Lifted Pilates opened its doors in Raglan in late November 2018 after Raph and Eden relocated from Australia, where they had spent seven years together.
Moving back to be closer to family and start a business was a big decision. Eden, originally from the Waitākere Ranges, and Raph, from Raglan, had two choices in mind but ultimately chose Raglan. “Thankfully, we chose Raglan – a beautiful place to call home. We both feel very privileged to live here and share this awesome community.”
In the past six years, our focus has been on providing rewarding and fun Pilates and exercise classes while expanding throughout the Waikato. We started with our Raglan studio, then opened a Lifted in Rototuna, Hamilton North, in early 2021, and another in Hamilton East in early 2023. We employ 15 well-trained, knowledgeable teachers, alongside one incredible administrative assistant. Raph and I (Eden) continue to build the business, perfect our offerings, manage our studios, and find innovative ways to keep our clients engaged. Our aim is to offer a space where our Pilates crew can work on mental clarity and physical fitness and feel safe and at home.
Opening in Hamilton (and Raglan) was pretty scary at first. We had many sleepless nights filled with worries and “what if” scenarios. However, we saw it as necessary to create a sustainable living while continuing to do what we love – Pilates. We’re happy it worked out and we’ve built a strong client base.
One of the biggest challenges over the first three years was creating a work-life balance. We put in long hours, often prioritising work over enjoying our beautiful town, building personal connections, and truly settling in. It’s always a work in progress, but we feel we’ve made drastic improvements and now have a better balance between work and life, allowing us some freedoms alongside our work. Despite these challenges, we’ve had countless highlights. Running Lifted has been transformative, especially since we were both new to business. Being entrepreneurial by nature, we’ve enjoyed brainstorming, planning, test-running, and ultimately refining our operations. We’ve developed systems that work well for our clients, instructors, and ourselves.
Reformer Pilates is our most popular class by far. Everyone seems to get stars in their eyes when they try a Reformer session! One reason they are so successful is their incredible adaptability to different bodies and requirements. You can use a reformer machine for support, focusing on deep strengthening in specific areas or rehabilitation. Alternatively, you can use it for a strong workout. A reformer machine serves as a strength training, cardiovascular training, flexibility, and release tool all wrapped into one. As cliché as it sounds, it really does leave your body feeling amazing. You have to come and see for yourself!
People often bring Pilates into their lives as a journey rather than a sprint. No matter how long you’ve been practicing, there’s always something new to work into a little deeper or experience differently. Pilates calls for your mind to connect with your muscles, providing an added benefit and allowing you to rethink how you’re doing the exercises, exploring your capabilities further.
I really love the people we’ve attracted to the studio. We have an awesome assortment of different folks with different strokes, and together we make a little Pilates family. From pre- and post-class chats and giggles to the incredible teachers who fill our cups every day, everyone plays their part in creating a space where we can forget about our day and focus inward for a bit. The best way to get started with Pilates is to not overthink it and just join in. Be ready to learn something new and challenge yourself to always look for more and get the most out of life. I know it looks scary, but I promise it’s not. Everyone here is friendly, and you’ll be in good hands.
Our logo symbolizes being open to change and moving forward. We think this sits nicely with our values and what we want to help our clients achieve through their practice. We’d love to continue expanding our reach to connect with and support more awesome humans who want to take care of their body and mind. Time will tell what’s next for us – there’s always something in the pipeline.
If you’d like to chat, give us a call at 027 593 8404, check out our website at www.lifted.co.nz, or find us on socials: @lifted_pilates_raglan. We’d love to connect with you!
