Back To Balance Pilates - Baulkham Hills, New South Wales

protyusha G.

Coming back to update after 1.5 yrs of attending classes. I came with a knee pain (osteoarthritis) and now not only I ahve been able to manage it without painkillers. My all over fitness and mobility has improved. I was patient enough through the process and finally I can see the benefits. Marta's guidance has made a massive shift in my understanding and appreciating of how human bodies function and when something doesn't feel right.
Looking forward to continuing the journey with Back to Balance Pilates.

It was just a strike of good luck that I came across Norwest Pilates and Marta I was tired of not getting results at the gym with the trainer and now within couple of months I have experienced a significant improvement in my knee pain I am able to kneel down again 🙂 I am too young to have this kind of issue as Marta says. She is a wealth of knowledge and I always feel so positive post sessions.

Bob R.

I do not hand out recommendations lightly. I'm 56 years old, and I have only recommended 2 people in my life; 1 of them is Marta Bandala.

My story starts after being a top 800 meter runner in the US. My increasing knee pain stopped my running career at age 19. My diagnosis was knee pain through the hips due to both femurs not growing into my hip sockets correctly. I was diagnosed by a Rice University affiliated doctor who worked with NASA and substantiated by the University of Pennsylvania's Sports Medicine Program. I could not continue to train daily, but I could still run, play basketball and soccer on a casual basis. After exercise I would be in pain, limping and heading home to ice my knees for up to 1 hour due to the pain and swelling. The pain and post exercise routine became part of me. I would take between 2 - 8 panadol a day. Over the years, I have seen numerous doctors, physios, chiropractors, osteopaths, feldenkrais but nothing ever impacted my knee pain.

In 2017, I suffered a lower back disk injury which had my lower back "dropping out" every 3 months. An osteopath suggested pilates to strengthen my core. I didn't know what pilates was but after a few months of contemplating it, I gave it a shot. I started pilates under the instruction of Marta Bandala of Back to Balance Pilates (formerly Norwest Pilates) in Oct 2018. One of the greatest decisions of my life. Marta's 1st assessment: my glutes were not working and pilates would strengthen my core and offset my lower back pain. On Saturday 16 Feb 2019 (a day I will never forget), after only 16 weeks of pilates, my knee pain disappeared as my glutes totally engaged. It's hard to describe but it is more than just glutes being on or off, they connected like nothing I could have ever imagined and I had POWER!! 2 days later I was running up and down a basketball court with ease and freely moving like I was 19 years old again. I didn't know what happened but I knew this: After 34 years, I didn't have pain! I didn't struggle to walk after exercise! I didn't need pain relief! I didn't need to ice my knees! At the time, I didn't know Marta had a pilates philosophy, I just did what she told me. Don't get me wrong: I put a lot of work in, but Marta changed my life. I cried for 17 days straight because I was overwhelmed that this happened TO ME!! 34 years of knee pain - GONE! 5 years later and I am still emotional at times and I never cried before this! I'm an athlete with a decent understanding of myself. I've seen lots of "professionals" in my life and I know that Marta understands things that others just don't.

From an outsider's view, Marta's life experience with her own physical struggles has set her on a course of discovering how the body actually works, aligns, and that muscle offloading / alignment changes how the body operates. She implements that in her teaching and she not only changed my life 5 years ago, she is still changing it today. It's not just me, I've seen others change as well which reminds me of how blessed I am. Personally, my body is very stiff, misaligned and probably just beaten up from years of bad habits. Sometimes I don't fully understand what Marta teaches because I don't even know that certain parts of the body are supposed to move! but through her instruction, I start to change and then I understand it. For example, I never thought my upper back could move. It actually moves and this in turn offloads other overworked areas.

In my travels across the world, I've taken other pilates classes. They were nothing in comparison to what Marta does. Not even close. She is truly extraordinary. If Marta can help me, then no one is beyond hope or help. No one. I unreservedly recommend her, her studio and her techniques / teaching. My experience and ongoing change is beyond extraordinary but this doesn't happen without Marta Bandala's experience, knowledge and understanding. By the way: my back hasn't "dropped out" since I started pilates even though I've had time off for an MCL injury and prostate cancer.

Andre S.

12 months since starting with Marta at Norwest Pilates and the transformation has blown my mind. 2 years after a major back surgery I was starting to get recurring symptoms and pain, with no surgical option I decided to try Pilates and have never looked back, I can sit and stand up straight , no pain when I roll over in bed and I am able to do all the activities I thought I’d never be able to do again.
Thanks Marta,

I have also found that I am significantly more flexible and my ability to do everyday jobs without pain is great.
On a personal note I have found Marta to be very patient and supportive as she encourages myself and from observations all her other students to really extend themselves and believe in your body again. It has been great and I could not recommend Marta highly enough for anyone wanting to get their body back and get on with life and all the fun that physicality brings.👍👍

Anjala B.

There is Pilates and then there is Back to Balance with Marta and her team. They do exactly that. They teach you how to move your body the way it was intended. Classes are small with individual attention given to correcting movements ensuring you are retraining your brain and body to work together. Exercises often feel intuitively targeted to areas of most need with instructors adjusting programs to target the needs of the class. Levels of access are demonstrated to allow you to work without pushing beyond what your body is ready to achieve with a focus on correct technique as opposed to simple repetition. Back to Balance helps me retrain my body so that I use the correct muscles to support the correct movements.

Melita J.

I found Norwest Pilates 3 months after I underwent a total knee replacement. Struggling with severe knee stiffness & an inability to fully straighten & bend my knee, my posture & gait were appalling which contributed to my knee issues. Physiotherapy was not getting results for me & I was unable to return to work as I could not descend stairs & just walking exhausted me!

Then I found Marta & my life changed for the better! Marta’s passion for Pilates, her level of anatomy & physiology knowledge, coupled with her holistic approach to strengthening & aligning the entire body was truly inspiring!

I have attended Norwest Pilates 3-4x per week for 4 months now & I could write a book on how much better I feel! My posture, gait, energy level, along with the increased strength & flexibility in my core & knees has been amazing!
I am now a Pilates devotee & will never look back! Thank you Marta for helping me get my life back. I will forever be in your debt! Best money I have EVER spent! ♥️👍🙏

Helen S.

I have attended Norwest Pilates for 10 weeks and having never practiced Pilates before I have found Marta to be full of knowledge and skill in assisting me to achieve a better understanding of both my body and how to gently control specific movements to enhance my recovery. I have gained strength and healing from her gentle guidance and assurance. I highly recommend this studio if you are looking for focused and individual support.

Karolina W.

I am Remedial Massage Therapist and I teach massage courses and I find Marta’s approach to exercise truly groundbreaking. Her ability to see and apply connections between anatomical structures and their function makes her exercises much more effective than any Pilates method or rehab exercises I have experienced before. The link she found between diaphragm, transverse abdominis, deep hip rotators, pelvic floor, psoas and vastus medialis, by methodic application, sets the VMO on fire. My tensor fasciae latae and vastus lateralis get offloaded, bringing more balance to my pelvic position, knees and ankles. Marta was able to see through my habitual posture and how I use my body and support me with dealing with stubborn muscular imbalances.

After one year attending Back to Balance studio, my body has transformed and is getting more balanced with every class. I can feel my core, gluts and latissimus dorsi activating more than ever before in my daily activities, my upper traps more settled and my neck sitting in a more neutral position. My whole spine and posterior body feel strong and supported making any movement easier and more powerful.

I would highly recommend all my massage clients and students try Marta’s approach and learn to use their body more efficiently.

Karolina Wojciechowska,

Remedial Massage therapist/Trainer and assessor of Diploma of Remedial Massage courses

Paul B.

I found Norwest Pilates a little over a year ago with Marta at the helm one of the most experienced teachers driving the classes. I have had a life changing experience and with the help of Pilates lost nearly 20kg. I am now able to walk again and instead of my back deciding what activities i do I am now back in control of my life and living it to the fullest.
Thanks for helping get my life back on track