Physiotherapist shares the power of Pilates and prioritising your inner peace

Physiotherapist, Pilates instructor and Derry girl Amy Lavery has created ‘Space for Her’ for women who may be struggling in their day to day lives.

After going through her own struggles Amy decided to create a space for women to come together and find support.

As a precursor to her upcoming talk at a women’s wellness talks across the county Amy speaks to The County Derry Post about how the idea for ‘Space for Her’ started and her work empowering women to reach their full potential.

The journey began when Amy qualified as a Physiotherapist from The University of Liverpool in 2009.

“Since qualifying, I’ve been dedicated to helping women prioritise themselves. Early in my career as a physiotherapist, I trained in Pilates and quickly realised its many benefits. When I faced my own struggles with chronic back and pelvic pain, practicing Pilates made a significant difference. Managing my pain through movement played a key role in shaping the work I do today.

"Since 2011 I have been teaching Pilates. A lot of ladies come to me with low back pain, hip pain and pelvic pain, some of these can be post natal, post cancer, or abdominal surgery. Due to this I focus on working with women. Pilates can be a great way for women to manage pain, strengthen their core and pelvic floor. The women that started coming to my classes back then, most of them are with me now. It is a really beautiful community that we have and I have so much fun teaching the classes."

The mother-of-two explained how after c-sections she felt a lack of support and wanted to create a base for women
to turn to.

“I specialise mostly in ladies that have had a c-section birth. I have had two c-sections myself and found that there was very little aftercare. You might have been sent home with a leaflet and that was it. My first c-section was unplanned so I found it really hard without more support to regain my confidence and reconnect with my core. Even though I’m a physiotherapist I still struggled. Since all that I have created my own website with specialised content for women who have been through a c section.”

Amy described the work she does and how rewarding it is to see women build their confidence and go from strength to strength in their everyday lives.

“When women come to see me, I begin with a holistic assessment listening carefully to their concerns and screening for pain or pelvic floor dysfunction. Based on their personal goals we will formulate a treatment plan tailored to them. Strengthening work is grounded in Pilates principles, incorporating scar massage where appropriate, breathwork, and mindfulness.

“It is amazing to see women become stronger and more confident in themselves. When women are able to answer their own questions that can be very empowering and with time a lot of women are able to come to their own conclusions as to what works for them. I don’t know everything but it is also nice for them to be able to turn to me if they need to."

“The women I work with put in a lot of effort, but it's important to understand that progress is never a straight line. Life comes with challenges, and setbacks are a natural part of the journey. True change takes time and consistency. There's no quick fix. My role is to provide the knowledge and support they need, but ultimately, the work is theirs to do. By focusing on strong foundations first, they can build from there and reduce the likelihood of setbacks. Every woman’s journey is unique—sometimes progress comes through coaching and conversation, and other times through movement."

With stress a prevalent part of our society Amy emphasises the importance of taking time to reconnect with ourselves.

“Managing stress is crucial to avoid burnout. Often, we don’t realise how much stress we’re carrying until we look back and see it clearly. It’s about shifting our focus and realigning with who we truly are. We can ask ourselves: What can I delegate? What can I take off my plate? What are my boundaries and core values?"

Education has a huge part to play in the work that Amy does and she underscores the importance of this for women saying: “Teaching and getting good knowledge and education out there is a massive thing for me. Doing talks is a great way to get the message across. Education is a massive part of physiotherapy. Being in a room with other like minded women is amazing. If someone asks a question we will often see other women say ‘gosh that’s me as well’ so it gives a feeling of support and not feeling alone. It gives a lovely sense of community. You can sometimes even find friends to connect with.

“I’m always working on myself, just as I encourage my clients to do, using the same tools and techniques I teach,
ones I fully believe in because I’ve tested them myself. I can confidently say I’m happy with where I am, and I’m
grateful for the deep work that brought me here. Taking the time to focus on yourself from the inside out is truly
transformative. I never imagined I’d be in the gym with the pain I’ve experienced, yet here I am. I often think,
'Wow, I did that and I’m okay.' It’s all about building confidence and challenging yourself.

“The talk will focus on self-care and include topics such as pelvic floor, bowel health, bone health, sleep hygiene, the impact of peri menopause and menopause, movement, breathwork and mindfulness. There will be a time for questions and answers. I’m hoping from the talk women will come away with knowledge that they are able to start implementing in their lives straight away. I also hope it will provide women with hope. A lot of women end up just living with health problems, we should be thriving. So with the information and knowledge I hope they are able to do that. I think now is a great time to get the information out there, we have made it through January and hopefully come spring time we will be thinking about implementing these changes into our lives.”

Speaking on their progress one of Amy’s clients said: “I started with Amy seven weeks post c-section and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my health postpartum. Amy has a wealth of knowledge and taught me gentle exercises and stretches to help my core and pelvic floor recovery. She also recommended products to use on my scar which has greatly improved its appearance. I’d recommend Amy to anyone that has had a c-section, you won’t regret it.”

Amy will be speaking at the Women’s Health and Wellness Workshop tomorrow, Wednesday, February 5 at Kildoag Orange Hall, Claudy between 7pm and 8.30pm. Admission to the event is free and all are welcome.

Amy will also be speaking on women's health and the benefits of Pilates to 171 women at The Mighty Women Awards Big Lunch in Limavady on March 2.

For more information visit Amy’s website spaceforher.co.uk or email amy@spaceforher.co.uk