Owner/Lolita San Miguel Pilates Master and Second Generation Instructor/Mentor/Prenatal and Postpartum Specialist

Certifications

I was originally certified comprehensively in Pilates through Body Arts & Science International™. In 2012, I was chosen by Pilates elder Lolita San Miguel to participate in her Pilates Master Mentor Program. In 2014, I graduated from the program after 2 years of intensive study. I am now considered a disciple of Lolita’s. I am also a certified prenatal and postpartum specialist working with mothers during all stages of pregnancy and post-pregnancy.

Mentorships

When Pilates teachers started coming to Studio Flo Pilates for instruction, I wanted to create a separate continuing education program for them. I created an extensive program that bridges certified Pilates instructors from contemporary to classical Pilates.

Education

– B.A. in Dance from Loyola Marymount University
– NYU Tisch School of the Arts – Summer Residency
– American Dance Festival/Durham, North Carolina – Summer Residency
– Body Arts & Science International™ Learn from the Leaders Summit
– Lolita San Miguel’s Pilates Master Mentor Program
– Mentorship with Patricia Russell, Urban Body Studios, Atlanta
– Advanced Pilates Seminar, Atlas Pilates, Seattle
– Student of Andrea Maida, Pilates Master
– DONA-trained Birth Doula

Teaching experience

13 years

What can a client expect from your class?

We get to business fast in my classes, but we like to keep things light hearted and fun. I love to challenge my clients with new twists on exercises and I request that my clients ask me questions. Once I see that you want to improve and are committed to it, there is nothing I won’t do to get you there. My classes have a strong sense of community, I make it a point to get to know you personally and to care deeply about your goals.

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

Joseph Pilates was a genius who created a method truly for everybody, it changes your body and then your life. He believed that Pilates would change the world if people began to practice the integration of mind, body and spirit. My mentor Lolita San Miguel, has spent her life educating others in this method and she truly lives and breathes its philosophy. I can only hope to be 80 years old, and as vivacious, healthy, and sassy as she is!

Certifications

I completed my 900 hours of training and certification at True Pilates New York (formerly Drago’s), under the direction of Romana Kryzanowska’s daughter, Sari Mejia- Santo in February 2007. I feel blessed to have trained there when Romana was alive and a frequent visitor, and TPNY was the world-wide hub of Romana’s Pilates.

I have continued taking workshops and continuing education with instructors including Cynthia Shipley, Cynthia Lochard, Lori Coleman-Brown, Kathi Ross-Nash, Rhonda Celenza, Juanita Lopez, and the wonderful instructors at Studio Flo.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, 2005
• Romana’s Pilates Certification Program, True Pilates New York, 2007
• Art of Feminine Presence Teacher Training, Levels 1 and 2, 2011, 2013
• Rossiter Coach Training - connective tissue stretching for pain relief, 2011
• Red Cord Practitioner Training, 2013

Teaching Experience

12 Years

What can a client expect from your class?

Pilates awakens the deep, inner core muscles that make you walk taller and feel strong from the inside out. My teaching style is hands-on with attention to detail so you get the most out of each movement.

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

Romana Kryzanowska was incredibly inspiring to be because she embodied all that Pilates is meant to achieve. She had an easy grace and playfully commanding presence. A workout with her was thoroughly challenging, commanded your full attention and effort, pushed you to new levels of strength, and was delivered with lighthearted warmth and ease.

Director of Community Outreach/Master Instructor

Certifications

I completed a 500-hour comprehensive teacher-training program through Club Pilates under Laura Browning Grant and Allison Beardsley. I am certified through the Pilates Method Alliance and have completed numerous continuing education programs through the organization, including the Pilates Youth Program. In 2015, I received my Second Generation Pilates Teacher and Lolita San Miguel Pilates Master™ qualifications.

Education

– BFA in Dance (with a focus on teaching), Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
– Pilates Method Alliance Certified Pilates Teacher
– Pilates Youth Program, Pilates Method Alliance
– Lolita San Miguel’s Pilates Master Mentor Program

Teaching experience

Since 2011

What can a client expect from your class?

I always have in mind the Pilates principals of control, centering, concentration, precision, and (of course) flow. As the teacher, I have to know why we are doing certain things, for example, changing the breath, or placing emphasis on a specific part of the movement. As a student, it is important to keep your focus and listen to your body and the movement. If your mind and body are truly connected, Pilates can be very challenging. I always work with the bodies in front of me, so I encourage conversations, questions, and the sharing of your goals and what you are striving for.

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

Joseph Pilates, without any formal training, had an exquisite instinct for how to work with the human body. He was the picture of physical health, and his techniques were proven time and time again with his students by correcting wrong postures and even curing ailments. Somehow he knew exactly what each body needed and it obviously worked, because we are still practicing it today.

Lolita San Miguel taught me to be confident in what I do and to value what I have to offer as a Pilates teacher. And she practices Pilates every single day – now that’s something to strive for!

Certification

I'm honored to have participated in the inaugural Lolita's Legacy teaching program at Studio Flo Pilates.

Education

– BA in Communications, University of California, San Diego, 1995

– California Ballet School & Company Dancer, 2000 - 2014 

– Lolita's Legacy Teacher Training Program, 2016

– Advanced Pilates Seminar, Atlas Pilates 2018

Teaching experience

Since 2016

What can a client expect from your class?

Clients can expect a high energy, fun and thoughtful class. Clients feel invigorated rather than of exhausted after a session, like they are ready to "rule the world!"

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

"Everyone is the architect of their own happiness," said Joseph Pilates. As a breast cancer survivor, I couldn't agree more. As a sickly child who went on to become, quite literally, a brand and byword for physical fitness, Joseph Pilates realized that people are able to effect radical personal change, if they are willing to commit to it.

Certification

I completed Lolita's Legacy Pilates Teacher Training Program under Jennie Groom.

The certification is a 500-hour comprehensive program that covers the mat repertoire and all Pilates equipment.

Education:

- BA in Communication with an emphasis on Entertainment and Tourism

- Lolita's Legacy Pilates Certification

Teaching Experience

Since 2016

What can a client expect from your class?

I have such a passion for Pilates and that translates in all of my classes. I focus on technique and how to get the most out of each exercise. My goal is for clients to end class with a smile on their faces and feeling an inch taller.

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

 I am so inspired by how Joseph Pilates created a method of exercise that is appropriate for all body types. He truly was ahead of his time. Pilates has changed my life in so many ways and I love hearing how his method has changed others' lives as well.

Certification

I began my Pilates journey studying under Sean Gallagher and Kim Shemer-Kurtzman at The New York Pilates Studio in 2008.  I certified in Mat and Barre in 2012 and began teaching at Physique 57, NYC and elsewhere.  I received my Advanced Mat Certification from Core Pilates, NYC and my 500-hour Comprehensive Certification in all apparatus from Balanced Pilates, NYC under the direction of Anna Howington.  I am also certified in Yoga and Barre and am studying to become a Somatic Movement specialist.  

Education

– Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the Old Globe/ University of San Diego

– Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from Florida State University

– Barre Instructor, 200-hour training at Physique 57, NYC

– Pilates Instructor, 500-hour comprehensive certification from Balanced Pilates, NYC

– Advanced Mat Pilates Instructor, certification from Core Pilates, NYC 

– Hatha/ Vinyasa Yoga Instructor, 200-hour certification from Prana Yoga Center, La Jolla 

– Somatic Movement, Laban, and Bartenieff Mentorship with Amanda Penaloza-Banks, San Diego

Teaching experience

Since 2012

What can a client expect from your class?

I teach a highly hands-on class with an emphasis on personal corrections, anatomical cues, and kinesthetic awareness.  I love to encourage a playful and lighthearted atmosphere in which clients feel safe to connect deeply and holistically with their own bodies and I love to help clients recovering from injuries or managing conditions to regain a sense of empowerment and agency. My goal is that clients receive the nuanced attention of a private lesson and the energy of a group setting all at the same time.

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

Joseph Pilates developed his first apparatus while working in a hospital during World War I in order to help rehabilitate patients with injuries, and nearly a century later I found the Pilates method healing me after my own injury.  I was dancing in a Broadway show in 2008 when I tore my hamstring and worried that my whole life and career would be completely derailed.  When I began working with Pilates' system as part of my physical therapy, I felt like I became a better dancer than I had been before the injury, and I felt closer to my body and filled with gratitude for all its capability.  He gave me that gift years after his death and his method continues to inspire me.

Certification

I began my Pilates teacher training journey with Live+Love Pilates in La Jolla in 2018 and completed training in early 2019. Later that same year, I started my classical Pilates Mentorship with second generation master instructor, Jennie Groom at Studio Flo. I am also recognized as a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) through the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). I continue to take workshops throughout the year as well as regularly take classes from the amazing instructors at Studio Flo.

Education

– B.S. in Biology from the University of South Carolina Upstate

– Classical Pilates mentorship with Jennie Groom

– The Classical Pilates Conference, 2020 (workshops lead by Sonje Mayo, Moses Urbano, Lori Coleman-Brown, and Brett Howard)

Teaching experience

Since 2018

What can a client expect from your class?

I believe Pilates is for every body whether your goal is to compete athletically or walk up the stairs. I try to make my classes fun, yet challenging. I hope everyone feels welcome and leaves with a smile. 

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

Jennie has been an inspiration to me since the very first day I met her. During my mentorship, she believed in me even on days I didn't believe in myself and helped me find my confidence not only in my teaching, but in my practice. She challenged me to find new strengths in my body that I never thought I would reach. Jennie is simply magical. 

Certification

I completed Lolita San Miguels 500-hour Lolita's Legacy Teacher Training program under Jennie Groom, Second Generation Pilates Teacher and Lolita San Miguel Pilates Master in 2016. I was personally certified by Lolita San Miguel, one of the only two people known to have been certified by Joseph Pilates.

Education

- B.S. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 2001

- M.S. Molecular Microbiology, 2006

- Lolita's Legacy Teacher Training Program, 2016

- Advanced Pilates Seminar, Atlas Pilates 2018

Teaching Experience

Since 2016

What can a client expect from your class?

My discovery of Pilates sparked an evolution of myself. It is the perfect combination of mental and physical coordination required to control your mind and body through movement that ultimately transcends into every aspect of your life. My passion is to share that magic with everyone that walks into my class with the hope that you leave feeling like you can conquer the world...or at the least the day:)

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

My gratitude for the balance and strength this beautiful method created by Joseph Pilates has brought me is what inspired me to become a Pilates instructor. It inspires me to continuously evolve my practice and myself. It not only strengthens your body, it strengthens your mind and it teaches you that one can not be achieved without the other. It gives you an awareness of yourself that makes you better at everything you do. Joseph Pilates was a genius....and Pilates is Magic!

Certification

I completed a 1000 hour comprehensive classical Pilates certification with Julie Erickson, of Endurance Pilates, in 2017. 

Education

- B.A. in Sociology and Communications and Media Studies, Tufts University, 2016
- Barre Trained through Equinox, North End Yoga, and Endurance Pilates 

Teaching experience

Since 2016

What can a client expect from your class?

With a thoughtful mindset around exercise choice and progressions, my hope is that clients feel challenged, inspired to work harder, and energized. As an athlete myself (marathoner), I love to help clients push their limits, find balance in their exercise routines, and focus on moving better instead of more. 

What do you find most inspiring about your mentor or Joseph Pilates?

What I love most about Joseph Pilates is that he knew exercise and physical fitness was more than just physical. A man ahead of his time, Joe Pilates knew that his method would strengthen the body and the mind. Today, we know that your mind body connection is so important in overall health and wellness. A limber and strong mind and mindset is just as important as a limber and strong spine.