Shoreditch’s dynamic energy meets cutting-edge fitness innovation at CORE – A Body by Lara, founded by fitness pioneer Lara Hassan. With over two decades of experience, Lara brings a unique blend of Pilates, yoga, barre, and strength training to the heart of East London. In this exclusive interview, she shares the inspiration behind CORE, the creation of her signature SpringsSculpt™ method, and her mission to build a vibrant community through intelligent movement.
You’ve been at the forefront of body conditioning for over two decades. What inspired the launch of CORE – A Body by Lara Studio on Brick Lane?
Core Studio is the outcome of 25 years in the fitness industry. It has always been a dream of mine to have a place where I can offer unique concepts which I taught for years privately at my previous studios — to make intelligent movement concepts accessible to everyone.
There is no better place than the Truman Brewery, a hub of culture and creativity in the heart of Shoreditch, for me to be in. It’s perfect.
For the last few years, I have worked in East London teaching and creating concepts for other studios, including training teachers and connecting with a crowd that was new to me. I fell in love with the energy. It all happened at a time where I was growing out of working privately; I wanted a broader audience to introduce workouts to the community that do not really exist in the area.
Your method blends yoga, Pilates, barre, and strength training into something uniquely your own. How did SpringsSculpt™️ come to life?
SpringsSculpt came to life at Spiral Body, my first studio in Notting Hill, in 2008 and it’s been evolving ever since. The springs are inspired by the Cadillac/Tower springs in classical Pilates. With my concept, these are attached to the walls, which allows multidimensional movement.
I’ve worked with dancers and movement practitioners who were looking to improve their performance and build muscles without restricting their range of motion, mobility, and flexibility. This is what spring resistance does to the body.
When I teach Pilates, I like to teach it the classical way as I don’t feel that it needs modification. It’s the base of everything I do in terms of body mechanics, core strength, and activation.
I’ve also trained in Gyrotonics which has the pulleys and straps as resistance but allows multidimensional moves. The repertoire I created for the springs creates forces in the body which needs constant integration of multiple systems and directions at the same time.
My aim was always to bring niche fitness (practiced mostly by dancers) to everyone. To educate clients that movement isn’t linear and their workouts shouldn’t be. The springs help me achieve that, through moments of playing around with suspension, gravity, resistance, and control. I add props such as bands or ankle weights to help me achieve certain goals or muscular activations within the workout.
Moments turned to years and here I am.
Shoreditch is known for its energy and edge. How has the neighbourhood influenced your approach to movement, space, or even the studio vibe?
Shoreditch, with its raw energy and creativity, has deeply influenced me as a person. Here, movement isn’t just about exercise — it’s an expression of individuality and multidimensionality, much like the Pilates exercises we practice.
In Shoreditch, space is flexible, vibrant, and ever-evolving, which mirrors how I design my sessions: dynamic, adaptable, and constantly responding to the client’s energy. The studio vibe channels the area’s edge by encouraging freedom of movement, artistic expression through the body, and a focus on feeling empowered in your own unique flow. It’s not rigid or confined — just like Shoreditch itself, it’s alive and constantly moving forward.
Your work focuses on posture, stress relief, and energy—how do you think movement shapes how we show up in daily life and work?
Absolutely. You can’t separate the person from what they do in their daily life. Movement is vitality; it gets rid of stagnation. If you think of stagnant water in a pond and a stream of flowing fresh water, the difference of how the water looks, its colour, smell, and even the creatures that inhabit it — compare that with fresh flowing streams, this is exactly how movement or lack of it can impact the body.
When the body is tired and not functioning properly, the mind gets affected. Focus is impacted and performance in general. Postural imbalances impact the way we breathe, our lung capacity, and our circulation which can cause headaches, aches, and pains.
Our cellular system and the mitochondria are directly impacted by our choices. Interestingly, mindful movement practices (like Pilates, yoga, or tai chi) also support mitochondrial health by lowering stress hormones like cortisol. Pilates and mindful focused training improve your coordination.
Aerobic exercise can actually increase the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that’s crucial for memory and learning.
You’ve trained everyone from rockstars to busy professionals. What do you think people misunderstand most about fitness and longevity?
Humans are constantly growing, evolving, and changing — our fitness choices should follow accordingly. Fitness is not one size fits all. Some clients who insist on running while they have weak knees or poor foot mechanics end up damaging themselves until they have to seek help.
We all must seek balance in training much like in everything. Trends aren’t always good. We must choose what works for the body — not against it. This doesn’t mean stop completely. If you like heavy lifting, for example, make sure you practice yoga or Pilates as well.
If you have weak knees or pain in the lower back, choose elliptical machines for cardio which are low impact. If you have a stressful job and you like boxing, your body will get fit but will also produce high levels of cortisol, which causes inflammation. Inflammation and cortisol cause fat build-up in the midsection, which impacts the hormones.
When the body is in a constant state of fighting inflammation, it ages faster. When it comes to longevity, exercise has a strong impact on telomere health. Telomeres are the protective caps at the ends of your chromosomes, and they naturally shorten as you age. Shorter telomeres are linked to aging and age-related diseases.
Regular exercise has been shown to slow telomere shortening. By reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, boosting antioxidant defenses in the body, and enhancing mitochondrial function, exercise keeps our cells more youthful, extending our lifespan. Movement isn’t just about strength or flexibility — it’s about longevity and vitality at a cellular level. It supports optimal brain function and helps fight diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
CORE isn’t just a workout — it feels like a movement philosophy. What do you want every person to take away from their very first class?
A renewed way of thinking about fitness in general and how their body functions.
Wellness is a huge buzzword right now, but you’ve been doing this long before it was trending. How do you stay grounded in the science while keeping things fresh?
When the body is your inspiration, you never reach a moment when you think that’s it. There is so much to explore, so many books to read, dancers to watch, and exhibitions to see. I could visit a Leonardo da Vinci exhibition or observe work and some idea might come to mind or resurface.
It’s the acknowledgment of different ways of seeing, ways of thinking of myself and others. It could be a fashion designer or a monk in Tibet, a Kung Fu master. It is never-ending.
When you’re not sculpting bodies at the studio, where do you go in Shoreditch to unwind, fuel up, or find a little creative spark?
I walk the streets of Shoreditch. I make sure I go for a walk every day around the studio and I stop whenever I see something that attracts my attention. I love food markets.
As for a hangout, due to my hectic schedule launching my studio, I go to Shoreditch House because it’s close by. Now that the studio is up and running, I’d love to get out there to meet entrepreneurs and small business owners, chefs, and local artists to find out ways how to collaborate.
Community is the heart of Core. Now that we are up and running, I want to focus on our members’ events space — where our members can meet each other and hopefully benefit from each other’s work and connections. We will be looking for chefs, artists, designers, in all sectors and creatives who are in search of a space to showcase what they do at no cost.
If you are reading this and you are that person, do get in touch:
management@bodybylaracore.com
