Pain that keeps coming back
You ease it for a while, then it returns, and you're back where you started.
Free Your Spine is
Creative, Preventative
Spine Carefor modern bodies, busy minds and curious humans.
A unique movement methodology that helps you release back pain, tension and stiffness and move with greater ease, freedom and confidence.
Release back pain, tension and stiffness at the root
20+ years' experience - trusted by Nike, Diageo & SXSW
In the studio or online, worldwide
Rated 5.0 across 35 Google reviews
A warm, no-pressure chat, book online in under a minute.
Free Your Spine has worked with
Your pain
Does any of this sound
like you?
If you recognise yourself here, you're exactly who this work is for.
Tension that won't let go
Tightness in your back, neck and shoulders that no amount of stretching or resting shifts.
You've tried everything
Physio, the gym, a class Pilates studio, and nothing has really stuck.
5.0 rating from Google reviews
Free Your Spine blends:
PilatesNervous system regulationIntuitive MovementMusicSelf-expressionSpinal Somatics
One methodology, built around you,
in the studio or over Zoom.
Not a class to keep up with. Every session is one-to-one, shaped around your spine, your history and what you need that day.
The four pillars,
along your spine
Every Free Your Spine experience is built around four core pillars.
- 01
Align
Come back into your body and how you hold yourself, releasing years of bracing and stored tension in your spine, back and hips.
- 02
Empower
Build real strength, mobility and confidence, safely adapted for back pain, injury, pregnancy and perimenopause.
- 03
Flow
Move with ease, freedom and creativity rather than effort. Low impact, fully guided and tailored to your body when you arrive.
- 04
Play
Express, explore and enjoy movement again. What we don't express we often depress, so the benefit shows up in daily life.
Find your fit
Reach your goals
with Free Your Spine
Free Your Spine isn't here to replace Pilates, yoga or physio. It draws on all of them, and adds what's often missing: music, creativity, participation and nervous-system care that supports both body and mind.
I want to…
Free Your Spine supports this through
Reformer & Mat Pilates
The alignment foundations you would find in good Pilates, tailored to your spine and how you hold yourself.
It's time to fall back in love with your spine
Creative Preventative Spine Care is a movement methodology that works with the cause of back pain and tension, not just the symptoms, so the relief actually lasts.
- Gets to the root of back pain and tension, not just the symptoms
- Builds strength, mobility and ease through your whole spine
- Calms and regulates your nervous system
- Personalised to your body, at any age, history or level of experience
The mind behind
the Free Your Spine method
Nicola Cher Geismar
20+ years in health, wellbeing, movement & creative cultures
“Move little, move often. It's your birth right.”
In 2021 my back went out in a way I'll never forget. It wasn't just a 'back issue': it was years of holding, bracing and over-efforting catching up with me, alongside the start of perimenopause. It was expressive, spinal-based movement that helped me move through it. That's the work I now share.
- 20+ years teaching Pilates, movement & spine health
- Pilates Matwork Training, The Pilates Foundation (2006)
- Balanced Body Reformer Pilates certification (2016)
- Developer of the Free Your Spine methodology
- Created movement experiences for Nike, Diageo & SXSW
The method in motion
See how Free Your Spine moves
Watch Nicola move through a Free Your Spine cat flow, a feel for the movement language and quality of attention behind every one-to-one session.
Work with Nicola
Move with me
Nicola coaches you through the Free Your Spine method one-to-one, using it to work through whatever brought you here, whether that's back pain, tension or feeling disconnected from your body. In the studio or online, wherever you are.
In Studio
Private 1:1 Reformer Pilates, guided by the Free Your Spine Method
Experience Creative Preventative Spine Care through Reformer and mat Pilates, spinal movement and embodied practices, tailored to your body and goals on the day.
- Private 1:1 sessions in the serene West Hampstead studio, NW6 2AS
- Reformer Pilates integrated with the Free Your Spine Method
- Fully personalised to your body and how you arrive
Online
Wherever you are in the world
Deeper 1:1 work for founders, leaders and creatives moving beyond pain, tension and disconnection, so you can live and create with greater ease, freedom and confidence. Built on the Free Your Spine Method (movement, posture, nervous system regulation and embodied practice) for lasting change in how you move and feel.
- Weekly private Zoom sessions
- Personalised movement and integration
- Long-term support and accountability
Client Story
“After years (decades) of issues with my back, specifically my thoracic spine, I began seeing Nicola a little over a year ago. The benefits have been amazing.”
Glen George
Glen came to Nicola after decades of thoracic-spine pain that physio and other Pilates hadn't touched.
What changed wasn't a quick fix. It was a year of one-to-one sessions built around his spine, adapting to where his back was each week. His is one of many stories like it.
The story behind Free Your Spine
It didn't begin in a Pilates studio.
It began on dance floors, in hip hop culture and a decade of movement, from London to New York. Then came chronic back pain, discovering Pilates, and years weaving somatics, breath and nervous system science into something of my own.
That thread, from dancer to chronic pain to Creative Preventative Spine Care, is why Free Your Spine exists.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers, and you can ask Nicola anything else on your free chat.
Free Your Spine is a creative movement method that blends Pilates, Spinal Somatics, Intuitive Movement, nervous system regulation and music to help you move beyond pain, tension and disconnection.
Free Your Spine is rooted in over 20 years of Pilates teaching, but it goes beyond traditional Pilates by integrating Spinal Somatics, Intuitive Movement, nervous system regulation and creative expression into one holistic methodology.
Spinal Somatics is the practice of reconnecting with your spine through slow and energetic, mindful movement, helping your nervous system release tension, improve body awareness and restore more natural, comfortable movement.
Intuitive Movement is the practice of listening to your body rather than simply following instructions. Instead of striving for perfect technique, you're invited to explore how your body wants to move in the moment, building confidence, creativity, self-expression and trust in your own body.
Music helps us get out of our heads and into our bodies. It creates rhythm, emotion and playfulness, making movement feel less like exercise and more like expression. It's one of the things that makes Free Your Spine such a unique experience.
Free Your Spine is for anyone experiencing back pain, tension, stress or disconnection from their body, as well as founders, creatives, professionals and movement lovers looking to move with greater ease, confidence and self-expression.
Yes, that's exactly who this work is for. Much of it is built around women navigating midlife and perimenopause.
A reformer is a sprung-bed that adds gentle support and resistance, so movement stays low-impact. This isn't a punishing workout, it's controlled, creative movement.
Yes. Sessions are adapted to your body, including for back pain, injury and pregnancy. Several people came to Nicola after physio or other Pilates hadn't helped.
No. You start exactly where your body is today, no experience needed.
Yes, many people work with Nicola live over Zoom, from anywhere in the world. Sessions are scheduled around your timezone.
It's a warm, no-pressure chat. We talk about what's drawing you to this work and which way of working together fits. No clinical intake form, no obligation.
Every programme is personalised, meaning there is no one set price. Pricing is discussed during your free discovery call once we understand your goals. As a general guide, private programmes begin from £600 per month, with longer-term partnerships tailored around your requirements and desired outcomes.
The Journal
Reflections, education and practical movement insights on the spine, the nervous system and moving with ease. Subscribe to get Nicola's latest, or read it on Substack.
Let's start with
a conversation.
What we'll talk about
Your body
Where your back and body are now, and what's been going on.
Your goals
What you're hoping to change, and what matters most to you.
Your fit
Whether 1:1, a programme or online suits you best.
Prefer to write first? Email hello@freeyourspinepilates.com