Teresa Villa Physiotherapist · Dubai
English Español

Physiotherapist · Pilates instructor · Dubai

Teresa Villa

“Teaching the body to trust itself again.”

Evidence-based physiotherapy, therapeutic Pilates and nervous-system care to help you move and feel better, with a calm, structured plan built around your life.

Book with Teresa (opens WhatsApp) How I work

At Maison Santé, Umm Suqeim English · Español · Français

Teresa Villa, physiotherapist, smiling with her arms crossed, wearing pink scrubs

What I can help with

Care for how you move, and how you feel

Every plan starts with listening and a careful assessment. From there, hands-on care and movement work together.

  • Nervous system & vagus nerve

    Gentle, evidence-informed care for a nervous system stuck in “on”, with breathwork, vagus-nerve-based techniques, hands-on care and movement.

  • Pain & musculoskeletal care

    Back, neck and shoulder pain, myofascial pain and fibromyalgia, with manual therapy, dry needling when useful and targeted exercise working together.

  • Therapeutic Pilates

    Physiotherapist-led, one-to-one Pilates built on an assessment, to rebuild strength, control and confidence in movement.

  • Women's health & pelvic floor

    Pelvic pain or weakness, bladder leakage, pain with intercourse, diastasis recti, and recovery before and after pregnancy.

  • Lymphatic drainage

    Gentle manual lymphatic drainage for swelling, heaviness and oedema, with advice you can use every day.

  • Sports rehabilitation

    Return-to-sport rehab shaped by years of competitive rhythmic gymnastics, for weekend athletes and competitors alike.

All treatments

Nervous system & vagus nerve

When your nervous system is stuck in “on”

A big part of my work is helping the nervous system find its way back to calm. Through the vagus nerve, breath, gentle touch and movement can help the body shift out of fight-or-flight and into rest and repair.

You might notice

  • Tension in the jaw, neck or shoulders
  • Shallow, fast breathing
  • Trouble switching off or sleeping
  • Pain that feels louder than it should
  • Digestion that reacts to stress
  • Feeling tired but wired

Vagus is Latin for “wandering”. The vagus nerve wanders from the brainstem to the heart, the lungs and the gut, and breathing is one of the most direct ways to work with it.

Book a session (opens WhatsApp) Explore nervous-system care

Try it now · one minute

Breathe in through your nose for 4, and out for 6.

About six breaths a minute. If you feel light-headed, stop and breathe normally.

Slow breathing increases heart-rate variability, a marker of the body’s calming response. Laborde et al., 2022 (systematic review, opens in a new tab)

Eight principles of movement

The ideas behind every session

From my Move with T series: the science I lean on to help people move better, understand their pain and build awareness.

  1. Movement

    When we move with awareness, control and purpose, we engage not only muscles and joints but the nervous system, the breath and the mind.

  2. Body awareness

    Sensing how your body is positioned, how it moves and how it feels. Awareness creates movement; awareness creates change.

  3. Motor control

    Movement is not just muscles. It is what the brain tells the muscles to do: when, how and how much.

  4. Strength

    Not just power: the capacity to meet everyday demands with control, resilience and confidence.

  5. Nervous system

    Movement is communication between the nervous system and the body, and it can improve how they coordinate and adapt.

  6. Neuroplasticity

    The nervous system changes with meaningful, repeated practice. It is one of the reasons movement matters so much in rehabilitation.

  7. Breathing

    Breathing adapts to every movement and is closely linked to posture and the autonomic nervous system. It is not about a “deeper” breath, but the right one.

  8. Coordination

    Not about one “perfect” way to move, but about organising, timing and adapting movement to the task.

How I work

Calm, structured, and built around you

Simple, realistic plans that fit your life, with clear explanations at every step so you understand your body and take part in your own recovery.

Teresa Villa in a white blouse, smiling, arms crossed

  1. Listen and assess

    Your history, your goals and how you move. The first session is a thorough assessment, never a routine.

  2. Explain

    What I find, in plain language, so you understand what is going on and why the plan looks the way it does.

  3. Treat

    Hands-on care such as manual therapy and myofascial release, breath- and vagus-nerve-based techniques and, when useful, dry needling, combined with targeted exercise and clinical Pilates.

  4. Build independence

    A realistic home programme and clear progressions, so progress continues between sessions and long after them.

From the gym floor to the clinic

A life in movement

Teresa in a yoga reach pose on a sunny pool deck overlooking the sea

  1. Ávila

    The gym floor

    Years of competitive rhythmic gymnastics with Club Ábula-Gym, all the way to Spain's national championship. It taught me precision, control and patience.

  2. 2018–2022

    Toledo · Ávila

    A degree in Physiotherapy at the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, with placements in primary care, traumatology and orthopaedics, and 300 hours of neurological rehabilitation at Spain's National Hospital for Paraplegics.

  3. 2022

    Antwerp, Belgium

    Four months of neurological rehabilitation at TRAINM Clinics.

  4. 2022–2024

    Ávila

    Physiotherapist at FisioSalud Ávila, a Master’s in Manual Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pathology (UCAV), and my first published research.

  5. 2024

    Dubai

    A new chapter in Dubai, working as a physiotherapist at Excellency Centers.

  6. 2025 →

    Maison Santé

    Physiotherapist at Maison Santé in Umm Suqeim, where movement, science and well-being come together. Now also pursuing my PhD.

Research

Evidence, not trends

Alongside clinical work, I research how exercise and manual therapy compare, because the best plan for you should rest on good evidence. My PhD is in progress.

More about my research

Credentials

Trained in Spain, licensed in Dubai

Education

  • Degree in Physiotherapy Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha · 2018–2022
  • Master's in Manual Therapy for Musculoskeletal Pathology Universidad Católica de Ávila · 2022–2023
  • Postgraduate qualification in Dry Needling Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
  • PhD In progress

Certified in

  • Pilates instruction
  • Female pelvic-floor rehabilitation
  • Therapeutic exercise
  • Ultrasound imaging

Teaching

Pilates instructor, and a clinical supervisor for physiotherapy students on placement.

Licence

Physiotherapist licensed by the Dubai Health Authority

DHA licensed

Verify on the DHA register

Languages

  • Spanish · native
  • English · C1
  • French · B1
Teresa Villa, physiotherapist and Pilates instructor, in pink scrubs with her arms crossed

Therapeutic Pilates

Pilates that starts with you, not a class plan

Led by a physiotherapist and shaped by a clinical assessment, every session is built around your body, your history and your goals.

Slow, precise and progressive: breath, control and strength, with each exercise chosen for a reason.

  • One-to-one and assessment-led
  • For beginners and returners alike
  • Progresses as your control improves
Book a Pilates assessment (opens WhatsApp) Discover therapeutic Pilates

Before you book

Questions, answered

What happens in the first session?

A detailed assessment: your history, your goals, your posture and how you move. I explain what I find in plain language and we agree on a plan together. You leave knowing what we are working on and with your first exercises.

Do I need a referral from a doctor?

You can book directly with Maison Santé. If you would like to use health insurance, check with your insurer whether they need a referral; the clinic team can help with the details.

Do you work with stress and the nervous system?

Yes, it is a big part of my work. Breathwork, vagus-nerve-based techniques, gentle hands-on care and movement can support a nervous system that struggles to switch off, whether it shows up as tension, poor sleep or persistent pain. It complements medical and psychological care rather than replacing it.

What should I wear?

Comfortable clothes you can move in. For Pilates sessions, leggings or similar work best.

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on you: your goals, your history and how your body responds. After the assessment I suggest a realistic plan, and we review it together as you go.

Which languages do you speak?

English and Spanish fluently, and conversational French. Sessions can be in whichever you are most comfortable with.

Where do sessions take place?

At Maison Santé, Meyan Mall, Umm Suqeim 2, Dubai. All bookings are made through the clinic by WhatsApp, phone or email.

Is pelvic-floor physiotherapy only for after pregnancy?

No. It can support pelvic pain, leakage, pain with intercourse and pelvic-floor weakness at any stage of life, including before and after pregnancy and around menopause.

Book a session

Ready to move with ease?

Sessions with Teresa are booked through Maison Santé. Send a WhatsApp, call or email the clinic and mention Teresa.

WhatsApp the clinic (opens WhatsApp) +971 4 324 4432 Email the clinic

Maison Santé · Meyan Mall, Umm Suqeim 2, Dubai Open in Google Maps