Classical Pilates is often known for strengthening the core, improving posture and supporting mobility. But for Senior Classical Pilates Instructor Iris Wong, its value goes deeper: it helps people build strength in the body, control in movement and confidence in everyday life.
Based at Flex Studio Hong Kong, Iris teaches in English, Mandarin and Cantonese. Her journey to becoming an instructor began with her own search for a more sustainable way to move.
Before Pilates, Iris’s first love was the piano. As a pianist and piano teacher, she understood how repetition, precision and consistent practice create meaningful progress. However, spending long hours in one position also took a toll on her body.
Iris experienced chronic back pain, scoliosis, fibrosis, thoracic tightness and a slipped disc. In 2020, she was introduced to Classical Pilates at Flex Studio Hong Kong, not as a future instructor, but as someone looking to feel and move better.
She committed to private sessions twice a week, alongside one or two group classes each week. Even during Covid lockdowns, she continued practising through Zoom sessions. Within six months, Iris says her chronic pain had resolved and her thoracic-spine mobility had improved, progress she says was also observed by her osteopath.
For Iris, Classical Pilates became more than a way to manage discomfort. It gave her a stronger foundation, and a clearer understanding of how her body moves.
“The most magical thing about classical Pilates is that it’s a mind-and-body exercise,” Iris says. “I’m capable of understanding, controlling and communicating with my own body.”
Strength through purposeful movement
Classical Pilates builds strength through a structured system of exercises and specialised equipment. Each movement has a purpose, encouraging the body to work as an integrated whole rather than focusing on one muscle group in isolation.
The work develops core strength, stability, mobility and coordination, while encouraging clients to move without unnecessary tension. With consistent practice, clients can develop a stronger foundation for daily activities, other forms of training and the physical demands of city life.
For Iris, this methodical approach was familiar. She sees a close connection between Pilates and learning the piano: both require patience, discipline and attention to detail. There is no shortcut to progress. It comes from understanding the fundamentals and returning to them consistently.
Control through precision
Control is at the heart of Classical Pilates. It is not only about moving slowly or perfectly; it is about becoming more aware of alignment, breath, posture and movement patterns.
In each session, clients learn to notice how they stabilise, where they hold tension and how they can move with greater support. Small adjustments such as organising the pelvis before moving the legs or using breath to support the spine, can make an exercise feel more effective and accessible.
Over time, this awareness can carry beyond the studio. It can support better posture at a desk, more ease when travelling and greater resilience in everyday movement.
Confidence that carries forward
For Iris, confidence came from feeling more capable and connected to her body. She noticed changes in her posture and says her hunchback disappeared. A body check also measured her as 0.4 cm taller; small but meaningful signs of how alignment and movement habits can evolve.
Following her own transformation, Iris completed a 3rd Generation Classical Pilates certification with Alycea Ungaro’s REAL Pilates. Today, she brings both professional training and personal experience to her work with clients at Flex Studio Hong Kong.
Every client begins from a different place. Some want to build strength, while others want to improve mobility, posture or body awareness. Iris’s message is simple: you do not need to be naturally flexible, strong or pain-free to start.
With informed instruction, patience and consistency, Classical Pilates can help you develop strength, control and confidence, both in the studio and beyond it.
Ready to begin? Explore private sessions or group classes with Iris at Flex Studio Hong Kong or find a Flex Studio near you in Hong Kong or Singapore.
CENTRAL
3/F Man Cheung Building, 15-17 Wyndham Street Central
WhatsApp +852 5740 5103
ONE ISLAND SOUTH
2205 & 2209 One Island South, 2 Heung Yip Road Wong Chuk Hang
WhatsApp +852 5740 9420
ORCHARD
390 ORCHARD ROAD, PALAIS RENAISSANCE #05-02 S238871
WhatsApp +65 9016 3539
Visit our website for more information.