It’s the beginning of May, the first throngs of visitors have arrived on Ibiza right in time for the climbing temperatures and opening parties, and us island residents are riding out the first big push of the new season. At the start of summer, as usual time for ourselves, time to exercise and any kind of semblance of a balanced routine and / or diet have gone out of the window. So the invite to spend a morning at Tara Riley’s Ibiza retreat is a welcome excuse to claw back a few hours of self care.
Stepping into the leafy grounds of the La Bohemia del Rio boutique hotel, an urban oasis situated just steps away from Santa Eulalia’s bustling centre, I’m looking forward to doing something good for both body and mind. And this, right there, is one of the core goals of Tara Riley’s Ibiza retreat: To offer her guests a safe space to shut out the outside world with all its stressors and obligations, and take care of yourself for a few blissful days – or hours, in my case.
When I meet Tara, a renowned movement coach, Pilates and Barre specialist and Functional Strength expert by the poolside, where the first class of the day is about to take place, she explains, “My retreats invite participants to treat themselves – because they deserve a break. You have no dinners to lash up, no deadlines, you’re just in charge of your own happiness and wellbeing. To move, to eat, to have conversations, to explore.”
But before we dive deeper into our conversation, it’s time to get moving!
With an energising soundtrack of ‘80s pop putting some pep in our step, Tara puts us through our paces in one of her signature Barre and Strength Fusion workouts. A former gymnast and now certified Pilates and Barre pro, she moves with a statuesque strength, balance and grace that I can’t quite match – but the point of Tara’s retreat – and classes in general – is that all levels can join, with plenty of variations available. Rather than completing punishing workouts, it is about reconnecting with yourself and your body, and building up – or rebuilding – confidence in our physical abilities. Even though the Barre and Strength Fusion class is definitely “spicy”, as Tara laughs.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Tara trained as a competitive gymnast for 15 years before turning her focus to Pilates, Barre and Functional Strength while living in California. A diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis at 28 shifted her wellness philosophy, inspiring a sustainable approach that prioritises strength, mobility and long-term joint health. Now based in the UK, she blends Barre’s isometric holds, Pilates’ core control, functional strength training and dynamic cardio into a multi-disciplinary method designed to help clients of all ages move better – and feel stronger for life.
Her qualifications are extensive, and span across Pilates, Barre, strength training and specialised certifications such as Fusion Pilates for Pregnancy and Post Natal, APPI Health Group Pilates for Perimenopause and Menopause, and APPI Pilates for Kids and Teens. Beyond her core certifications, she has completed advanced workshops using the Pilates Ball, Gliders, and Resistance Bands, alongside specialist training in pelvic health, hyper-mobility, and the impact of sedentary lifestyles – aptly summed up in the phrase “sitting is the new smoking.”
With a thriving online platform, in-person studio classes in London, and retreats in Portugal, Norfolk and now Ibiza, Tara has built a real-world approach to fitness that meets people where they are.
After the class, we sit down to dig deeper into her personal story, training philosophy and the new chapter in her journey with Tara Riley’s Ibiza retreat…
Thank you for having us, Tara! You have got a very interesting background. How did you go from professional gymnast to Pilates and Barre expert?
I competed for around 15 years, from when I was a child until I threw myself into my first year of university. I loved gymnastics, but I just got to a point where my body was tired: I had fractures in my back, I had knee surgery, I had broken bones – and I wanted a life. I was training 30 hours a week, I was in university, and I was also studying to be a nutritionist. So I quit gymnastics and I almost had an identity crisis because that’s all I had done my whole life. And I didn’t know what else I was good at, or what else I liked.
So I kind of just quit everything, studied advertising, and then moved to California. I was enjoying working in advertising and production, but all along I continued to do Pilates because I used to do a lot of pilates-based exercises during my gymnastics training. Other forms of exercise, like running, for example, hurt my injuries, my ankles, those kinds of things. And then I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis…
That must have been a huge turning point… It is a very painful condition, right?
I was diagnosed really young, at 28, and I didn’t really want to go on all of the serious medications because some of them could cause infertility, and a lot of other side effects. Obviously there have been a lot of advancements since then, but I decided to really focus on how I’m moving, how I’m helping my body. I knew that if I was going to do this without drugs, at least for the moment, I needed to manage the inflammation and the pain.
So I did a number of things; Ayurvedic treatments, acupuncture, and then I started to research what types of movement could help my joints. Around that time, I met my husband and I started to think about family life and work, and I questioned whether my advertising career was sustainable. And that’s when I retrained as a Pilates instructor, and later Barre, and it kind of snowballed from there because I just kept adding things that my body felt like it needed.
What were the key benefits you found in Pilates and Barre?
I needed to have mobility. Moving my body in all these different kinds of directions through Pilates and Barre really helped. I also added in strength training over time, because you need it as you age. It was quite intuitive, I just listened to my body and every time I felt that I needed something stronger, I added in the strength training element. And now, most of my clients do all the types of classes I teach and they like the range.
Tell us more about your classes and approach to training…
All of my classes are mixed level. It’s about moving your body in positive and affirming ways, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re 20 or 60 years old. And they’re not going to be easy, they’re going to be challenging! But I always offer modifications, especially in Pilates. I never want anyone to feel like they can’t keep up. Or to think, ‘I’m not good enough, I’m not strong enough or I’m not fit enough.’ It’s not about a competition, it’s appreciating wherever you are and being grateful to our bodies, who do so much for us.
Let’s talk about longevity and fitness – because as we get older, exercise becomes less about how we want to look and more about how we want to experience the aging process – right?
Yes. It’s more about how I want to feel in my body. I want to feel comfortable. I want to feel strong. I want to feel like I can move. I want to feel like I can do whatever I want. If I want to garden, for example, I don’t want to feel like my back is going to kill me for four days afterwards.
Pilates has been around for many years, of course, but it’s had a little bit of a resurgence and continues to be very popular – probably because it’s very core-based. I know when I say ‘core’, a lot of people think of ‘abs’, but actually your core is your whole mid-section. And it’s going to stabilise your whole body for a very, very long time if you have a strong core. It works your back, the deep, deep muscles that kind of wrap around your spine and help you stand up straight, help you not slouch. And it’s also very good for mobility.
Again, a lot of people think that means flexibility, but flexibility is how much a muscle can stretch. Mobility is how much a joint can move within its range. So some people might be hypermobile, but actually their hips – the actual joint itself – might be quite tight. Pilates is really good for the mobility of your joints, which is really important. Especially as we age – because things definitely stiffen up, even if you do loads of exercise.
And what about Barre?
I like to think of Barre as precision strength training. There’s a big push, especially for women, to lift weights as we age to maintain bone density and muscle mass. And that’s right – lifting weights is fantastic. Barre can give you similar results because you are doing large range movements, like squats and lunges, but there’s a bit more mobility involved.
Additionally, you are then asking your muscles to stay in certain positions – like a plie or a squat – and do tiny isometric pulses there. And those are the ones that make you go, ‘Oh my God, why is this burning?’ When you stop and stay in a position you work a lot of the supporting muscles – around your knees, your hips – that then support the bigger muscles.
So Barre is a fantastic type of movement to put in. It will work your balance, and improve proprioception, which is when your body knows where it is within a space. And that’s important as you age when you trip over something for your body to recalibrate and catch you. And then I also add in some strength training and cardio.
What about cardio training as we get older? There seem to be some myths around putting too much stress on your body, especially for women…
As women, what we’re told is to not do too much cardio because of our cortisol levels, which is a real disservice. Because did you know that cardiovascular diseases are actually one of the biggest killers in women? So we do have to get the blood pumping. You don’t have to do it every day, but you want to get your heart rate elevated – at least for 20 minutes. But it should be fun. I like to have good music when we exercise. You’re doing something good for your body, for your health, as well as having fun!
So to sum up, what would be your top three longevity tips?
The most important things are going to be balance, mobility and strength. You’re going to need to be able to move your body into different directions, and you need to be able to rebalance yourself if you take a bit of a tumble. And in terms of strength, we need to keep our muscles working for us for as long as we possibly can. So those are my top three, but what really makes a difference is variety. You’re not just going to be running, cycling or doing Pilates, it’s important to have a bit of everything. Variety is the spice of life!
You usually teach and host day retreats in London, but this year you organised the first Tara Riley retreat in Ibiza. Tell us more!
I started with the day retreats because people were making friends in my UK classes and I could see they wanted to have a little bit more time together; have a coffee and a chit-chat. And it was really lovely, but then I realised, well… We need more. It’s nice to be able to come home if you’ve got a family or if you’ve got young kids, but I wanted longer than just a day.
So I’ve done a couple of UK-based retreats in the past two years, and they’re amazing. I think it’s so important for everybody – and women, especially – to take time for themselves. I think women in particular are not great at that. It’s hard for us to say ‘no’, whether that’s at work or with friends, family and even pets. And I just think we don’t give ourselves that space.
You say that your retreats are ‘for people who think a classic retreat is not for them’. What do you mean by that?
Before I created my own, I’d been looking at other retreats for years – and they didn’t really speak to me because I don’t consider myself super ‘spiritual’. For example, I don’t meditate – exercise is my meditation. And I like yoga, but I don’t do loads of it. There are plenty of retreats like that, so I wanted to create something different for people like myself, who don’t want their experience to be all meditation, yoga, green juice and lentils. My retreats are not about having a detox or having to better yourself. I didn’t want it to be about being strict with yourself.
At my retreats, there are no strict rules. Some people just want to lay by the pool and read a book for three days, and I’m one of those. They just want to shut everything out, because their life and work are so busy. Other people want to explore the area, they bring friends and it’s like a little group getaway. And I chose this venue because it’s nice and central if you want to have a mooch in town or pop out for a coffee. Or if you want to have a glass of wine, have a glass of wine! And you’re going to be fed well. I want people to feel happy, and that is the way I teach as well.
You also have some amazing practitioners join you on the retreat to pamper the guests!
Yes, at this first Ibiza retreat we had local practitioners coming in including a reflexologist, an amazing facialist, and a massage therapist to add that extra element for true relaxation. And each guest also gets a goodie bag provided by Institut Esthederm with sun lotion and Sweaty Betty gift cards.
What does the schedule look like?
There are two classes a day, as well as brunch and dinner. The morning class is the stronger Barre and Strength Fusion class, followed by a healthy but quite substantial brunch. And then in the evening, we do a gentler Pilates and Stretch class before dinner.
In between, people can do as they please, so some people are having treatments while others go out for a walk or a shopping trip to the hippy market. There are some great restaurants around Santa Eulalia, so if someone wants to have lunch, they have the option. And on our last night we are going out for dinner at Amante Ibiza, which is a stunning clifftop restaurant.
For further information on Tara’s classes and retreats visit www.tarariley.co and follow on Instagram at @pilatesandtara.
