[Interview] Annette Wellings
Annette Wellings is a Pilates instructor who suffers from major scoliosis. She began exploring different ways of keeping her body flexible and healthy whilst working as a linguist and artist in Australia and subsequently, she retrained in rehabilitation Pilates. Her book, Curves, Twists and Bends: A Practical Guide to Pilates for Scoliosis (Singing Dragon, 2009), looks at how scoliosis sufferers can benefit from the practice of Pilates. How did you first find out about Pilates? While working as a linguist and an artist in Australia and Fiji, I became increasingly aware of my body becoming more hunched and painful with scoliosis. By the time I was about 35, my spine was rigid and my torso was becoming increasingly twisted. I realised that I needed to do something and explore options, instead of passively sitting by and lamenting the ‘degeneration’ of the spine. I began exploring different ways of keeping my body flexible and healthy, and I discovered Pilates. How easy is Pilates to le