\n KAIRA Pilates, which opened its doors on February 15, has already secured more than 70 members, with 220 people trying classes and hundreds of bookings recorded in just a few weeks.\n<\/p>\n
\n The studio was founded by 26-year-old Bethany Henderson, who grew up in the town and recently returned to the North East after living in London.\n<\/p>\n
\n Bethany said the idea came from her own experience of London\u2019s thriving wellness scene and a desire to bring something similar back home.\n<\/p>\n
\n KAIRA Pilates (Image: Bethany Henderson)\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cI lived in London for three years, and there were so many different wellness experiences available.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWhen I moved back, one of the first things I noticed was that there was less choice locally and some studios just felt quite transactional. You would go in, do your class and go home.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI wanted to create something that felt more like a community, where people could connect and meet new people, as well as exercise.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Her own journey into Pilates began after being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in her early twenties, when she was advised to switch to lower impact exercise.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cIt just worked so much better for me. It\u2019s low impact, it helps with consistency and every session feels different. I really fell in love with it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n That personal experience inspired her to train as an instructor and eventually open her own studio, a decision she described as \u201ca leap of faith.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n KAIRA Pilates (Image: Bethany Henderson)\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cIt was such a big investment, and we spent five to six months renovating the space. It was definitely nerve-wracking, but I really believed in what I was creating.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The studio is located in the town centre, which the 26-year-old said was a \u201cdeliberate choice\u201d to contribute to the high street and also encourage people to make an occasion of their visit.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cIt was really important to me that we were in the town centre.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt means people can grab a coffee nearby with friends, come to a class and maybe go for a walk afterwards. It becomes more of a day out rather than just another thing to tick off.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Since opening, the business has welcomed 226 unique customers and recorded more than 700 bookings, which the owner described as \u201cunreal\u201d for a small studio.\n<\/p>\n
\n KAIRA Pilates (Image: Bethany Henderson)\n<\/p>\n
\n Bethany said her main focus is on accessibility and inclusivity and believes that\u2019s the reason behind the popularity of her new venture.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cCreating a supportive environment in the town was so important, and I really encourage people to come as they are.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThere can be pressure with fitness spaces to look or be a certain way, but that\u2019s not what we\u2019re about.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cI want people to feel comfortable walking through the door, whether it\u2019s their first class or they\u2019ve been doing Pilates for years.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Alongside running the studio, Bethany also works full time in a corporate role, balancing long work days with early mornings and evenings teaching classes.\n<\/p>\n
\n Despite the demanding schedule, she said seeing her customers grow in confidence and make new friends has been \u201cincredibly rewarding.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cMy favourite thing is watching people come in feeling nervous and then seeing that change even within one session.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThey leave feeling stronger and more confident, and often they\u2019re chatting to other people too. That sense of connection is really important.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The studio has already started hosting events, including a recent Mother\u2019s Day session which brought together local businesses offering beauty treatments, flowers and refreshments.\n<\/p>\n
\n KAIRA Pilates (Image: Bethany Henderson)\n<\/p>\n
\n Looking ahead, Bethany plans to introduce more specialised classes, including sessions for pregnancy and postnatal clients, and more collaborations with local businesses.\n<\/p>\n
\n She said: \u201cI want it to be a space for everyone, whether someone is completely new to exercise or looking for something different, there should be something here for them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n You can find the studio at 25 Finkle Street, Bishop Auckland, DL14 7PL.\n<\/p>\n
\n Classes can be booked via the Momence app by searching for KAIRA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KAIRA Pilates, which opened its doors on February 15, has already secured more than 70 members, with 220…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":555478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-555477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}