Private yoga or Pilates at your villa in St Barts

Some travellers are keen to keep up their practice on holiday. Others use the stay to start, because they finally have an hour to spare. Either way, the teacher can come to the villa. What remains is to choose between yoga and Pilates, then between a session for yourself and one for several people.

Yoga or Pilates: how they differ

Yoga moves through postures and ties them to the breath. You work on flexibility and balance, and the session usually ends with a few minutes of relaxation.

Pilates is a strengthening method. The movements are slow, precise, repeated only a few times, and they call first on the centre of the body. What you get out of it is better posture, flexibility and balance.

To decide, ask yourself what you are after during this stay. If you want to loosen up and slow down, choose yoga. If you want to get stronger and work on how you hold yourself, choose Pilates. Nothing stops you from trying both a few days apart.

The sessions on offer

An in-villa yoga session lasts an hour or an hour and a half, as you prefer.

Pilates at your villa comes in two forms, one hour each. Mat Pilates is done on the floor, on a mat. Reformer is done on an apparatus. If you do not know which to pick, ask the teacher in the booking note.

In both disciplines, sessions are adapted to every level.

Private or as a group

Each session can be booked for one person or for several, up to twelve participants. You give the number when you book, and the price depends on it.

When it is just you, or the two of you, the teacher tunes everything to you: the pace, the postures, what gets corrected. It is the right format for starting out with nobody watching, or for working on one specific point.

With several people, the session becomes something you share. A family, friends staying in the same villa, a group before a wedding: you practise together, then you have breakfast. If levels are very different, say so in the note. The teacher will then plan variations, so that nobody is bored and nobody strains.

Where to practise in the villa

You need a flat surface, large enough for everyone to stretch out their arms without touching a neighbour. A terrace, a deck by the pool or a shaded lawn all work very well.

Two precautions make the session more pleasant. Choose a spot out of the wind, which upsets your balance more than you would expect. And go for early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is low. If the weather turns, a cleared living room does the job.

Booking and cancelling

Everything is done online. You choose the discipline, the length, the number of participants, the date and the time, then you give the villa's address and register your card. Nothing is charged at that stage.

The teachers who are available are notified. You get an email as soon as one of them offers, and the choice is yours. The final price is the one set by the teacher you pick. After confirmation, the teacher messages you: that is the moment to talk about what you expect and what needs to be planned.

Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before the session. After that, or if nobody is there at the appointment, the session is not refunded.

Making it a habit for the length of your stay

A single session does you good. Two or three, spread over the week, leave time to make progress and give the days a rhythm. Each session is booked separately, which lets you alternate yoga and Pilates or change the time to fit your plans.

If you are organising your stay from home, our article on what to book before you arrive will help you settle everything before you leave.