ABOUT
ABOUT PILATES
Pilates, originally called Contrology, was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20 century. The gentle and effective whole-body training activates and strengthens individual muscles or muscle parts. It helps to shape long lean muscles and also improves body posture, coordination, endurance and breathing. Pilates is especially good for the joint mobility and elasticity of the muscles and it trains the abdominal muscles, pelvic muscles and small muscles around the spine. Each Pilates exercise requires precise coordination of movement and is therefore also healthy for the mind and the concentration.
WHAT IS STOTT-PILATES:
The STOTT Pilates method, developed by Moira Merrithew and her husband Lindsay Merrithew, is based on the original Pilates method and its principles. STOTT Pilates exercises are designed to restore and balance the natural curves of the spine and the muscles surrounding the joints. The method is appropriate for many different body types and fitness levels and can therefore be used for athletes, but also in everyday fitness.
It is important to place the pelvic and shoulder stabilization more prominently in the foreground. The STOTT Pilates method uses five basic biomechanical principles for a maximum effect of the training:
- Breath
- Pelvis placement
- Rib-cage placement
- Shoulder bone movement
- Head and cervical placement
It is one of the safest and most effective existing training methods.
ABOUT ISABELLE
Isabelle was born in France and studied ballet. At the age of 15, she moved to Germany to persue her dream and two years later she began her career as a professional ballet dancer in Wiesbaden. During her eighteen-year career, she danced at the Bavarian State Ballet, the Zurich Opera House, and in many other prestigious houses of the world. Pilates has always kept her in shape and helped her avoid injuries. She is certified in Stott Pilates and teaches matwork and equipment training (Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair …). Isabelle is also specialized in Pre – and Postnatal Pilates training as well as Barrework. The Pilates Parcours, which combines all the different acitivities of the training, was developed by her.
Isabelle teaches with great joy and passion and is happy to share her experiences and knowledge.
TRAINERS
ARIEL
Ariel is a certified Pilates instructor, movement practicioner, and dancer based in Berlin since 2010. Her experience includes 22 years as a professional dancer, teaching Pilates across the US and Germany since completing her certification through Ellie Herman in 2004, and 5 years as a movement therapist in a chiropractor’s office in the U.S.. She worked as an adjunct professor of dance and anatomy/kinesiology at Smith College, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College and Keene State College in the U.S and has taught movement to actors and dancers at State Theaters throughout Germany. As a teacher she is interested in refining alignment in the body and discovering the small muscles that support larger movement.
LUCY
Driven by her passion for movement, Lucy utilises the Pilates method to help people find their optimum health and wellbeing. She approaches teaching movement in a practical and functional way - looking to create sustainable movement patterns through a fun and challenging class. Lucy brings her considerable knowledge of the body and dance to her teaching. Trained as a physiotherapist in Australia, and completing her Pilates certification with APPI in Melbourne, Australia, Lucy’s passion is for helping people become the expert in their own bodies. When she’s not teaching, you’ll find her in the ballet studio, partner dancing or on the climbing wall.
ELÉONORE
Eléonore is a dancer and Pilates Trainer. After years as a Ballet dancer in various theatres, including in Germany, she opted in 2016 for a life in Berlin and as a freelancer. From day one, the capital city felt just like home! Pilates has accompanied and supported her as a dancer. In 2018 she took a new path as a BASI certified trainer. Thanks to Pilates, she wants to help others build up strength and flexibility. With precise movement, body awareness - and hopefully some fun! - you will enhance power, self- confidence and well-being. Good to know: Eléonore can teach in German, English, French or Spanish.
TUYEN
For Tuyen Pilates is the best way to connect mind and body and to completely focus on herself and to combine breath with movement. Gaining inner and outer strength and furthermore elongating her body - especially the spine - is what she feels everytime she is doing Pilates. For the first time in her life she enjoyed doing workouts instead of forcing herself to exercise. When discovering the Pilates method a couple of years ago she was so fascinated and convinced about the method that she decided to quit her longtime office job and to become a Pilates instructor. The goal in her classes is to let you experience the same enjoyable and powerful feeling that she has with Pilates.
DANIELLE
Danielle was involved in Power Lifting, Mixed Martial Arts and other intense activities before discovering Pilates after her fourth knee surgery. Her goal was to find a way to continue to build strength and challenge her body in a more sustainable way. She pursued her STOTT PILATES® Certification after moving to Berlin from NYC so that she could share her love of movement and strength training. Her approach is energetic and challenging in a thoughtful and playful way. Incorporating athleticism to each movement for a powerful full body workout, her classes will both challenge and provoke you.
DEMI
Demi was introduced to pilates by her sister, professional dancer and BASI trained pilates instructor, Elvan Tekin. After getting her bachelor degree in Boston, Demi decided to move to California to get her BASI Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Certification at BASI Head Quarters Newport Beach, CA in May 2021. Learning and teaching the pilates method in California allowed Demi to train with the leading names in the pilates industry such as Rael Isacowitz. Now as a BASI trained pilates instructor, Demi wants all her clients to tap into their bodies, get in touch with their core and feel the same satisfaction & benefits she felt by practicing this miraculous exercise concept called pilates.
TARYN
Taryn is originally from New Hampshire, USA and has been teaching pilates in Berlin for the past 2 years. Her classes are heavily influenced by her work as a professional dancer as she continues to perform throughout Germany. Taryn has taught pilates, yoga and dance in the States and also east Africa in addition to working in Europe. She loves helping clients find their most optimal way of moving for better performance quality and also better quality of life.
NICOLE
Nicole or Nicolette sometimes, is a passionate body and movement researcher. Her pathway goes from holding a Bachelor in Nutrition by the Buenos Aires Medicine University, passing through a postponed career in Osteopathy and currently diving into dance as another way to explore the body through an artistic filter. 10 years Pilates facilitator, or maybe more, she loves sharing what the gathering of those practices and knowledges gave her and being nourished by those coming and commiting. She is not seeking to teach but to help the discovery of what can be done.
SONIA
Sonia was born in Barcelona. Since 2013 she belongs to STOTT PILATES®, a modern Pilates concept. Since 2017 she has the STOTT PILATES® full certification. In Barcelona she worked for 6 years at Dona 10 Pilates and Yoga Studio and in many community colleges. Today she lives in Berlin, where she works for Deborah Degano at Berliner Pilates Studio and for Isabelle Pollet at The Pilates Movement Berlin Studio, now she belongs to Johanna Hwang’s team at The Pilates Place Studio in Spittelmarkt.
LUX
Lux ist eine italienische trans-femme, geschlechtsnonkonforme Bewegungskünstlerin (sie/die). In ihrer Praxis stellt Bewegung eine Verbindung von Geist und Körper dar, die Elemente aus Pilates, Tanz und somatischen Praktiken integriert. Nachdem sie als professionelle Tänzerin für verschiedene Tanzkompanien, Theater und Fernsehsender in Ländern wie Deutschland, Chile und Italien gearbeitet hat, hat Lux sich dazu entschlossen, eine Pilates-Lehrerin zu werden. Ihr Ziel ist es, ihren Ansatz zum Körper aus einer achtsamen Perspektive zu rehabilitieren und neu zu erlernen, weshalb somatische Praktiken eine wichtige Rolle in ihren Kursen und in ihrer Art der Durchführung von Übungen spielen. Aktuell lebt Lux in Berlin und leitet auch Bewegungsworkshops, die Inklusivität, Vielfalt und Intersektionalität priorisieren. Ihre Kurse sind stets dynamisch, vielseitig und konzentrieren sich auf spezifische anatomische Sprache und biomechanische Muster. Schlüsselprinzipien in ihren Kursen umfassen Wiederholung, Progression und Präzision. (FOTO: Yu Lin)
NICOLA
Nicola began doing Pilates in 2001 and was amazed by quickly her balance, flexibility, strength, body awareness, and coordination improved. Inspired by the changes in her body, she pursued her Mat and Equipment Teaching Certifications through The Kane School of Core Integration in NYC (2008-9), one of the most distinguished training institutions in the US. She taught Pilates in top-ranked studios in NYC (Erika Bloom Pilates) and North Carolina (InsideOut Body Therapies. She also co-created the Pilates program at Duke University and was a head trainer there for six years before moving to Berlin. Her teaching style mixes classical movements and a contemporary understanding of anatomy. photo credit Robb Cangiano
GRETA
Greta came to Germany from Italy in 2006, to get a ballet education at the John Cranko School, in Stuttgart. After that she worked at various Theaters as a ballet dancer, for example Theater Magdeburg, Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater and at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin. Currently she’s a freelance dancer and Pilates trainer in Berlin. Pilates accompanied her for a while through the dance world, but in the last couple of years she dived deeper into it and decided to pursue an education at “The Body in Balance” Studio. She finds it important to find the balance between strengthening and mobility, to look for precision and focus without losing the fun about moving.
RACHEL
Rachel is a certified Pilates Instructor trained in New York. In 2018, she discovered Pilates after a sports injury and fell in love with the practice so much, she went on to complete her comprehensive training later that year. With her background in strength training and sports, expect a contemporary Pilates class built on dynamic strength and technique. Her goal is to provide a space for you to challenge yourself, discover your strength, and have fun.
ALEXANDRA
Alexandra is a former ballerina with 20+ years of experience in movement. She danced in internationally renowned companies and practiced pilates her whole career . In 2019, after having her first child, she decided to train with BASI (Body Arts and Science International) and become a pilates teacher herself. She wants to make her clients feel comfortable, strong and reach their goals one at a time while helping them understand how the body works and the strength of body mind connection. She works on the body as a whole, focusing on core, mobility of the spine, posture and lower and upper body strength . She enjoys creating fun exercises that challenge their coordination and stability in a playful way.
CASSIDY
Cassidy was born in Toronto, Ontario and began competitive dance training at the age of 4. At 17, she moved to New York to further her training at the Conservatory of Dance in the State University of New York. Since graduating, she has performed with many New York contemporary dance companies, some of which have taken her abroad. Pilates became an important part in Cassidy’s life when she began dealing with severe injury and pain. When she discovered the healing abilities of Pilates movement, she pursued instructor training at STOTT PILATES® in Toronto, where she has been certified in both Levels 1 & 2 of MATWORK and REFORMER. She now loves sharing the magic of Pilates though her classes and continues to see the value in this movement practice with every passing session, guiding clients towards a state of balance in their bodies.
VICTOR
Victor Gonzalez Dancer and Pilates teacher from Chile. Inspired by nature in his homelands in the chilean Patagonia decided to pursue a career in performative arts studying circus and contemporary dance in Santiago. In 2016 he moves to Germany to continue his studies in dance where he feels inspired by the Pilates practice as a way to support the physical demands in dance and the benefits in preventing injuries. In 2019 he gets his certification in the Comprehensive teacher training program with BASI Pilates Germany, since then he's been teaching collaborating with different studios in Germany, Italy and Chile.
GUI
Gui is a pilates trainer and dancer who sees movement as a practice of joy. Originally from Brazil, he moved to Germany and completed his dance education at the Folkwang Universität der Künste, in Essen, and later his pilates teacher education at The Body in Balance Studio, in Berlin. Everyday life and the demands of the world around us can make our bodies develop poor motor patterns, which may lead us to misalignments, discomfort and pain. Gui’s classes focus on refining these motor patterns with emphasis on body alignment, strengthening and lengthening - the proposal is to move from the center to the extremities, stabilizing the core in order to generate and transfer force and motion to the limbs. Most importantly, the classes are an invitation to develop body awareness and a caring relationship with our own bodies.
OFFICE
ANA
Studio Manager & Instructor
Got any questions regarding events, cooperations etc.? Feel free to contact us!
orga@pilatemovementberlin.com