(Level 2) Hand weights and a variety of other fitness equipment is used to tone and firm the entire body. This class will focus on major muscles groups such as the arms, back, chest, legs, buttocks, and abdominals. This class is suitable for all levels with modifications offered.

(Level 1) Core and More is designed to dynamically improve posture and breathing. Exercises are designed to access the intrinsic muscles that support, strengthen, and stabilize areas such as the spine, shoulder girdle, low back, pelvis, and hips. This class uses hand weights, Pilates rings, straps, bands, and your own body weight to improve muscular endurance, balance, and flexibility. Core and More is never the same class twice and promises to be a challenging, exciting, and rewarding exploration of embodiment. Core and More welcomes all fitness levels and is mostly taught on the floor.

(Level 1 & 2) This slow flow yoga class focuses on breath expansion/depletion as the complement to muscle elongation/release. It encourages and facilitates attention to our inner state, which constructs our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being.  Flows will incorporate standing and revolved postures, balance, twists, forward bends, light backbends and level 1 inversions, finishing with deep relaxation in Savasana. Students will learn to modify postures to fit their individual needs and goals.

(Level 1 & 2) Join Marie or Victoria for yoga flow bringing union of body, mind and soul. Experience both Marie’s meditative flow keyed to breath and poses, and Victoria’s subtly vigorous yoga movement and body awareness practices.

Joseph Pilates developed these exercises in the 1920s for injured, bedridden WWI soldiers to increase their strength. He then used his practice to help recover injured ballerinas who needed a way to keep their dancer form. Pilates is now used as a low-impact exercise that builds strength, tones the muscles and improves balance. This class helps embody the “powerhouse”; a Pilates term that refers to your abdominals, lower back muscles, pelvic floor, hips and glutes. Through a series of floor exercises using resistance bands, light hand weights, and rings, this class helps build, sculpt and tone these muscles. This mat class is a great choice for all fitness levels because the exercises can build in difficulty yet be modified to decrease or increase the level of challenge.

Studio Calendar

Melissa has over 30 years of experience developing and teaching fitness programs. She started teaching in 1989 and has in her repertoire certifications in step, group fitness, kickboxing, indoor cycling, mat Pilates, yoga, bodysculpt, and personal training. She has also consulted on fitness programs in both France and Turkey and was a key contributor to establishing fitness standards for the US Air Force. Melissa believes the key to long term quality fitness is to explore a variety of challenging modalities that are enjoyable, safe, and bring a sense of awareness, accomplishment and well-being. Melissa is also a Certified Rolfer™ (a type of bodywork that manipulates fascia to align the joints in gravity over time).

Marie earned her teaching certification in 2010 and holds an RYT 500 certification from Yoga Alliance; and a children’s yoga certificate from Bright Yogis. She teaches yoga with empathy and humor, and loves to see her students open up to the grace, ease, thrill and wonder of expanded physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. She weaves multiple yoga emphases into each class, from the Iyengar, hatha, vinyasa, and kundalini yoga traditions.

Victoria has a unique approach to guiding physical movement. She progressively adapts movement to the individual to increase body awareness connecting to stability throughout the body. Victoria started teaching movement classes in 1998. Her background begins with dance, choreography, meditation, many styles of yoga, Pilates, and Thai yoga massage. Victoria has extensive training in energy healing, rhythmic movement technique and other modalities such as Alexander, Feldenkrais, and Gyrotonics. In 2019 she began work with Madeline Black learning gait patterning and from Karina Thek understanding movement for people with scoliosis. Victoria holds multiple Pilates certifications, and is registered with yoga alliance as E-RYT 200 RYT 500 YACEP.

Sandie is a certified Yoga instructor (RYT200) with training specific to the lineage of BKS. Iyengar and in supported yoga embracing the use of props. Sandie has other yoga certifications meeting Yoga Alliance standards including (1) Restorative Yoga: The Art of Salamba from Living Now Yoga, (2)Yoga for Cancer  (Y4C), and (3) Bright Yogis which is a certification to teach yoga to children as young as five years old. She hopes to blend the knowledge and experience she has through these certifications and previous teaching experience in order to offer yoga as mindful supported movement and at times total stillness to support the nervous system through restorative yoga and a splash of poetry.

Katie’s approach to training is rooted in her desire to help people continue the activities they love while avoiding pain and injury through intentional training. Katie has worked as an Athletic Trainer, Personal Trainer, Spinning Instructor, Running/Triathlon Coach, along with teaching Personal Fitness Trainer Certifications for AFAA across the East Coast since 2002. She has a variety of certifications through agencies including NATABOC and UESCA as well as extensive training in injury prevention, pregnancy, and postpartum fitness, as well as training specific to women and menopause. She uses the knowledge and training to help create classes that help meet class members where they are and work toward their individual goals.