So you want to know more... how did it all start, I hear you cry... Why Pilates?     Ah, vanity thy name is Andrea: As a working actor in Washington, DC, I was forever looking for new ways to stay fit.  I had tried many other forms of exercise including a gym membership, Tae-bo videos and yoga.   In the fall of 2000 I was working on a play and terrified of the skin-tight, bare midriff costume that I was to wear. A fellow actress that had been doing Pilates for a few years (and looked fabulous) recommended a local studio, Excel Movement Studios.  I signed up for a weekly mat class to find out just what was Pilates anyway?  I had a vague idea that it was similar to yoga, but somehow not yoga...      So now I must feed my addiction: Soon my "not yoga" classes were kicking my butt and I began to take 2 and 3 classes per week and slowly added private and semi-private sessions on the apparatus as well…which I have to confess, as a sometimes-working actor and knitting-store clerk, I could not afford. But I was hooked.  It was such an effective, challenging and efficient way to work out.  Every part of my body engaged, strengthened and stretched and it only took an hour.  This was ideal to me.  Also the part where I was accountable for my workout and had to show up... priceless

After Pilates Sessions I always felt like my whole body had been worked out, like I had greater integrity in motion.  I was also not BORED. And my mind did not wander to thoughts of what was I going to make for dinner anyway?   It was great to be able to focus for an entire hour and leave the everyday matters of life at the door.  It was empowering to be able to use my mind to work my body.  Especially if one is strong-willed or has a stubborn streak...

Excel Movement Studios:  In an effort to maintain a staff with comprehensive training in classical Pilates, my local studio embarked on a Teacher Training Program.  I had been working at the studio as the receptionist/studio manager and was offered a spot in one of the first classes of apprentices.  Upon completion of my certification in 2003, I continued to work at the studio as an instructor until I moved to California in late 2004.

Romana's Pilates: "Train with the Best": All of the instructors I had worked with at Excel were trained under Romana Kryzanowska, master teacher and protégé of Joseph Pilates.  They had wonderful stories and experiences to share about Romana and "Drago's" the New York training center, now called "True Pilates New York."  They talked about the original equipment at the New York studio including several pieces of apparatus built by Joseph Pilates himself that are still being used, specifically a wunda chair, electric chair and ladder barrel.  My inner-geek loves this kind of stuff, so...    

In 2006 I made my first pilgrimage to True Pilates New York, to experience master teachers that had worked directly under Joseph Pilates.  To update my Continuing Education, I strive to study under Romana, her daughter Sari Mejia-Santo, and Jay Grimes (in Los Angeles) as much as possible every year.  The Pilates Method continually pushes me to see the human body in new ways and leads me to find deeper strength in my own workout.  I love that I can use my mind to improve my body.  The concentration that is required is a great stress-reliever and I am happy to say that I am FAR from bored!