The Multi-Tasking Studio

We asked you to write and tell us why your studio should be voted as the hippest, most happening, most multi-tasking Pilates Studio in America. Although the prize went to Lora Anderson of Pilates Studio City in Studio City, CA, we thought that all you runners up deserved a shout-out, too. Here are some of the most impressive entries we received.

Winner
I actually laughed when I saw the contest title and decided to add one more item to my long list of to dos—enter the Multi-Tasking Studio Contest.

Pilates Studio City is a multi-tasking studio at its CORE. Opening our doors in April 2004, our mission was and is still to build a community where teachers, clients and the neighborhood have a place to experience Pilates, Gyrotonic and Nia, try new modalities, broaden their horizons about fitness & health and learn about everything from nutrition to hip hop. Our Motto: There is something for everybody!

Last month at Pilates Studio City: To celebrate Valentines Day, we offered a Partner Stretch class that was so popular it spilled into the hallway. Via a new marketing partnership with Whole Foods Market, we reached out to children to offer an afternoon class that combines Pilates Mat, Nia & the experience of making a healthy snack. In honor of St. Patty himself, we used Whole Foods delicious & organic ingredients to make GREEN Guacamole and quesadillas. It was a blast for everyone. In addition to our 30 group classes a week, we offered Intro to Yamuna Body Rolling and a Hip Hop Class, as well as began a weekly Ron Fletcher Towel Class. At the end of the month we have a Partner Thai Yoga Class.  All of this work pays off with clients that are passionate about their health, Pilates and being active participants at PSC.

Throughout the year we showcase local artists in the welcome area of our studios. Currently our client Debra Murray is sharing her paintings with our clients. We host an annual World Health & Healing Bazaar with over 15 vendors and classes such as Yamuna Body Rolling, Belly Dancing, Hip Hop, & Drumming.  All proceeds are donated to Zoe Children’s Home in Thailand. We raise money for the Kushi Project, an orphanage in India, by selling products they bring back from India.  We donated class income for a week during Hurricane Katrina for one of our teacher’s family members. St Jude Children’s Hospital, Pilates Day, and Animazonia (an animal refuge) events are also fundraisers that we love to host. The more we donate the better studio we become and its fun!  In May will be hosting a concert to raise money for a phenomenal Middle Eastern Drumming artist Marla Leigh for her trip to Morocco.

To thank our amazing teachers, the studio hosts outings such as beach days where we learn to surf, ice skating, trapeze flying and making music together. To support our community we have a monthly E-newsletter where we feature a client with a small business. We are always introducing new products that will support our clients in their journey to health such as Isagenix, Mona Vie, Yoga Toes, Bongers, Toe Socks and much more. We all love to hang out with each other and our clients. 

In February, we opened another studio in Porter Ranch, California.  Now the multi-talking has been multiplied! It is an awesome opportunity and will help us continue to bring Pilates to more people.

—Lora Anderson, Pilates Studio City, Studio City, CA

Champagne in Norfolk, NE
I have a small studio in a small town in Nebraska. To keep my studio functioning, I have to come up with creative ideas to generate additional income. I have been doing birthday parties for quite a while but have branched out into hosting parties for local schools. Each month I choose a different theme: “It’s a Girl Thing Spa Fling” (we did yoga, chocolate facials, makeup and glamour photos), “New Year, New You” (we did cardio kickboxing, iron yoga, talked about nutritious snacks and how to set realistic goals), “Pilates Pajama Party” (we did Pilates with props, paraffin wax hand treatments, polish & nail decals, pizza and pop), “High School Musical” (we did dance aerobics to H.S. Musical, Hannah Montanna, Cheetah Girls, made bracelets and styled the girls’ hair with colored spray) and the theme for February is “Rock The House Old School” (we are going to do dance aerobics to music from the ’80s and ’90s, Pilates upper body exercises with dumbbells, make friendship pins, learn the art of big bangs and side ponytails). The girls just have a blast! The parties last for 2 hours & the cost is $10 per person. I have also started traveling to surrounding towns and renting a community room.

On January 18th, I held my first ever “Girls’ Night Out” (For Big Girls Only) at the studio and I had 17 women participate. We did “Upper Body Hottie” Pilates, 45 minutes of “Yoga Butt” and 15 minutes of “Abs, Abs, Abs.” Then everyone did a Mary Kay Satin Hands treatment and a paraffin wax hand treatment. I served “a Bite of Bruschetta and a Bit of Bubbly.” It cost $15 per person and I had goody bags for everyone that included lotion from Bath & Body Works, an assortment of Valentine’s Day candy and a coupon for a free class. I also gave away door prizes including a $20 punch card to the studio, 1 Reformer session and a free entrance to the next “Girl’s Night Out.” 

I’ve also done bridal parties the morning of the wedding.  The bride brings moms, aunts, bridesmaids and friends and we do an hour or more of gentle yoga, plus some breathing and relaxation techniques. I serve fruit, muffins, bagels, etc. depending on how much time is allowed.

I also teach Intro to Yoga, Intro to Pilates, Yoga II, & Pilates II at my studio for our local community college.  The students come for 1/2 hour of lecture and 45 minutes of hands-on practice and they receive one credit hour of physical education. It works great for me because I allow clients to come in and participate in the hands-on portion of the class.

—Tina Collison, Yoga, Pilates Studio, Norfolk, NE

Infrared Sauna in Chicago, IL
We are definitely a very multi-tasking, unique and hip Pilates studio. We offer group classes in Pilates, Yoga, Hip Hop, Belly Dance, Salsa, Capoeira, Boxing, Belly Dance, BOSU and prenatal classes in our 1,000 square foot studio with beautiful views of downtown Chicago. The Pilates studio adjoins with French doors. We offer Pilates privates, Reformer classes, semi privates and mat classes and teacher training. We also offer teacher training in BalleCore, many yoga and other workshops, and we have a full service spa using all organic products. We also offer Sauna and steam room (infrared sauna which heats body instead of air around the body and assists in detoxification, just mentioned this weekend in Daily Candy!). We also host Ladies Night Spa Jam events a few times a year where we offer sample dance classes and spa treatments, serve champagne and food, and give away freebies! We opened about 18 months ago, myself and business partner Margaret Castrovillari, were looking for a beautiful space to house spa treatments, classes and Pilates under one roof and we found it.

 —Nina Aronson, Soulistic Studio & Spa

Pilates Chocolate in Marin, CA
I am not sure if this qualifies for multi-tasking or not, but in addition to the brilliant Pilates workouts that will be taking place at my new studio, Grasshopper Pilates of Marin, a client of mine and I are launching a line of all natural dark chocolates named after Pilates exercises at Body Mind Spirit next month.  In between the Hundreds and Teasers we were talking about the positive health attributes of dark chocolate and nuts/berries and coincidentally her company, Torn Ranch, had just experimented with a dark chocolate, goji berry and organic rice cluster. I suggested naming it the Teaser, and the rest just fell into place. We will be debuting the teaser (dark chocolate, goji berries and rice clusters), rolling like a ball (ginger infused dark chocolate truffle), the squirrel (dark chocolate, walnuts and blueberries) and the grasshopper bar (green tea infused dark chocolate) at the upcoming show, with more to follow: roll up, boomerang, mermaid etc. The way we see it Pilates and dark chocolate both make you feel good and are good for you, right?

—Mary Mock, Grasshopper Pilates of Marin

Spyschool in West Hollywood, CA
WOW! I'm afraid to tell your other contestants that Absolution Workout Complex wins this category by a landslide.  I opened Absolution in the year 2000 because I wanted a fun, exciting place to take Pilates and I felt very strongly that the world needed a playground for grown-ups! Pilates opens up a world of physical opportunities and so it seemed like the best thing to do was to open up those opportunities right in front of our clients’ eyes! 

First of all, we’re home to the famous SPYSCHOOL! At Spychool, you can learn what you would if you got pulled into the CIA. Here are just some of our classes and workshops: how to knock out an assailant, (Hand-to) hand combat, multiple assailants, weapons fighting, hostage retrieval, partners fighting, how to disguise yourself with wigs and makeup, how to climb virtually anything, how to tell is someone is lying, how to get anyone to agree with you, how to get out of a difficult conversation, how to load and fire a weapon, how to do a sexy and feminine striptease and pole dance (we exclusively support and host Sheila Kelly's Sfactor classes), belly dancing, how to hang from a balcony or climb up a curtain (these classes are with Cirque participants with shows like Cirque du Soleil), how to flirt with finesse: flirting classes and romance coaching, Capoiera, adult gymnastics, booty parlour (um..tasteful sex toy workshops), kids safety classes, bridal showers, corporate workshops, divorce parties, vacations en masse, hand analysis classes, hypnotism classes, TROUPE aerial arts (taught by members of shows such as Cirque Du Soleil), trapeze, aerial tissue, hoop, tumbling, adult gymnastics, rock climbing classes, ice climbing trips, yoga specialists: Ashtanga, Iyengar and Hatha, post natal and pre-natal pilates (did I mention our play area for children?), art classes, cooking courses: how to make chocolatey, delicious treats sans sugar!, finance courses—girls just want to have funds!, a newsletter—the scarlet letter—full of good information, Tango and salsa workshops, Oh, and we have a fully loaded hair salon and places for babies, toddlers, and children to hang out! With all due respect to Pilates studios out there, I left my job, my house, and my husband to start my business—and I cannot BELIEVE that there is a single more multi-tasking place on the PLANET!!!

Fine Art in San Francisco, CA
We are writing to you from the front desk of EHS Pilates where multi-tasking is the name of the game! When we saw the request for the hippest, most happening, most diverse Pilates studio in the nation, we were called to typing action!

We’d love to share with you all the exciting happenings here at EHS Pilates. In the paragraphs that follow, you’ll find all the wonderful things that make this studio a standout place to work and play, improve one’s self yet trip the light fantastic.

We Y Workshops
Co-owner Nancy Myers puts on free monthly workshops for continuing educational development for the trainers at EHS Pilates and offers extremely discounted rates for all Pilates professionals and fitness trainers.

We Y Bodyworkers
EHS Pilates is dedicated to total wellbeing and we are proud to promote that ideology through our EHS Wellness Center. . . . Acupuncture; Chinese herbal pharmacy; multi-discipline massage therapy; rolfing; cranial sacral therapy; chiropractic; light spa services and endermology.

We Y Fundraisers
EHS Pilates is dedicated to being a global participant and helping out in any way we can both locally and globally. For example, last Monday on St. Patrick’s Day, there was a four-alarm fire on our city block that displaced 60 of our neighbors and we have organized a ‘Pilates in the Park’ fundraising event to bring the community together to help the rebuilding of our neighbor’s lives. We work with CARE, an organization that raises funds and awareness for women all over the world. In addition to these events, we support the Breast Cancer walks by giving free Walk-Ilates classes in prep for their training and proceeds from our classes during these times add to their fundraising efforts. We also rent and/or donate our studio space to special interest groups such as the Devil- Ettes, CARE, Phil’s Group, and other community organizations.

Our Clients Y Pilates Workouts
Our studio gathers together to bring community spirit to our neighborhood to promote the benefits of Pilates  . . . for life. Here at EHS, we have launched new and much-needed programs such as ‘Preggo Pilates’ . . . pre- and post-natal; ‘Prime Pilates’ for senior citizens; and Pilates-based rehabilitation methods as well as fun and innovative classes such as ‘Rock-ilates’ and ‘Welcome to the Gun Show’. We also like to the end work week with a Reformer “Happy Hour” class that results in a nice cold glass of bubbly in spirit of Joseph Pilates . . . “Work hard, Play hard.”

We Y Partying
On a quarterly basis, we host a party called “THE EHS MISSION COLLECTIVE”. During these parties, we launch new Pilates concepts celebrating energy, health, strength along with converting our studio into an art gallery, music haven, and performance art space.  

We Y Local Artists
Currently showcasing Rob Reger and Buzz Parker (both of Emily Strange) fine art currently hanging at our studio along with photographer Andrew William Schmidt.

So when you say “multi-tasking”, we say, “That’s an understatement!” Our staff and instructors are really committed to being a part of our community and celebrating the lifestyles and diversity of the amazing world of San Francisco and especially the place we like to call home, the Mission District.

—TEAM EHS, San Francisco

Green Building in Latham, NY
Why The Pilates Principle should be America’s most multi-tasking Pilates studio:

OUTREACH

• Owner of The Pilates Principle travels to speak publicly about Pilates to her alma mater Quinnipiac University, and to local colleges (Albany College of Pharmacy), and to local companies (Plug Power), to local chapters of professional organizations (New York Physical Therapy Association). 
• Our studio participates with Siena College athletics department to train their athletes

SERVICES PROVIDED

• Host clinics for prescription orthotics – knee pain and other injuries can be prevented with proper corrective orthotics
• We host a belly dancing class taught by former Miss Syria, (who happens to be Nuhar’s Mom!)   It is the area’s only belly dance class!  With over 20 participants, it’s a huge success
• Maternal Exercise hosted by a physical therapist whose specialty is women’s health
• Ashtanga Yoga
• The area’s only Active Isolated Stretch instructor who teaches classes daily – teacher is Irene Dowd trained as well. 

CONTINUING EDUCATION:

• Host workshops and Continuing Education from all types of certification programs – Power Pilates, internationally renowned Ton Voogt and Michael Fritzke, and local physical therapy oriented courses

OUR FACILITY

• We have a clothing boutique that provides clothing of high quality, organic cotton and other eco-conscious materials.  Brands like prAna, Casall, Pink Lotus and Green Dragon, and Be Present. 
• Our building was new construction in 2007 that took 4 years to plan – a “green” building that received incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for its participation in their Small Commercial Lighting Program, along with using LEED Certified carpeting and paints, cork and bamboo flooring. 

CHARITY:

• Participate in Pilates for Pink every October for Breast Cancer awareness – we raised $600 in one week last October
• Donate every year to charities like 15 Love (tennis charity), Albany Senior Services, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Holy Names Academy, Southgate Elementary School, Saratoga Wine Tasting Events.

SOCIAL:

• We host Silpada jewelry parties on a regular basis – a great way for clients and staff to mingle in a social atmosphere hosted by a staff member

Taking Care of Families in Kansas City, MO
Personal Best Pilates Studio is Kansas City's largest and most established Pilates-only fitness studio.  Established in 2000, we offer a full 7-day a week schedule of Pilates private training as well as group equipment and mat classes, and massage therapy.  Our Personal Best Pilates Instructor Academy offers full mat and equipment certifications and continuing education workshops, recognized by ACE, AFAA, NSCA and the PMA.  We have trained hundreds of Pilates instructors in Kansas City and across the Midwest, and offer instructor education workshops almost every weekend. We also have an active wear boutique featuring Sense Active, Spa and Travel wear.  

But that’s not all…

To debut our 2008 spring line of active wear, we hosted our first ever "Shop for Families" fashion show event last February. The event was a huge success!  Our beautiful models (all Personal Best Pilates Clients or Instructors) did a fantastic job strutting down the runway to showcase our new spring line of Sense Active, Travel and Spa wear.  A portion of all sales that day was donated to The Phoenix Family Housing Corporation (www.PhoenixFamily.org).  And, thanks to the generosity of everyone in attendance, we raised over $6,000 for The Phoenix Family Housing Corporation!

The Phoenix Family Housing Corporation (PFH) is a Kansas City-based non-profit organization providing integrated social services to more than 4,700 residents living in low-income housing.  The PFH team provides services to 28 communities in 13 cities throughout Missouri and Kansas. Phoenix Family's on-site support services provide children, families and seniors with safe, stable homes and communities. With these services, residents are able to avoid homelessness while setting and reaching goals of self-sufficiency.  Phoenix Family works with some of our community's poorest and most vulnerable members. The average family served by PFH has an annual household income of $12,599.  Children represent 51% of all the residents in PFH communities.  Ninety-two percent of all children and senior citizens served by PFH are living 50% below Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Some examples of the types of services PFH will be able to provide with our $6,000 donation:

• 5 children with after-school programs for an entire year, or
• 170 voice amplifiers so senior residents in need can hear the world around them, or
• 475 families of 4 with emergency food pantries for 1 month, or
• 49 students with a field trip to visit a university, or
• 158 adults with GED classes for 1 month

Together these and other services empower the residents living in PFH communities to access the essential resources they need to improve their lives and break the cycle of poverty.

As a business owner, I feel very fortunate to live and work in a community that is safe and enjoys so much opportunity and abundance.  My personal and professional commitment is, for long as I am able, to use the resources of my business to work against poverty, disease and suffering in our community.  As I was writing this essay for the Pilates Style Multi-Tasking Studio contest, I came across the following quote from Margaret Mead, which sums up my philosophy on community service:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Thank you for considering Personal Best Pilates Studio for the Pilates Style Multi-Tasking Studio contest.

—Carrie Cohn, Owner, Personal Best Pilates Studio, Overland Park, KS  

Cinnamon Detox in Reno, NV
We are the hippest, most happening, most multi-tasking Pilates studio in America!

Hi, my name is Kimberly Richman and I have a pretty little studio called The Pilates Lounge in Reno, NV.

The first thing clients say when they enter our space is what wonderful and warm energy it has.

We not only offer the most fun and most fantastic Pilates workouts, we will whip you up one of our special herbal tinctures at our Gypsy Tea Bar after class.

We offer seasonal group and individual herbal cleanses which include sessions in our Far Infrared Sauna and Cinnamon Detox Body Wraps.

We have ongoing “Intuitive Eating” workshops with our Nutritionist, Barbara Cox.

We feature monthly local artists, throw them a  reception and give 10% of the proceeds to the Nevada Museum of Art.

We also host girls night parties, which include a Pilates class, wine tasting or Gypsy tea party, and goodie bags.

—Kimberly Richman, Owner & Head Multitasking Mistress

Big Sisters in Boston, MA
My name is Ama Allara, and I am the founder & owner of Rock City Body Pilates Studio in Boston, Massachusetts -- read on below, and see why our studio is definitely the most multi-tasking studio out there!

Rock City Body is located in the Allston Village neighborhood of Boston -- which is sometimes called "Rock City" because of all the great music venues in the neighborhood, and the young residents who live here, many of whom are musicians & artists.  Allston is the only neighborhood in the country named after an artist, Washington Allston -- a painter, and Rock City Body is proud to carry on this artistic legacy, by opening our studios to dance and performance groups looking for rehersal space.  Real estate is pricey here in Boston, and we offer discounted prices to performers seeking rehersal space.  We have had lots of different individual dancers & groups rent our space throughout the years -- tap dancers, hip-hop dance groups, ballet dancers and theater groups -- and currently are home to:

* the Boston Babydolls Burlesque -- www.bostonbabydolls.net -- this burlesque group  reherses at RCB weekly, and teaches monthly "Instant Burlesque Queen" workshops, which are open to the public

* Jemileh Nour Belly Dancers -- www.jemileh.net -- the Belly Dance group reherses weekly at RCB, and Jemileh teaches weekly classes which are open to the public

* Boston League of Women Wrestlers (B.L.O.W.W.) -- www.blowwboston.com -- this "wrestling entertainment" group reherses weekly at RCB

* La Gata Negra: League of Masked Lady Wrestlers -- www.lagatanegra.com -- Boston's other league of women wrestlers also reherses at RCB -- and features yours truly wrestling as "Mistress Cheetah: the Mean Mistreatah" (please read with a Boston accent!)

We like to call Rock City Body "Allston's Neighborhood Pilates Studio and Fitness Community" because we go beyond just teaching Pilates to opening our doors to anyone in the community for fitness related purposes.

In addition to our regular Pilates program, which includes Pilates mat & reformer classes, private training and duets, we also offer Yoga & Balletone (a ballet workout,) classes.  We help to develop professional instructors by hosting instructor certification courses for Balletone and Fitness Resource Associates (www.FRAUSA.com), for whom we host Pilates Mat & Yoga teacher trainings, as well as continuing education classes.

Our own class schedule is supplemented by the following martial arts classes, who rent our studios for weekly classes:

* Boston Wing Tsun -- www.bostonwt.com -- this Kung Fu group teaches 3 classes a week at Rock City Body

* Gung Gee Fook Fu -- another Kung Fu group who teaches 2 classes per week at Rock City Body

We are also home to The Next Level team of competitive bodybuilders.  This group rents our studios to meet for nutritional planning and contest preparation.  As part of their contest prep, I teach them Pilates & movement classes, and choreograph their posing routines.  Next month, some Next Level team members will be offering a nutrition class to the Rock City Body community.

Over the years, we have had many bodyworkers renting our space to provide massage, reiki, etc., and currently host these bodyworkers:

* Tara Simpson offers Thai Yoga Massage

* Cher Kore of Kameleon Healing offers Aromatherapy workshops at RCB

I have owned and operated Rock City Body in the Allston neighborhood for the last 7 years.  As both a business owner and a homeowner in Allston, I am committed to giving back to the community I live and work in through the following volunteer initiatives:

* the Big Sister Association: I offer free monthly Yoga and Hula Hoop classes to Big and Little Sister pairs.  We also offer discounted prices on our classes to Big Sister volunteers.

* Allston Village Main Streets: www.allstonvillage.com  I co-chair the Promotions Committee of Allston Village Main Streets, which is a public/private partnership working to revitalize the neighborhood.  With my committee, I organize 4 fundraising events each year -- the Washington Allston Breakfast, the Rock City Prom, the Rock City Music & Style show, and the Taste of Allston -- which promote the local, independent businesses in Allston, and bring neighbors together for food and fun!

* Allston Arts District: RCB opens our doors annually to the public as part of Allston Open Studios, to highlight the dance and performance groups who call RCB home

* the Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis: In conjunction with Kameleon Healing Aromatherapy, Rock City Body hosted the first annual "Wellness Resolution" at RCB in January.  This fundraiser is a day of health & wellness services, including fitness classes, bodywork, skincare & aromatherapy consultations, healthy food and a silent auction to raise money for MS research.  Our first event was a great success -- raising $3000 -- and we are already hard at work organizing next year's Wellness Resolution.

In 2005, Rock City Body was honored by Boston's Mayor Menino as "Allston's Best Business", because of our ongoing community involvement.  The Mayor presented me with a plaque at a ceremony at City Hall.

Because of all of our community ties, Rock City Body has a much different feel than other, more commercial studios.  The friendliness & openness permeate our studios, and students welcome each other to class by name, forming friendships and professional connections which grow outside of the classroom.  People are always curious as to what is happening in the next room, and interested to know where they will see members of the RCB community around town performing, competing or volunteering.  Our monthly e-newsletter helps to foster this sense of community, and informs our members of what the various groups are up to, and the good work that RCB students and staff volunteer to do in the community.  At Rock City Body, we strive to make the benefits Pilates affordable and accessible to regular, working people, and deliberately keep our prices lower than other studios in the city.  We are rewarded for our efforts with enthusiastic & loyal students.  You can read some of the feedback our students have given us about our unique studio at www.rockcitybody.com/inspiration.htm

I hope you agree that Rock City Body is a truly unique Pilates studio, and goes way beyond Pilates to reach out to all of our neighbors interested in movement and health.  I appreciate your attention, and look forward to hearing the results of the contest.

—Ama Allara, founder, Rock City Body

Electromagnetism in Atlanta, GA
Body Awareness Studio, Atlanta's Premier Pilates studio, is the most multi-tasking Pilates studio in America!

Not only does Body Awareness offer amazing Pilates sessions, it also frequently hosts fundraisers, unique workshops, and talented bodyworkers.  Just two weeks ago, Body Awareness hosted "Pilates for Peace" a fundraiser for V-Day Atlanta and New Orlean's Metropolitan Women's Shelter.  Pilates instructors, students, and the Atlanta community all participated in this 3 hour Pilates extravaganza.  

As for unique workshops, Body Awareness is dedicated to providing excellent seminars that inspire personal growth and maintain the highest standards of fitness, health and well being for trainers and clients.  Body Awareness frequently offers Teacher Training workshops that include energy medicine, grounding techniques, and much more.  In January, Body Awareness Instructors participated in Lisa Michael's Astrology workshop on communication in order to be more effective when working with clients.  Body Awareness will continue to bring more workshops like this to the Atlanta area in 2008 through Natural Rhythms.  Other workshops that Body Awareness has hosted (or will be hosting) include:  Bob Cooley's Meridian Flexibility System Certification, Power of Awareness, Chinese Energetics Workshop to tame stress and tension, Women's Wellness Seminars, Men of Wisdom discussions of what defines "masculine", Dolphin Meditation Workshops, Energy Medicine seminars, and much more!

Body Awareness has also introduced many bodyworkers to the Atlanta community.  In April 2008, two guest healers will be at the studio offering individual sessions.  Nancy Ward, a Medical Intuitive and Nationally Certified Massage Therapist and Bodyworker, will be offering classes on holistic health.  Sherri StarrFire, a CranioSacral Therapist, will provide sessions that gently enhance the function of every system of the body. Also, Dr. Ellen Levy has helped clients relieve pain through free Electromagnatism demos.  

As the examples above show, Body Awareness Studio should be voted the most multi-tasking studio in Atlanta!  I have included some pictures and websites that demonstrate all that we do....

—Sara Sammons-Ulmer, Body Awareness Studio

Laughter in Dallas, TX
Aside from dozens of group, private and semi-private Pilates training opportunities every week, MoveStudio is a "hot & happening spot" for community dance events, concerts, workshops, charity events, wellness fairs, trunk shows, yoga, meditation and more.

Our clients & community love the eclectic variety of events and opportunities to connect with others, grow, learn and experience new things. We have so many cool events going on that we have a four-page monthly newsletter just to keep everyone up-to-date.

In the last year alone, here are some of the fun things we've done:

• Expansion launch of 2 new classrooms and a retail Boutique
• Laughter Yoga workshop with Sebastien Gendry
• Yamuna Body Rolling (R) Workshops
• McCall Body Balance (R) classes & workshops
• Art of Exotic Dancing for Everyday Women(R) classes & workshops
• Massage therapy
• Make a Difference Day" Odds 'n Ends Recycling Effort
• Chakra Meditation  and Sound Healing Workshops
• Dance Jam Community Parties
• "Muse: A Celebration of the Creative Spirit" Art Festival and Concert with Amy Steinberg
• Sacred Sounds Concerts: Tibetan Bowls,  Crystal Bowls, Didgeridoos & Flutes
• "Radiant Woman" Wellness Fair
• Special Pilates Mat classes for people with Multiple Sclerosis, in conjunction with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• Weekly Aikido, bellydance, Nia, Ecstatic Dance, Hip Hop, Dance Team Jazz, Latin dance,  ballroom dance,  Yoga, On the Ball, Dance Fusion classes and more.

It is no exaggeration when I say there is not any other place in Dallas like MoveStudio- we truly offer something for EVERY body, mind and spirit.

—Lisa Olson, MoveStudio Inc., Dallas

The Circle of Hope in Newhall, CA
I knew when I moved my studio out of my living room that I would miss watching my rabbit hop over my clients but I could have never dreamed of what our little studio would be able to accomplish.  Together, we have made an impact on a local breast cancer charity, the local food bank and even replaced a wardrobe after a robbery for a local girl.

“Hundreds for Hunger” is by far our easiest fundraiser. During the month of October, if you don’t bring in your canned foods, then everyone watches you do your Hundreds.  It’s a bribe but, Hey, It’s fun.  We also taught for over a year at our local senior center in exchange for canned goods—also for the food bank.  Replacing the wardrobe?  Even easier. It only took an email and a flier before the young lady had more clothes than they she had ever seen before, including shoes that were the right size!

Our shining star is our annual fundraiser we do for local breast cancer charity, Circle of Hope. Circle of Hope raises money for the uninsured and under-insured with breast cancer so they can continue treatment. The event began and continues in honor of our manager Cathy Raiman.

Our first year we raised $2,200 as we opened the studio up for one day to any and all who wanted a free class with 100% of donations going to The Circle of Hope. The second year, we sent out requests for sponsors; the clients rallied and donated raffle items; the community rallied with free radio and press marketing; vendors showed up in droves without being solicited and the teachers rallied with a dance performance on the Pilates equipment to culminate the day.  We raised $9,200 for the Circle of Hope last year.  

Now as Cathy faces a fourth diagnosis of breast cancer it is difficult to rally.  But I’m sure we will. Because once the word is out the clients and the community will buoy the project. They always do. And in the end we are always  "The LIttle Studio That Could" and we are here to not just earn a living but to workout, play, rejoice and when it's needed--cry with the people that touch our lives everyday at our studio. 

—Karena Lineback, Pilates Teck, Inc, Newhall, CA 91321