Sport Science,” says Jenna – who completed her honours in Biokinetics Cum Laude before moving on to the Sport Science Institute of South Africa. She then started using her biokinetics and pilates knowledge to teach staff at the local resident hospital in Manguzi, where Stefan did a year’s internship following his post grad Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics degree. “I volunteered in the physio department using just movements to rehabilitate clients who travelled from rural areas. Despite the language barriers and lack of equipment, the clients felt better and got stronger. I realised what a powerful tool we had to combat pain and restore function.”
Stretch Pilates Studio Hillcrest is a space where everyone is welcome. “Movement doesn’t have to be scary or intimidating, we laugh and work hard. It’s fun and effective, indulgent and addictive,” says Jenna – adding she has a fantastic team of instructors. “Many of our instructors are physios and bios. Working alongside medical professionals who have extensive experience in rehabilitation does give us an edge when it comes to figuring out our clients’ needs, and allows us to play a role in the wholistic treatment of our clients.”
Having imported the best equipment in the world to offer sessions on the large apparatus, Jenna and her team’s pilates has a rehabilitative component as well as a performance one. “You have to try it to understand it. For me it’s like taking someone for a ride in my new car,” says Jenna – who believes people need to connect their minds and bodies through purposeful thought and movement with intention. “That way they can change the patterns of pain and explore new alignment and freedom that comes from strength and stability.”
Book a trial session with Jenna to learn about your body, discover your unique weaknesses and honour your strengths, find faulty movement patterns, and identify areas that need some improvement. “Whether it be on the mat or on the reformer, you will learn just how strong you can become and how great that feels,” she says.
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