Why I Built Sojourn Around How You Feel, Not Just How You Move
If you're new here, or if you've been with us for a while but never heard the full story, I wanted to take a moment to properly introduce myself.
I'm Charlotte, and I'm the founder of Sojourn Pilates.
Before Sojourn existed, I spent years searching for something I couldn't quite name. I knew I needed movement. But I also knew the loud, high-pressure fitness spaces I kept showing up to weren't doing what I needed them to do. If anything, they left me more wired, more overstimulated, more disconnected from my own body.
Living with ADHD, my nervous system has always been something I've had to learn to work with rather than against. I didn't always have that language for it, but I knew how it felt: the restlessness, the sensory overwhelm, the struggle to slow down enough to actually feel present. When I eventually found Pilates, something clicked. Not because it was gentle or easy, but because it asked me to pay attention. To my breath. To the way my body was moving. To the space between effort and ease.
That experience shaped everything about what Sojourn has become.
A space designed for your nervous system
When I talk about Sojourn being designed for how you feel, I mean it quite literally. Every decision we've made about the studio has been filtered through one question: does this help people regulate?
Our infrared heating doesn't just warm the space. Infrared heat penetrates the body at a deeper level, supporting circulation, easing muscle tension and creating a warmth that feels restorative rather than stifling. There's a growing body of research linking infrared therapy to reduced inflammation and improved recovery, but what our clients notice first is simpler than that: they feel held. The warmth wraps around you the moment you walk in.
The lighting in the studio is intentional too. We keep it low, warm and soft. No harsh overhead fluorescents, no bright white walls bouncing light around. When your visual environment is calm, your nervous system gets the signal that it's safe to soften. For those of us who are sensitive to sensory input, that matters more than most people realise.
Even the size of our classes plays a role. With a maximum of six reformer beds, the studio stays intimate. You're not competing for space or attention. You're not absorbing the energy of twenty other people. You're in a small, contained environment where your instructor knows your name, your body and what you need that day.
How our classes are built to regulate, not just to exercise
At Sojourn, we don’t set the pace or structure of a class for our instructors. Instead, we’ve designed class styles, each one built around a feeling outcome. How we want you to feel during the session and when you leave.
Flow is breath-led and rhythmic. You should leave feeling grounded, balanced and quietly energised. Ignite is more dynamic, faster transitions, layered sequences, a class that challenges you mentally as well as physically. Pause is spacious and restorative: longer holds, deeper stretches, breathwork woven throughout. It’s permission to slow down. And Basics is a great option if you're feeling a little anxious about your first class, though you're more than welcome to start with a Flow or Pause, both of which show up regularly on our schedule.
Our instructors have creative freedom within these frameworks. They respond to the room, to the energy of the group, to what’s needed that day. But the intention behind every class stays consistent, because that’s what our clients trust.
The reformer itself plays a role in regulation too. The springs provide resistance that gives your body feedback. You’re not flailing through space; you’re working within a structure. That proprioceptive input (the feeling of where your body is and what it’s doing) is deeply calming for the nervous system.
And we always close with intention. A few minutes of stillness, of breath, of letting your nervous system register that the work is done. It’s not a luxury; it’s part of the practice..
What Sojourn means
The word "sojourn" means a temporary stay, a pause in a journey. That's what this studio is. It's not your whole life. It's an hour where you get to step out of the noise, move your body with care, and return to your day a little more grounded than when you arrived.
Whether you're coming to us for the physical benefits of Pilates, for the mental reset, or because someone told you the studio "just feels different", you're welcome here.
I built Sojourn because I needed it. And I have a feeling some of you might need it too.
See you at Sojourn.
