Lucie Berse, owner of Mainely Pilates in Yarmouth, demonstrates an exercise on a reformer in her new studio on Jan. 20. (Sophie Burchell/Staff Writer)
In a new exercise studio on Yarmouth’s Route 1, 10 reformer machines sit in two rows, ready to stretch bodies and minds in the community.
Boutique Pilates studio Mainely Pilates opened in Yarmouth this month. Owned and operated by Cumberland resident Lucie Berse, the fitness center offers personalized and group classes in Pilates, an increasingly popular low-impact exercise intended to bolster strength, flexibility, posture and focus.
While some Pilates is done on a mat on the floor, most Pilates occurs on a reformer, a specialized apparatus with a sliding bed that allows for numerous exercises of the core, arms and legs with different levels of resistance.
When Berse first laid on a reformer in New York City in 2001 while working as a personal trainer, the mode of exercise did not resonate with her. Yet years later, after having her third child exacerbated orthopedic and hip issues, she tried the movement again and fell in love.
“It felt like a real workout, and also it included a lot of the exercises that I needed to do for physical therapy just in my workout. It was a lot more fun than just doing my boring PT exercises,” said Berse.
Pilates not only helped her recover from surgery but to also feel physically strong and mentally grounded, she said. When her family moved to Cumberland four years ago, Berse was soon taking Pilates classes in the area and getting certified to teach the movement herself.
“Having a personal training background, my focus is always functional movement,” said Berse of her teaching method. “While my training does include the classical Pilates exercises, I always include functional movement that’s going to help my specific clients move better in their lives.”
For several years, Berse taught Pilates in her home studio, which has space for individual and two-person classes. For over two years, she also taught mat Pilates through the Cumberland/North Yarmouth Community Recreation Department at the West Cumberland Rec Hall every Monday and Friday.
Mainely Pilates has 10 reformer machines in the group studio in Yarmouth on Route 1. (Sophie Burchell/Staff Writer)
With her youngest child starting pre-K, Berse was inspired to use Pilates to exercise her business skills as well. Opening her own studio allows her to teach more people than in her home and with reformers instead of the mats at the recreation center, she said.
Mainely Pilates is one of several studios to open in the Portland area in the past few years. While the exercise was invented over 100 years ago, Pilates has skyrocketed in popularity in the last several years. In 2025 it was the fastest growing type of workout in the U.S., according to a report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association.
Berse said she believes the COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of the exercise as more people started to focus on both physical and mental health.
Melissa Connolly, the owner of Move ME Pilates in Portland, trained Berse in how to instruct Pilates. Connolly opened her business in 2019, when the number of Pilates studios in the Portland area was half of the approximately 10 locations available now.
Connolly attributes the sharing of Pilates on social media — a popular workout for lifestyle influencers and everyday posters alike — has contributed to the exponential awareness of the unique exercise.
“I think people are just finding out that it really works for their bodies, like it develops both strength and flexibility. So they find that they can do it long term,” she said.
For those looking to try Pilates for the first time, Mainely Pilates offers introductory classes. A four pack of group beginner classes on the reformer costs $59. A monthly membership covering 12 classes costs $324, and to drop in for a single class will cost $40.
Berse is the only instructor at her studio, though she hopes to expand her staff and hours of operation in the year ahead. In the meantime, being an instructor continues to teach Berse more about Pilates itself, she said.
“I think teaching it gives me more of an appreciation for sometimes the emotional or psychological aspect of doing Pilates, because I get to observe it in so many other people, not just experience it myself,” said Berse.
Running classes, Berse said she witnesses people building a practice of movement that has cascading effects in their lives.
“I think that gives them self-esteem and confidence and joy, honestly.”