A Spring Reset for My Body, My Mind, and My Pilates

March 28, 2025

Hey Friends! 


It’s always exciting to see my clients make the switch to just coming to Pilates because it’s helping them, they do it their minimal amount and call it good, to completely commented. There is something different about their minds and bodies. I know this because it happened to me too. It may come as a surprise that I haven’t always been dedicated to my Pilates practice but it’s the truth. When I started my Pilates teacher training, I was all in practiced, read and practiced more… then life happened and slowly, I just doing my minimum, a side stretch here, a set of arm circles there and sure I’d pushed the reformer out and bring it in with my mind wondering. After some time of doing this, I noticed that things physically were just standing still and I became dull in my teaching. Something that I’ve heard and take to heart is, “if you’re board, your client is too.” I didn’t know this saying back then, but looking back, I’m like yea, so true. I will be honest, had I not had to have my hip surgery, I can’t say I would have moved out of that place, but I did. I wanted my hip to heal and be better so, I really decided to dedicate time to my Pilates practice. It looked like this: 30 to 1 hr a day 6 days a week of Pilates practice. Soon, my understanding of Pilates became clearer, the understanding of my body became clearer and of course my teaching because fun again. One of the things that helped fuel also was March Matness. Seeing other Pilates lovers out there showing their versions and their true self doing Pilates helped me see that Pilates looks different on everyone but one thing is true, they are all doing it. So, I encourage you to practice your Pilates outside of the studio. In the grocery store line, when you are waiting on dinner in the oven, when you are done with your work, walk or even right before bed do Pilates. Do more than just the minimum, challenge yourself to push yourself. Your future self will thank you


Studio will be closed: April 7-10 and 17th

Three women are doing pilates exercises in a gym

March Matness Recap

This past month each level did original Pilates exercises in the order that Joe Pilates thought was the best. We modified when we needed to and we challenged ourselves when we could. I think a lot of times we think of Pilates as a rehab regimen but really, he built his work on a hard workout for top athletes. It wasn’t until he worked with injuries that he modified his work so that eventually they could do the hard work. That is exactly how I like to train. Let’s deal with the issue but don’t stay there, get out of it and start working harder, challenging yourself. Mat Classes are great for challenging yourself. If you come to Privates, you learn what you can apply to mat class, whether it be about your personal body or an exercise. The bottom line is Mat class is hard, you are moving your body, discovering things about yourself and working out. The mat work was literally what Joe started with. Really proud of all you who made it to class and did the work. 


Sign up for your next class here.

  • Tuesday 12pm Level 3
  • Wednesday 11am Level 1
  • Thursday 9am Level 2
A stack of yoga mats with a pilates ball and a ring

OPVL

New videos are up and ready to be pressed play on. We are working with the Thera-band again. When using the Thera-band we are bringing in the awareness that when we are working out without with it, we want to bring in the same emphasis of pushing and pulling. Grab your trustee Thera-band and press play. Sign-up here. Three-day free trail Only 20 a month and you can cancel anytime. 


Happy Spring,

Heidi 

Orange maple leaf on a dark, blurred forest floor in autumn light
By Heidi • September 30, 2026
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Woman exercising on Pilates reformer as trainer assists in a pink studio
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Personal Pilates Training is harder than you think. That’s actually the point. Most people don’t know what actually happens in a personal Pilates private session. It’s not just the exercises. It’s a process. It’s starts before you even get on the apparatus. When you first come in, you fill out a questionnaire that gives me good information about you. We talk about what your goals are. What are your needs and want? From there I do a body analysis that lets me see your posture, how does your body move doing small movements, it also tells me where your imbalances are. This is all important information so that I know how to build your body strong. The more I know and learn about your body, the more you will get out of your Pilates journey. We will have a real conversation about where your body is right now. Then we build your foundation. Firstly, you learn the Fundamentals. When we start that process, it's teaching me how you learn. What needs attention first? Are there any past injuries that are showing up when you move? Everyone’s Private Pilates session looks different from one another. You have your own unique body and unique way that you learn and move. It should look different because you are coming to me for your reason and not theirs. There is no comparing. The other nice thing about doing Privates is that you are on your own road to go through the exercises. Some times what took one client 3 weeks to learn another could take 6-8 weeks to learn. There is no rush. That’s how transformation actually happens. Just you, learning to move from within. The more I know about the you, the better I know how to train you. Before you know it, you are feeling better in your body, have a better understanding of the Pilates Method and are learning the Pilates exercises.
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Open House
Three people doing Pilates leg lifts on purple mats in a studio with a reformer and pink walls
By Heidi • September 14, 2026
Mat Classes Who are they for and what to expect. These questions will be answered differently by different studios and teachers. After years of teaching, what I have found is that those who invest in the fundamentals of Pilates will go further. Starting in a beginning mat class builds the foundation that actually helps you progress. Sure, there are movers who can do a plank, but are you doing it in the best alignment that will protect your shoulders? Can you isolate body parts? Are you aware of where your body is in space? That's what a Mat class is really about. This is a mind body experience. You're not just moving. You're thinking about how you're moving. Every exercise is whole body. If Joe Pilates himself were asked what any single exercise was for, his answer was always the whole body. That's exactly how I teach it; head to toe, and what you get out of it, is exactly what you put in. Think of it at like a martial art. There is focus awareness, strength, and stretch. If you walk in thinking it will be like a gym exercise class, you are going to be disappointed.
Open office gym area with workout equipment, wooden flooring, and a brick wall.
By Heidi • September 4, 2026
Where’s Your Studio? Over the years of teaching, I have taught at other Pilates studios, in a back house, my garage studio, two store fronts, in my home and now Downtown in Wenatchee in a store front. A fellow teacher said, it’s the home studios where you’re going to find the golden teacher; I think all of my clients would agree with the statement. Growing up, I had baton lessons in a garage studio and in a living room and both times when it came to competitions..we/ I always placed. When I won my Dance Title, my teacher was in a rec center 45 minutes away from San Jose in Half Moon Bay, California. I’ll go to a back alley or to some far away land if I’m going to get a good lesson from a good teacher. Where I teach has nothing to do with my knowledge, that goes with me wherever I go. I loved having my studio in my home. I was spoiled with having everything I need right in the next room. 8pm workouts, roll outs or stretches were normal for me. It was my safe haven. I loved how bright it was. It gave me more so that I can give back to my clients. The tug of leaving my home was too much to ignore anymore. It was time to separate my personal life from my professional one, and having my own space outside of home, made that possible. When I started looking, I saw my new space with the sign in the window and honestly, my first thought was, “that’s too good to be true.” So, I drove pass it… for more times than I’d like to admit. My self-made due date was coming up and the pressure at home was becoming too much to bear, so I just started calling and just like that, I got the space. Oh gosh, it’s a dream. Every studio I taught in taught me something different, and I carried all of it here. The brick wall with the windows gives natural light, that my soul needs. The three independent spaces allow for gathering times for clients to meet, a space for Mat Classes or workshops and my apparatus room is my main working space. I love that I can see the mountains, the Pybus market and watch the busyness of the world pass me by.  Would you like to come, is it? Did you know that I offer Free 30-minute Pilates Demos? You can book right through Vagaro. You can also book yourself a mat class or come in for Personal Training. I would love to show you the space. Come check it out.
Heidi in a standing side bend, one hand reaching to the floor and the other arm extended overhead
By Heidi • August 27, 2026
Back in rhythm with new posts on shoulder, neck and hip pain, plus September Thera-Band mat classes, the 3-week Saturday Series and the online Pilates video library.