About Emilie

Based in North San Diego County, I have been teaching Pilates since 2008. My Comprehensive Pilates Certification was earned after completing the 600+ hours of Romana Kryzanowska's teacher training program, Romana's Pilates® in NYC. Certified in Yamuna® Body Rolling (YBR), I also provide myofascial release services. Additionally, I completed the TRX Suspension Training course as well as Lisa Danylchuk's Yoga for Trauma (Y4T) certification course. During my years serving as Director of Continuing Education at re:AB Pilates in NYC, I was fortunate to participate in 100 hours of additional anatomy-based training.

PILATES INSTRUCTION+

I discovered the benefits of Pilates while atttempting to address and alleviate symptoms stemming from a hip labral tear, scoliosis, and anxiety. So significant were the changes I physically and mentally felt due to my regular Pilates practice I decided to pursue Pilates professionally and became an instructor. The motivations to teach being to guide people toward realizing the full extent to which they have power over their own whole-body strength and well-being, and to share the mental and physical freedom one can experience from incorporating Pilates into your fitness regime.

It was not until after many years of teaching Pilates that I realized the practice was benefiting on a deeper level: it was aiding in my recovery from being violently sexually assaulted. I unwittingly found in Pilates a way to safely reconnect with my body, unwind the armor of muscular tension I had developed over the years, and ground myself with reliable physical strength. Years of repressed suffering preceded the relief I stumbled upon in my Pilates practice. Through Pilates, I became aware of that I lost my true self in the aftermath of the assault, but Pilates also revealed that my true self was still within me and could be accessed. Heavy stuff rose to the surface simply through practicing and teaching Pilates. Of course, I am devoted.

TRAUMA-INFORMED TEACHING + CONSULTING

To gain a deeper understanding of psychological trauma and its effects, I have participated in retreats and trainings led by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk and Dr. Peter Levine, and, as mentioned, successfully completed Lisa Danylchuk's Yoga for Trauma (Y4T) certification course. I have a Master of Arts in Integrative Health Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Using my education and personal experience, I provide research-supported nervous system-informed Pilates teacher training, as well as continuing education and consulting to certified teachers. The trauma-informed training I provide puts emphasis on sexual trauma considerations. Though clients are unlikely to disclose past sexual trauma, with 1 in 5 women being sexual assault survivors, all movement teachers will, with certainty, work with this population. It is our responsibility to teach bodies that have been sexually victimized without triggering them. The connection to my body provided by my Pilates practice has physically and mentally empowered me. Yet I have taken a more than one Pilates class that triggered me. A Pilates class taught by a "Master Pilates Instructor" caused a panic attack so severe that I became physically ill before I could get out of the studio. When you teach physical movement, you are conversing directly with the nervous system. What I provide in my teaching and continuing education training, is the unspoken language of the nervous system. Balanced strength and flexibility is an only an option when there is balance in the nervous system.

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In addition to working with those with post-trauma obstacles (including PTSD and C-PTSD), I teach thosewith disc herniations, scoliosis, arthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle/ligament tears or strain, kyphosis, lordosis, digestive issues, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, dislocated joints, labrum tears, thyroid issues, tightness due to scar tissue and/or adhesions, vertigo, stenosis, sciatica, anxiety-related tension, hip dysplasia, chronic muscle cramping, multiple sclerosis, adrenal fatigue & burnout, among other conditions. I am trained to teach both pre- & post-natal women. I teach people of all ages.

I am a volunteer Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) member in North San Diego County. My undergraduate degree is from Sarah Lawrence College. Before moving to California in 2016, I spent 15 years living in New York City, where I first started teaching Pilates to survivors of sexual trauma - completely by chance at first.

Through a strong body, comes a liberated life★