What makes Phaedra Pilates different
Passionate, expert and certified teacher,
committed to lifelong learning.
Beyond certification, teaching is a lifelong pursuit of study, observation and technique refinement. With 20 years’ of experience, Phaedra’s passion for Pilates extends far beyond the studio, shaping a lifestyle of personal practice and exploration. She further develops her expertise through international programs and mentorships with leading Master Trainers: Katharine Jemmett, Patricia Medros, Nick Pilates and Ava Rodriguez (…) on different topic as: Classical Pilates technique, Hands-On Cueing, Joints Mobility Capacity, Body and Movement Assessment — deepening her Pilates knowledge and teaching skills.
Classic and Contemporary Pilates,
rooted in the original method.
Phaedra’s teaching is shaped by her training with Pilates Network, where Joseph Pilates’ original repertoire meets the latest scientific and anatomical research, allowing it to be explored further through a more postural and proprioceptive approach. Each session combines the traditional repertoire — with its precise order, execution and technique — with Contemporary Pilates, introducing exercise layering and progressions, thoughtful modifications and creative variations. This combination opens up a wider range of possibilities for a deeper, more nuanced adaptation to each person’s level and needs, supporting a more purposeful and efficient progression.
A complete practice,
across all Apparatus.
Understanding the essence and principles of the Method means experiencing Pilates as a complete System. At Phaedra Pilates, there are no predefined classes or fixed routines. The different Apparatus are thoughfully combined and selected for you within each session — each serving a specific purpose and offering distinct forms of feedback, support and challenge. This variety creates unique movement possibilities, allowing the practice to be adapted to your body, level, needs and goals, while helping you progressively develop strenght, control, confidence and movement skills.
Private and small group classes,
a sole instructor, individual attention.
Sessions are private or in intimate groups of no more than four people. Every new client begins with 1:1 sessions before joining a group. As your sole instructor, Phaedra personally guides your journey, creating continuity and building upon each session over time. Nothing is taught in isolation; every lessons is thoughtfully shaped around you, with a targeted selection of exercises chosen to support your individual needs and progression. This intimate teaching format creates the space for stronger mind-body connection, deeper body awareness and more focused, purposeful progression.
A program built around you,
every aspect is carefully documented.
Every session is planned before you arrive. Previous session notes, physical conditions and weekly feedback all inform what comes next. Your postural situation, limitations, weaknesses and progress are carefully documented, allowing your program and objectives to evolve accordingly in a precise and accurated way. Phaedra’s goal goes beyond what happens in the studio. She helps you recognize and change inefficient postural and movement habits in daily life, developing the awareness to internalize them. She teaches the person, not the exercise.
A teaching approach that is clear, present
and deeply communicative.
Phaedra’s teaching is present, clear and communicative.
passione per l’insegnamento, Allaccio a guidance (demonstration, verbal and tactile cueig) > deeply communicative and present
dentro e fuori dallo studio, (pratichi al di fuori delle lezioni che tieni), self-practice
visualizzazione
Approach
Observation and preparation
The importance of observation.
Body assessment through biomechanics.
The body assessment is the starting point to prepare your body to practice Pilates. Through observation of your posture, alignment, breathing, mobility and movement patterns, I identify limitations, compensations, asymmetries and areas of tension.
Every session brings a new reading of your body, allowing me to select specific exercises at the right time, with greater precision and purpose. The continuous observation creates meaningful connections between new assessment findings and programming. This fundamental step elevates your Pilates practice and the repertoire becomes a tool for lasting change.
Guidance
The power of touch.
Hands-on , verbal and tactile cueing.
Where words can’t reach, hands do. I guide you through precise verbal and tactile cueing, giving you “Hands-On” corrections and directions. Discover how confident and well-placed hands can guide with purpose, create connection and transform every movement on a much deeper level. Hands-On guidance has a more powerful and direct impact on your body, improving movement quality, alignment, body organization, confidence and body awareness. Knowing when and how to use it brings clarity, precision and presence into your practice, helping you understand your body, refine each position and move with greater confidence.
Before you start moving
The foundation.
360° breathing drill.
Whether beginner or advanced, before you start moving, I guide you through breathing exercises to mobilize your thoracic cage. Pilates is based on lateral posterior breathing and helps activate your Powerhouse, deepen your core connections, release and decompress areas of tension, move your diaphragm connecting it to the pelvic floor and regulate your nervous system. 360° breathing encourages the ribcage to remain mobile and organized over the pelvis, enabling the skull, ribcage, pelvis and feet to align along a vertical axis, creating greater range of movement in the joints and improving the quality of your practice by coordinating breath with movement.
Your Pilates Session
Sessions are offered in private or semi-private formats, with a maximum of four people per class.
Every new client begins with 1:1 sessions before joining a mini group.
There are no predefined classes at Phaedra Pilates.
You will experience a comprehensive approach of the System by working across the full Apparatus.
Sessions may focus on a specific theme, or executed on a specific Apparatus or practiced on Matwork only.
However, Phaedra believes in combining all of them to deepen the practice and explore movement through different feedback.
Each session is built around you, considering specific situations to work on, your goals and individual preferences.
More often than not, you are the one providing the input that guides the session.
Sessions are available in Italian, English, French and German.
You will work across the full Pilates System
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![Balanced Body Reformer machine inside the bright Phaedra Pilates studio in Lugano]()
Reformer
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Tower
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Wunda chair
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Spine corrector
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Matwork
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Accessories
Studio
Set within a beautiful Liberty-style villa in Lugano, the Studio offers a unique and private setting surrounded by a lush garden. Peaceful yet conveniently located, it is easily accessible on foot, by public transport, or by car, with numerous
free blue-zone parking spaces available nearby.
The Studio is QualiCert-certified, reflecting its commitment to professional standards, quality and excellence in service.
A space for wellbeing
Bright, intimate and inviting, the Studio offers a calm environment where movement, privacy and personal attention
come together. The space has been thoughtfully designed to create a comfortable experience, from dedicated coffee
and water corner to the private changing facilities, shower and restroom.
The Reformer Room
A dedicated space for Reformer sessions, allowing for focused and personalized practice.
The latest-generation balanced body™ Reformer provide exceptional precision, safety and quality,
supporting a refined and effective practice.
The Main Room
A versatile space dedicated to the larger Pilates Apparatus, Matwork and small props.
New to the studio?
We would love to know you first, try our Assessment session to join our studio.
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Before stepping into the studio, every client begins with a comprehensive phone consultation (15 min.)
We explore:
previous pilates experience
lifestyle and occupation (sedentary or active, work routine, stress level, concentration)
sport activities and physical habits
your motivation for starting pilates (wellbeing, pain relief, improving fitness, longevity)
previous injuries, surgeries or relevant medical history
personal goals and expectations
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The first session is dedicated to observation and assessment in movement and posture.
The objective is to identify your body’s primary entry point - the key area from which to begin creating positive change.
The session includes:
postural assessment through fundamental movements patterns
breathing analysis
standing and supine alignment assessment
elongation and body awareness
activation of the Powerhouse and body connections
identification of compensatory movement patterns
At the end of the session, we discuss the observations together and outline the foundations of your personalized program. -
Based on the initial assessment, your goals, physical conditions and personal preferences, I design a bespoke training path.
Each program may include:
private or group lessons
Pilates for everyone
All ages, abilities, shapes and size
From clients who are new to Pilates, with postural issues, back pain, recovering from an injury, post pregnancy, in menopause, performing athletes, seniors, or wanting to be seriously challenged. Those wanting a career change or to enhance their current Pilates knowledge with our courses and workshops.
And people who just want to feel amazing and have a lot of fun along the way.
Phaedra Imbert Jost
Phaedra’s teaching is shaped by her training with Pilates Network<p , where Joseph Pilates’ original repertoire meets the latest scientific and anatomical research to explore it further through a more postural and proprioceptive approach.
Each session combines the traditional repertoire, with its precise order, execution and technique, with Contemporary Pilates, introducing thoughtful modifications, creative variations and efficient progressions and sequences allowing the practice to adapt to the individual.
Beyond certification, teaching is a lifelong practice of study and learning, observation, movement and technique refinement. Phaedra continues her education through internationally recognized programs and mentorships with leading Master Trainers: Katharine Jemmett, Nick Pilates, Ava Rodriguez and Patricia Medros (to name a few) — on different themes and topics covering Classical Pilates technique, Hands-On Cueing, Joints Mobility Capacity, Body and Movement Assessment, (...) deepening her understanding and practice of Pilates and teaching skills.
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Sono nata a Langenthal (BE) da papà di Lucerna e madre di Lugano. Cresciuta a Lugano, nel 1988 mi trasferisco a Ginevra per proseguire gli studi universitari. Nel 2004 e 2007 nascono i miei figli. Tra il 2003 e 2011 vivo tra Ginevra e Parigi e nel 2012 mi ristabilisco a Lugano.
Il mio percorso professionale comincia nel mondo dell’arte. Mio padre è medico generalista, specializzato in Medicina energetica, Agopuntura e Auricolomedicina, collezionista e grande appassionato d’arte. Durante tutti i nostri viaggi visitiamo luoghi culturali e nel tempo libero disegno molto. Mi trasmette così la sua passione per l’arte tanto da scegliere studi in storia dell’arte all’università di Ginevra con la frequentazione della scuola di belle arti ESAV.
Dopo gli studi universitari lavoro per anni a Ginevra nell’ambito dell’arte in case d’asta, gallerie d’arte contemporanea e scrivo degli articoli d’arte in una rivista specializzata.
Interrompo il mio lavoro con l’arrivo dei miei due figli nati nel 2004 e 2007 per dedicarmi completamente alla mia famiglia.
2008 Inizio a praticare pilates dopo la nascita del secondo figlio per rinforzare e mobilizzare la mia schiena bassa (zona sacro-lombare) frequentando diversi studi di pilates a Ginevra e poi a Lugano, dove mi trasferisco nel 2012.
In pochi mesi non ho più avuto mal di schiena e gradualmente realizzo quanto questo metodo sia efficace per riequilibrare la postura, riallineare il corpo, rafforzare e tonificare tutta la muscolatura in modo armonioso. Il movimento preciso e consapevole del pilates, il modo in cui ho acquisito sempre più controllo del mio corpo mi affascina e diventa presto parte della mia routine e il mio lifestyle.
Dopo quasi dieci anni di passione e ricerca, il pilates diventa la mia professione.
Nel 2017 inizio la scuola di formazione PilatesNetwork* di Jolita Trahan, basata a Firenze.
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2017 – 2019 Corsi e Monotematici su diversi temi, Pilates Network Firenze e Legnano
2019 Inizio il mio percorso di insegnante di Pilates a GGG Gym, Lugano
2019 Certificazione di Competenza Matwork Repertorio Originale, Pilates Network
2024 Certificazione Percorso Studio, Pilates Network - Repertorio Completo dei grandi Attrezzi, Pilates Network comprende Analisi Posturale One-To-One Personal Programming, Reformer Base, Reformer Intermedio, Reformer Avanzato, Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, Wunda Chair
18 Gennaio 2024 Inaugurazione e apertura del mio studio di Pilates Phaedra Pilates in Via Domenico Fontana 14, a Lugano (Svizzera) dove conduco regolarmente corsi di pilates 1:1 e di piccoli gruppi composti da massimo 4 persone
2025 Certificato di Riconoscimento Mobility Fitness Academy, Title of Mobility Practitioner and qualified to teach M.F.A classes. Ava Rodriguez, Fondatrice e CEO, Mobility Fitness Academy
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A practice clients return to.
“Although I was quite sceptical at first, I have to admit that Pilates has benefited me enormously. After just a few lessons, I began to experience the wonderful feeling of waking up with better posture, while also reawakening muscles and energy that stay with you long after each session. Much of this is thanks to Phaedra, whose passion for Pilates, patience and professionalism have guided me throughout the years.”
— Carlo G.
“Thank you for introducing me to Pilates. Practicing with a Personal Coach like you truly makes a difference. Everyone is different, and you always know how to adapt the method to each person’s needs and abilities. This makes every session unique and effective. I had never practiced any sport before, and being over 55, I can already see a remarkable difference after just six months. I feel stronger, more mobile and more aware of my body. What I appreciate most is that the session doesn’t end after an hour: it continues into everyday life through the small adjustments and valuable advice you give us. It is precisely these details that make all the difference. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your professionalism, patience and passion for what you do. I would recommend you without hesitation to anyone who wants to take care of their body in a serious, personalized and effective way.”
— Alix L.
“Phaedra has a contagious passion, in a studio that feels like a bright, colourful apartment. With great professionalism, she has been guiding me for years, helping me feel younger, more mobile and stronger, and above all, making me believe in my body and giving me the confidence to embrace the years ahead”.
— Isabella P.
“Having a teacher like Phaedra is a privilege. Before starting with her, I had significant back problems. Little by little, with great professionalism, she taught me how to understand and connect with my body while strengthening my muscles and improving my mobility. Over time, my problems gradually disappeared. She is exceptionally knowledgeable and brings her passion into every lesson. You can truly feel how much care she puts into her work and how important it is for her to find the exercises and movements that are best suited to how I feel at that particular moment, always respecting my body and my needs. Since I started taking her lessons, I have seen a real transformation in my body: I feel stronger, more aware and better aligned. But the most beautiful change has been learning to listen to my body and move with greater quality and awareness. I love the way we explore each movement, find the right connections, refine the technique, correct mistakes without rushing and repeat until the body truly understands. Every detail has a purpose, and every correction helps me improve. Phaedra’s attention to the body’s compensations is remarkable. She guides me towards proper alignment, allowing me to move with greater balance and confidence. The most rewarding part for me is when everything comes together and we move in a continuous flow — coordinated, fluid and fully present. It is a wonderful feeling. Pilates with Phaedra is a journey of growth, awareness and wellbeing, and it is also great fun.”
— Outi H.
“I came to Phaedra after years of doing “Pilates”, on the recommendation of a friend. From the very beginning, I was welcomed with warmth, enthusiasm and endless patience. At that time, I felt that I would never be able to perform many of the exercises and positions simply because I thought my body was not “made for it”. Phaedra told me from the start that I would be able to do any exercise or position I wanted; I simply needed to learn how to move correctly. From there, we began a journey that led me to make improvements I never imagined I could achieve. Phaedra taught me how to move by putting the principles of Pilates into practice. With endless patience, she gradually brought my body into much better alignment. We never started a lesson until my body was properly aligned. Phaedra pays attention to every detail. She has never lost patience or faith in me. She has always helped me understand how I should feel and move in order to reach my goals. Whenever I didn’t understand something, she would explain it in every possible way—even drawing little pictures for me—always with patience and calm, and always finding a way to make me understand. I have never once felt incapable or uncomfortable during her lessons. She is the most patient, enthusiastic and passionate teacher I have ever met along my journey. Phaedra goes far beyond the details because she puts her heart and soul into what she does. She never watches the clock, never judges, and above all, she understands, because she is an incredibly empathetic person. Her expertise goes far beyond the principles of Pilates, a series of exercises or simply a workout. What I admire most about her is her constant desire to improve—and she passes that desire on to you. She continues to study, train and develop her knowledge, always striving to become better. And in doing so, she teaches her clients to move as correctly and consciously as possible, not only during a lesson, but in every moment of everyday life.
— Alessandra G.
"I highly recommend of Phaedra as a Pilates teacher. She has an excellent understanding of the body and how muscles work together - she plans each session with a lot of care. She has a deep knowledge, good attention to detail, and teaching style have helped me improve my strength and mobility".
— Carrie M.
