Hi, I’m Hillary, a Pilates teacher and derivatives trader. I came to Pilates out of sheer curiosity initially, and later, through a recommendation from a physical therapist. I have since met so many others who came to Pilates this way. My physical therapist recommended I switch from doing yoga and CrossFit to Pilates and CrossFit. I hoped Pilates would be able to give me the mind-body connection that I had come to love from yoga. Fortunately, it did – through breath work and focus on body alignment. 

It wasn’t until a few years later while living on Kauai that I truly fell in love with Pilates. There, I met my instructor Kylie, who taught me more about why I was doing my exercises and where to make slight adjustments in my body to improve them. It was a game-changer. I felt like I learned more from her in the short six weeks that we got to work together than I had in the previous three or so years of private sessions before her. I became stronger and more flexible than I ever remembered feeling.

When I came back to Washington, I purchased a reformer and Kylie and I happily continued our sessions online. It was then that Kylie mentioned maybe I should think about becoming an instructor. Even if I didn’t end up teaching, I could learn so much more by going through the trainings. 

After looking into several programs, I found Balanced Body and loved the way their courses were laid out. I started with anatomy and movement principles. Mat work, reformer, and apparatus training followed. It took some time to get through the program, but I made friends along the way and found a supportive group of like-minded people focused on health and movement. In the meantime, I also became a certified Integrated Movement Specialist.

I have received so much physically, mentally, and emotionally since I started my Pilates journey and I hope to be able to pass that on to anyone willing to give it a try. Hope to see you in the studio! 

“The acquirement and enjoyment of physical well-being, mental calm, and spiritual peace are priceless to their possessors if there be any such so fortunate living among us today.”
—Joseph Pilates