Media Kit – Body in Common

Media and Press Kit

Thanks for your interest in Body in Common!

Here you can find items that will help you share our story:

Our Story
What is Pilates?
Who is Natalie?
What is Pilates Equipment?
List of Services

Photos are available here on our Google Drive

If you have any questions, please feel free to Whatsapp 017 3255 699 (Business), or email [email protected]

Our Story...

Body in Common is a Pilates, Fitness, and Physiotherapy Studio in Bangsar, with a special focus on quality, friendliness – and most importantly – real results for our clients.

After living in Australia for 15 years, Founder Natalie Tan returned to her home in Mont Kiara to further Pilates and Physiotherapy in Malaysia. Upon returning, she was surprised to find that the field of Physiotherapy is not so well-respected here, and that many of the local job offerings involved putting people on tens-machines, using heat-packs, and walking away! To truly achieve results, you must look for the cause of the problems – not just the symptoms – so this style of physiotherapy and Pilates was not up to standard.

Dissatisfied with the options, she decided to open her own Studio – a mix of Clinical Pilates, Group Fitness Pilates, and Modern Australian-style physiotherapy. And so “Body in Common” was born.

Natalie’s clients range from old to young, male and female, and from a range of backgrounds and cultures: if there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s our need to look after our bodies so that we can enjoy life to the fullest.

At the studio, we focus on real physical improvement, drawing from a strong background of scientific advancements in the Clinical Pilates field. No matter whether you’re coming in with specific pain or mobility issues, or just coming in for a group fitness class; all of our sessions aim for real improvement, and we also have a lot of fun doing it!

In addition to Natalie’s standard clientele, over the years she has become a specialist in a number of fields such as:

Olympic Athlete Cross-Training
Golf Injury Rehabilitation, and Golf Cross-Training
Kayaking, Rowing, and other sport-specific cross-training.
Neo-Natal Preparation, and Post-Natal Recovery

So What is Pilates?

Have you ever woken up with a sore back, knee, neck, or other body part that just didn’t seem to get better? There are many ‘quick fixes’ for pain out there – you can take pills for the rest of your life, or go for other quick fixes, but if the problem comes back, then you’re not treating the cause.

Clinical Pilates is a set of exercises that focus on posture, balance, core stability, strength, and flexibility. It is suitable for Men and Women, and Pilates students range for 5 years old to 105 years old!

What really sets the Pilates method apart from other phsyiotherapy and workout methods is its ability to keep the body balanced, as it treats the cause of problems – not just the symptoms!

The Pilates Method was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century in Germany, and now draws from scientific observation and ‘evidence-based practice’ to maximise the value of each exercise. It is often used in conjunction with other physiotherapy techniques and fitness classes to provide maximum balance. One of the fundamental ideas in Pilates is to focus on not just the ‘big mover’ muscles, but also the equally important stabiliser muscles as well. By doing so, pilates students gain better functional strength throughout their whole body – properly protecting their joints and muscles from future damage.

Pilates uses a wide range of equipment. At its simplest, someone can use just a yoga mat. At its fullest, the list of equipment fills a specialised studio! (Body in Common has a fully equipped studio with equipment such as a Trapeze Table, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, Barrel Arc, 8 Reformers, and a Wunda Chair).

In a nutshell, it’s all about treating the real causes so that people can get more permanent relief, no matter whether they’re 10 or 100.

Who is Natalie?

Natalie grew up in KL, and at age 14 moved to Melbourne Australia. There she was exposed to all the highs and lows of being a ‘two culture kid’: Australians asked “are you Malaysian?” and Malaysians asked “are you Australian?”.

Happily, the answer is both, and that’s what makes her Pilates experience so multi-faceted and thorough.

After completing her Bachelor of Physiotherapy in Melbourne, Natalie spent many years working in Melbourne and Perth – first as a physiotherapist, and later specializing in Clinical Pilates, Athlete Rehabilitation, and Women’s Health.

In 2018, she moved back to KL with her husband, and is happy to call Bangsar home. She now splits her time between her two interests: Clinical Pilates Rehabilitation, and Group Fitness Classes. She also bridges the gap and provides special meetup classes for expats.

Natalie Tan

Bachelor of Physiotherapy (University of Melbourne)
Certified APPI Pilates Instructor – Matwork
Certified APPI Pilates Instructor – Equipment
Dry Needling
Registered Physiotherapist – Australia

*APPI stands for Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute

What is Pilates Equipment?

Most Pilates in Malaysia still only use the ‘matwork’ style of Pilates. The reason for this is that Matwork only requires one yoga mat per person and is very cheap to start.

It is also just a tiny part of what Pilates really is.

A full set of equipment maximizes each client’s exercise customisation, and in turn, maximizes the results that they get back. Here are just the big ones:

Reformer

The iconic piece of equipment – when people think equipment Pilates, they think reformers. With a sliding platform attached to 5 springs of varying weight, a wide range of stretches, toning movements, and power movements can be achieved.

Ladder Barrel

Primarily focused on flexibility, this piece of equipment is often featured with dancers doing back extensions. In reality, inflexible people benefit most from the ladder barrel, as they can use the ladder to change the intensity of various positions.

Spine Corrector

The name says it all! Often used to assist balance training and core work.

Trapeze Table

Less famous, but by far the most important piece of equipment is the Trapeze Table aka. “Cadillac”. (Maybe it’s called a Cadillac because it costs about the same…?). This equipment is used for strengthening and rehabilitation of injuries.

Wunda Chair

Focused on strengthening the legs and the arms, there are two separate pedals attached to springs of varying tensions.

A look at our Group Fitness Classes

Beginners and Regulars: Reformer Principles

45 Mins

First Class? Start Here.

Whether you’re new to Pilates or a regular focusing on technique, this is the place for you. in this class, you’ll build an understanding of your body’s core and stability muscles; while toning, strengthening, and building a more mobile body.

The class has a full-body focus, and is the first of four full-body levels that make up our main programme (Principles-Tone-Power-Super Power).

Each exercise has Level Options so that you’ll always have something to improve and grow into. Using the Australian APPI methodology, you can be sure to have a real workout that suits real bodies of any age and ability.

Intermediate 1: Tone

45 Mins

Had enough of beginner classes and want more of a challenge? Tone picks up the pace, focusing on strength, coordination, and working up a bit of a sweat!

This is the sister class to our most popular full-body workout, Reformer Power, and is level 2 in our Full body series of workouts (Principles-Tone-Power-Super Power).

Expect to pick up some dumbbells, work some booty-bands, and do some more standing moves on the reformer. Let’s tone up!

Intermediate 2: Power

45 Mins

It’s time to get serious! Once you’ve mastered your Principles, and worked that body in Tone, it’s time to seriously look at improving your moves with a wider range of exercises.

Power is level 3 in our full-body workout series (Principles-Tone-Power-Super Power).

This class includes intermediate to advanced reformer exercises, challenging your strength and flexibility even more. You may even get into one of those fancy poses you’ve seen “that” instructor do on Instagram. Expect difficult and rewarding exercises, with big strength and core gains. With over 900 different class combinations, it will take you a long time to master the Power level. But don’t worry: we’ll look after you!

If you have prior reformer experience and want to go straight to this class, please contact us first.

Expert: Super Power

45 Mins

The ultimate level for Reformer fitness. This is the fourth and final level in our full-body series of workouts (Principles, Tone, Power, Super Power). You must ask to join this level, and the sky is the limit. Each class is entirely based on who books in, and we focus on really testing out the limits of what the reformer can do.

Expect series muscle burn, exciting moves that change every class, and the biggest gains you’ve every made to your posture, core, and muscle tone. Work it!

Intermediate 1: Flex

45 Mins

Flex is an independent class that is not part of our main full-body set (Principles-Tone-Power-Super Power), and we’re all about mobility and flexibility in this class – setting you up for a better body.

Flex is a great class for the lower intermediate Pilates Student, and beginners are welcome too.

Blending just a little bit of yoga, with controlled Pilates movement, you can expect to seriously work your core, and gain better control on your body as a whole.

Intermediate 2: Jump

45 Mins

Did you know that Cardio can be this nice to your joints?!

If you like a faster paced, heart pumping, sweat inducing workout, but also need to look after your knees and back, then you’ve found the right class! Reformer Jump is our cardio version of pilates, and sits alongside power in terms of difficulty level.

This class utilises the Jump Boards for plyometric exercises and includes more intermediate to advanced pilates exercises. It’s a great alternative to traditional cardio with a lower impact on the hip, knee and ankle joints.

Expect to sweat a lot, work those legs and arms, and build a solid core as you tone up and shed fat. A great workout for everybody – especially intermediates.