John Anderton is chief executive and founder of Butterfly, a website and tech development agency. He lives in Melbourne.

How did you get into Pilates, and how long have you been practising it?

I started Pilates at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2007 to improve my strength and flexibility. For the past eight years, I’ve studied under Chantel Roulston, a former professional ballerina. In 2021, she opened a beautiful
new studio in Carlton called Aligned for Life Pilates, and I am proud to be one of her first students.

Kind of Pilates?

An individually tailored one-on-one program called Contemporary Pilates, created and delivered by Chantel. No two sessions are the same. Each session focuses on progressing areas I want to develop, as well as working out any tight spots or issues on the day.

Do you include cardio in your Pilates routine?

I prefer to focus on my cardio development outside my Pilates sessions. Right now, that includes running about 20 kilometres a week using the Runna app.

Do you do it at home?

In addition to my weekly session with Chantel, I’ve built up quite a collection of Pilates equipment at home including a Fitball, resistance bands, weights, balance boards, release balls, a hanging bar and more. A few times a week, I use this equipment to stretch my back, legs and feet, and it helps fill the gap between studio sessions.

Do you feel different now compared with when you started?

The difference I feel in my body and mind is incredible. I feel strength through a wider range of motion, and I have strong core muscles, which I previously thought was impossible. My lower spine was compressed from years of sitting in an office chair at my computer and now it is quite flexible.

In the last eight years, I have had a few periods where I have gone without regular Pilates sessions. After a while, I would feel myself stiffening up and my range of motion being reduced to only what I activated or stretched as part of everyday life. It’s always a good reminder of why I have stayed with Pilates all these years.

Are there psychological aspects to Pilates?

The first part of learning anything new in Pilates is the mind-body connection. Early on in my training, Chantel taught me to consciously connect with and control muscles that I couldn’t previously. As I progressed to more advanced exercises, the first part would again be connecting to activate the right muscle.

Most memorable Pilates experience?

In 2022, I got meningococcal, a bacterial infection of the brain. I lost the ability to speak and was losing the ability to see, and I’m already half deaf from a 1995 head injury. The exercises, discipline and patience of Pilates really helped me get through the crisis, especially in the emergency room when I could perceive the world but not communicate with it. The paramedics thought I had had a stroke and had permanent brain damage and COVID. The emergency room staff worked with that initial diagnosis before tests eventually showed I had respiratory syncytial virus and meningococcal.

I could understand that the staff were treating me for a stroke, but for some reason I was sure I hadn’t had one. I was strangely calm. I knew I was in the right place (Royal Melbourne Hospital, being treated by experts), so I felt that I was going to be OK. I drew on my Pilates training to try to connect to different muscles and explore what I could do. This facilitated rudimentary communication, and I think let the treating physicians understand that I was mentally still there.

Most exotic place you’ve done Pilates?

A studio in Bali opposite the walls of the Kerobokan Prison while Schapelle Corby was still in there. I spent the session thinking about the contrast between what she was likely experiencing and what I was.

Injuries and other frustrations?

When I first did prone breathing over a high barrel, my spine decompression was so bad that I couldn’t stand up afterwards. This was from sitting in an office chair at a computer for two decades. Now this exercise has become one of my favourite ways to finish a session. Apparently, my initial reaction is rare, and is now shared as a warning for student Pilates teachers at National Pilates Training where Chantel teaches.

Tips to become better at Pilates?

If you can, start off with one-on-one sessions. My learning has been accelerated through working with Chantel as she can focus solely on me and guide me on my progress. Find an amazing instructor in a well- equipped studio and stay consistent.

Most like to do Pilates with?

Joseph Pilates, the inventor of Pilates. Unfortunately, he died in 1967.

Anything about Pilates you don’t like?

Progress can be slow. It’s not a practice that brings instant results. Then when you master something, there is always another level.

Love about it?

Pilates is like meditation: you’re taking an hour out of a busy week to go into a relaxing studio, breathe and slowly work out the tensions of an office-based life.