Fall Newsletter

September 14, 2022

three young girls are posing for a picture in a dance studio .
a group of young girls are posing for a picture in a dance studio .
three young girls are posing for a picture in a dance studio .

I knew when I saw my Summer schedule, I knew it would be over before it began, but nevertheless it was absolutely wonderful. I LOVE teaching the S.P.O.R.T Gymnastics team ballet (of course I sprinkle a little Pilates in). This is an extra class for them, so the girls that show up are ready and eager to learn. Ballet brings, poise, elegant, musicality, control and precision. I’m excited to see how the ballet technique will help them in their gymnastics this competition season. If any of the girls want help to clean up routines with movement, I am here to help. Please reach out via email, call or text. Thank you again for your time, your energy, enthusiasm, hard work and dedication. 

September is the perfect month to get your Pilates routine back in your schedule.

a stack of yoga mats with a pilates ball and a ring

Even if it’s as little as a 30-minute Private, a 55 min Private or a 55 min Mat Class. Pilates will serve the body well. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been out for a week or more than a year, Pilates will meet you right where you are at. Give yourself and your body some movement.


In the Mat Classes I’ve been making it a point that every other month we use a small prop; small ball, magic ring, or there-band, these props help with better engagement to the muscles and the exercises of the Mat without them. Just a reminder the Tuesday and Thursday 10 am Mat Class is great for, physical limitations and learning the vocabulary of the Mat exercises. Thursday 9am is the advanced class. Advanced meaning: no physical limitation, unless you are confident in YOUR modifications, able to work on; Plank, Roll-Over, Mermaid and know your Pilates vocabulary. In either class you are working on YOUR BODY and truly working on going deeper; in focus, movement and breath.

These days Pilates tends to be looked at another means to Physical Therapy

a skeleton of a man with his arms outstretched

Most people get told by their doctors to, “go and do Pilates”. If you are reading this, we can confidently say, “we know why!” Pilates is great for pain management. Honestly though, when I signed up for “Body Conditioning” AKA Pilates while at UC Irvine, I wasn’t signing up because I had conic low back pain...nope, I signed up because my roommate said I’d probably like it. When I went into getting certified, I did it because it made me a stronger dancer, it kept me dancing and I was impressed that my back pain was still at bay. I also loved seeing the dancers that I taught apply the Pilates I knew and they got better! 


I was at about my 5th year of training, when more people were coming to me saying, “my doctor told me to do Pilates because I have X”. So, my focus became more of ... HOW DO I USE PILATES FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT? I went to a Sports Therapy Center where they had a Pilates area. It was then that I would use any free time I had and go observe, my first ballet teacher, who became an instructor with a focus of using Pilates as a way for Physical Therapy. When she became pregnant with her twins, at about month 6, I was observing and assisting her work with her patients. It was challenging and rewarding. I subbed for her for 6 months, by that time a year later, I felt a lot more confident to help people with their pain. Also, the Physical Therapists were right there when I had questions.


Some pain, people will live with for the rest of their lives, this would be when the person needs a routine. These sets of exercises are the ones they can go to calm pain down, stop it or just get their mind off of the pain. Some pain is temporary, this is when a set of exercises will get them out of pain and their pain doesn’t come back. It can take as little as 3 weeks to a year.

Whatever the case maybe, the body is to move and function in a certain way and when the body stops doing that, that is a sign you may need to change some things.


For me I am so thankful for that time, because, a hip surgery that came with some disappointing news allowed me to see past the news and set myself up with some exercises that I knew would support me and prolong a hip replacement. Even after that I know Pilates is still an exercise I can do and enjoy. “Change your pain into power!”-Lesley Logan. THANK YOU to all have who have brought their PT paperwork with them to move into Pilates. 

Client Highlight!

I wanted to highlight a Mat Class client. Never under estimate the power of the Pilates Mat Class. If you know your Pilates history, Joseph Pilates started with Mat Exercises. He made the apparatus to assist the body to be able to do the Mat exercises. The Mat exercises are working YOUR OWN BODY WEIGHT. You’re pulling, pushing, and lifting. Also, his focus was moving the spine in all directions; flexion, extension, rotation, side bending and of course using your powerhouse, Core, to move it.


This client of mine was a single mom who made sure she NEVER missed her afternoon Pilates Mat Class. She was already a mover but she knew she needed to learn more about Pilates fundamentals, so she gave her time to learning them. (I have offered a Pilates fundamentals workshop before, I also have my book that will walk you through them, or giving yourself 4 Start-up Privates will also help get a more grounded foundation.) She had tightness and weakness in areas, but she never steered away from them. Because of this, her tight areas became more flexible and weak areas became stronger. She was focused when breaking down a new exercise and it was important to her to progress forward to the more advanced exercises. She wasn’t doing it for flat abs or a toned touchy, she was doing it more for her “me time”. She would often tell me that by coming to the class, she had gained more confidence in herself, which helped her level up her career life. By the end she was doing her dream job, a realtor. She said, because of her strong back, she felt stronger when talking to people. She was very dedicated and it showed. She will still tell me to this day, how much the Mat Classes helped her to where she is today ...and that she hasn’t found another Pilates instructor like me  she might be buttering me up, but I will take it. Grab your mat, find your spot on the floor and I’ll see you at the first breath.

Orange maple leaf on a dark, blurred forest floor in autumn light

Fall Is a Fresh Start: October at Heidi's Spot

By Heidi • September 30, 2026
Free intro classes at our Oct 9 and 10 Open House, weekly Sound Bath with Heather, October mat classes, and new videos in the online Pilates library.
Woman exercising on Pilates reformer as trainer assists in a pink studio

What your Pilates Session Is Actually Teaching You

By Heidi • September 21, 2026
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.

You're Invited to the Heidi spot Pilates Open House

By Heidi • September 17, 2026
Open House
Three people doing Pilates leg lifts on purple mats in a studio with a reformer and pink walls

If You Think Mat Class Is Easy, Read This First

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.

Every Corner Is Where the Work Happens

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

When Life Throws a Wrench in Your Rhythm

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.