Karen directs the Studio's programs and workshops in addition to teaching classes. Karen began her career in movement with training in classical and modern dance.  She has practiced Pilates since the age of 13 and has been teaching for more than 10 years.  She learned to instruct the Pilates method from The Pilates Center at Boulder and Pilates elders Romana Kryzanowska, Marie Jose Blom-Lawrence, Ron Fletcher, Kathy Grant, Alan Herdman, and Dianne Miller. Her interest in movement biomechanics led her to further study.  Karen has a BAA from Ryerson in fine arts/dance and a Master’s in Education and Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University .  She has taught at both facilities and at the University of Arizona, Tucson. She currently heads up The Movement Studio’s Instructor Training program which began this past year.  She remains dedicated to continuing education, with a focus on experiential and functional anatomy.  Ongoing workshops with Tom Myers on longitudinal and visceral anatomy, Diane Lee (phsyio) on lumbo pelvic stability, and Linda Joy Lee (physio) on the role of the thorax in movement, have greatly influenced her approach to rehabilitative and functional movement therapy. She enjoys dancing regularly and has taught the Studio's Conditioning for Dance Program and various programs specifically focussed on conditioning for athletes. Her love for Pilates, and deep respect for the wisdom of the body encourages her to continually evolve her teaching practice and ways to assist clients in realizing their full movement potential.

Karen is available by appointment only Monday thru Friday

Danielle McCulloch has over 10 years experience as a movement educator. She graduated with distinction from the BA Dance program at the University of Calgary; this is a collaborative program in fine arts and kinesiology. Danielle is a Pilates Method Alliance Certified Pilates teacher, a certified CranioSacral Therapist from the Upledger Institute, and a certified Somatic Movement Therapist from Martha Eddy’s SomAction Movement, Therapy TrainingSM in New York. She is also registered with the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association.
Danielle has been a guest instructor at the University of Calgary and for various youth dance companies. She has extensive experience working with children and adults with developmental delays, people in chronic pain, and those recovering from injuries. Currently, Danielle is practicing and teaching in Vancouver, where she is one of the core teachers for The Movement Studio’s Pilates Teacher Training Program. She brings an inspiring, somatic experience to teaching and learning the Pilates repertoire. Her aim is to facilitate efficient ways of moving that support healthy expression and function in the evolution of individuals to the best of their ability.

Danielle is available Monday thru Friday

Cinzia discovered the joy of movement in her adult life. Through Pilates she discovered how concentration and imagination could help her connect with deeper structures in her body to find fluidity, balance, and release. Becoming passionate about Pilates, she trained and started teaching in 2002. In 2005 she transitioned into Pilates full-time and began to experience the many rewards of teaching.

Teaching keeps her imagination fueled as it travels through the many avenues connecting mind and body. Through her practice she developed a keen interest in helping clients dealing with pain, managing and progressing through their rehabilitation. She pursued further training in rehabilitation of the hips, knees, shoulders, spinal conditions. She also explored the Feldendkrais and Franklin method. Recent training includes: "Rehab through Pilates" with Collen Jorgensen, Stretch Therapy with Kit Laughlin, Pilates for Osteoporosis with Sara Meeks, and Core stability with Marie-Jose Bloom Lawrence.

Cinzia brings focused, constant, keen attention to her sessions with clients affected by spinal conditions, (arthritis, scoliosis, slipped and herniated disks, osteoporosis), and hip, knee, or shoulder injury. She has also enjoys working with pre and post-partum women, helping them find center and balance . She strives to lead each client into smoother and more efficient movement patterns through their Pilates session so that they may transfer them into their every day life.

Cinzia is an avid runner and loves hiking. Her passion for these things has translated into leading classes specifically geared towards runners and athletes seeking to improve their performance.

 

Cinzia works full time from Monday through Saturday.

Stephanie's love of movement began early in life with dance. It was in her contemporary dance training at Les Ateliers de Danse Moderne de Montreal that she was first exposed to the Pilates' method. Through her personal Pilates practice she realized the profound benefits of the work as her own body transitioned out of chronic pain. From there, Pilates became an integral part of her personal well being. As a teacher, Stephanie seeks to be a guide in helping her clients find a new awareness of the body through alignment, and a deepened understanding of their own physicality both in and out of the studio. Stephanie is continually looking for new inspiration as an instructor. She enjoys a rich practice of her own in Pilates, dance, yoga, and workshops in various movement modalities to further her along in her journey as an instructor.

Stephanie is fully trained in all apparatus, including mat, reformer, cadillac, chair, and barrel work.

Stephanie is available Monday thru Friday

Paula’s movement experience began with Dance and moved into Yoga and Pilates. She spent ten years studying Contemporary Dance, three at MainDance and two apprenticing with Lee Eisler and Jumpstart Dance Co. She is trained in Hatha Yoga and Certified to teach Power Yoga. She received her Stott Pilates Certification in 2004. Her teaching focuses on an alignment based understanding of posture and corelines of support. As a teacher she strives to facilitate an embodied awareness of posture and the anatomic tools available to support stable, dynamic movement.

Paula works Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

As a somatic yoga therapist, pilates instructor, biodynamic craniosacral therapist, and internationally trained meditation instructor, Carrie has worked throughout Canada and the United States teaching workshops, group classes and private sessions for over 13 years. Ever inspired by the process of inquiry, Carrie continually resources the wisdom of Body-Mind Centering™ and Shambhala Buddhism, applying the principals of mindful awareness to her work.

Somatic Yoga Therapy

Somatic Yoga Therapy integrates yoga asana practice with somatic movement therapy. Together these practices incite body awareness, focus on wellness, and enhance life. By bringing your movement to consciousness, you can more easily, creatively and effectively resolve physical challenges and body tensions. Somatic Yoga Therapy is a personalized approach that provides a dynamic and empowering education, opening the mind to the body's wisdom and the body to the mind’s wisdom.

Its’ key components are the development of body awareness, the connection to innate physiological wisdom and natural movement pathways, and an emphasis on personal experience and inquiry rather than competition and performance. People with acute and chronic injuries, people seeking to reduce stress and tension, athletes and dancers incorporating somatics and yoga into their training, yoga and pilates practitioners exploring deeper possibilities with somatic principals, people seeking an enriched understanding of and connection to their bodies, and people exploring body awareness in conjunction with counseling and meditation all benefit from this work.

Carrie is available by appointment, please call for hours

Born in Hong Kong, Philip arrived in Vancouver in 1994. Philip has been practicing GYROTONIC® since January 2000 and GYROKINESIS® since 2002, certifying in both disciplines in 2003. He has a background in dance stretching back to 1980, as a performer in modern and classical ballet, as a choreographer, and as a teacher. Philip is also a Certified Laban Movement Analyst and Yoga Instructor. Through his teaching and personal practice, he continues his research into what he calls "The Universal Truth" of the body, and hopes his curiosity never ceases.

Philip works Wednesday.

Brent Stevenson is a Vancouver based physiotherapist focused on functional movement retraining for preventative health and sport performance.  He has degrees in Kinesiology and Physiotherapy as well as considerable post graduate experience in manual therapy and movement education.  Brent spent two years working almost exclusively with golfers and another 2 years working with Diane Lee, a world respected physiotherapist in the areas of core muscle recruitment and pelvic stability.  He has combined his knowledge of sport to help Cirque De Soleil athletes, Golf professionals as well as hundreds of Vancouver’s weekend warriors.  Brent is the owner of Envision Physiotherapy where he works with people one-on-one to eliminate pains, prevent injury and maximize their sport performance.  He also has developed small group workshops focused on golf, tennis and other common Vancouver sports.

Check our website for upcoming workshops.

Glenda first started practicing Pilates in 2000.  As a runner, cyclist and swimmer, she soon recognized how much her body benefited from practicing Pilates.  She looked for ways to use her practice of Pilates in the sports she already enjoyed, and in her every day life.  Glenda liked it so much that, she reduced her time teaching elementary school to 3 days a week in order to certify as a Pilates instructor, completing her training in 2005.  She has recently retired from her career as an elementary school teacher and leads a happy, busy life with a focus on staying healthy, physically active, and spending time with family, especially her grandchildren. Glenda continues to take pleasure in teaching Pilates on a part-time basis and keeping her practice through continuing education.  Her most recent workshops include:  ‘The SmartSpine Approach’ and ‘Connecting to your Core’ with Marie-Jose Blom, Anatomy Trains workshops with Tom Meyers and Mark Finch, and Body Rolling.   

“I like to meet clients at their own level and then gradually challenge them to deeper connections.  Imparting knowledge about the muscles (i.e. where they originate, what action thperform, why they are tight, how to stretch, lengthen and work them etc.) is an important paey rt of my quest to educate people about their bodies.  I encourage clients to carry what they have learned in their Pilates classes into their lives outside the studio.”

Glenda is available Saturdays.

Elecia is the studio’s administrator, answering phone calls, fielding questions and scheduling classes. You can reach her live Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. When she’s not at the studio, Elecia works as a journalist and freelance writer and is always looking for, reading about and wanting you to tell her interesting stories. She loves music, movement and the beach.