Welcome.
I'm so glad you're here.
My name is Jessica and I offer private, equipment-based Pilates instruction in West Asheville, North Carolina, as well as online. Under the umbrella of Pilates my work integrates a wide range of somatic practices, all geared toward helping you feel strong, centered, and vital. I love working with new and expecting mamas, elite-level athletes, exercise illiterates, dancers, carpenters, those working with chronic pain, those rehabilitating from injury or surgery, and those who just need to slow down and get centered. My practice is fat-friendly and gender non-conforming friendly. Families and those needing financial assistance are also welcome. Talk to me about your specific needs!
ABOUT ME
"I'm here to help. My joy comes in supporting you to meet your movement goals, whether related to healing, injury rehabilitation, fitness, sports-specific training, or general wellbeing."
ABOUT JESSICA
I was introduced to Pilates in my late 20s after years of recurring, dance-related back pain. My body responded so well to the work that I immediately enrolled in a teacher training. One week into that training I crashed my bike and slipped a disc - learning to teach Pilates while injured was an enormous, though painful, gift that has greatly impacted my work with clients and approach to injury rehabilitation.
I have been teaching since 2006, including 5 years running a small somatic arts space in Oakland. I am grateful to have trained and later worked with Nora St. Jean and Naomi Leiserson at Turning Point Studios. Their skillful transmission of the Dance Medicine lineage, coupled with the years I spent working in a chiropractic clinic supporting clients during acute injury, were foundational to my teaching.
I have additional certifications in Pilates for Scoliosis from Karen Clippinger and Perinatal Pilates from Stephanie Forster, and an MFA in Dance from CU Boulder.
My approach to Pilates is non-traditional, incorporating my studies in a wide range of somatic modalities (Axis Syllabus, Alexander Technique, Fascial Movement Training, the Franklin Method, Yamuna Body Rolling, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Feldenkrais Method, hatha yoga, Hanna Somatics, Body Mind Centering and neurology, to name a few - I am a perpetual student.) And I am constantly sourcing the body wisdom gained from years of dance training.
Outside the Pilates studio, I am also a grain-free baking aficionado, independent dance artist, mama, and yogini. I look forward to our work together!
Ways to Work With Me
Private Pilates Instruction
West Asheville
Enjoy a peaceful one-to-one movement session in my dedicated home Pilates studio. Located in West Asheville, just up the hill from the River Arts District, we will work out on the Pilates Reformer, the Trapeze Table, the Chair, and an endless assortment of props.
Pricing:
Individual Session $110
5-Session Package $450
10-Session Package $850
All sessions are 55 minutes.
Join from anywhere - Virtual Pilates Mat
I offer three weekly virtual classes to keep you moving no matter where you are in the world. Click on the class links below to join class. All you need is a yoga mat and a body (with the exception of Pilates on the Roll, which also requires a 36" foam roller.)
The foam roller is my favorite Pilates prop - it adds challenge, and variety to the Pilates repertoire, and can even mimic a Pilates reformer. This playful class incorporates fun stability and mobility challenges while adding myofascial release to your workout, with the added benefit of increased proprioception (knowledge of where your body is in space). Pilates on the Roll serves up a delicious, fine-tuning movement experience that will leave you feeling longer, stronger, looser, and more integrated. All levels welcome.
(You will need a 36" foam roller.)
Pilates on the Roll is self-hosted. The link above will take you directly to our Zoom classroom.
Suggested donation of $15-30 is payable by Venmo or PayPal.
This open-level, one-hour class is appropriate for healthy bodies of all ages and movement backgrounds. Modeled after vinyasa style yoga classes, All Bodies Flow includes flowing sequences that get our breath moving and our hearts pumping, always emphasizing mindfulness and efficiency in the movement. Please note that this class includes flowing sequences that require weight-bearing through the arms. All Bodies Flow is welcoming to all and designed to provide a safe and nourishing full-body workout.
All Bodies Flow is offered through Shawl Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley - the link above will take you to their site where you will be asked to create an account before signing up.
Drop-in $16. Class cards available.
All Bodies Pilates offers a slower, more mindful movement practice where we get to drop in and attend to specific movement patterns and areas of body research. We will tend to our structure from head to toe, with special attention to the breath and functional movement patterns. As we explore various somatic modalities you can expect to move in new and nuanced ways, attending to both the large and small bits. Some modifications are available for injury - let me know your needs at the beginning of class!
All Bodies Pilates is offered through Shawl Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley - the link above will take you to their site where you will be
asked to create an account before signing up.
Drop-in $16. Class cards available.
TESTIMONIALS
What My Clients Say
Jessica is the most gifted pilates teacher I have ever worked with. She has an exceptional understanding of anatomy and body mechanics, and never loses sight of how specific exercises relate to the body as a whole. She is skilled at problem solving around injuries and working to recover injured areas, and also has keen insight into underlying imbalances that may be contributing to more acute issues. My favorite thing about her teaching is the clear and creative imagery she uses to describe movements. Under her instruction I feel and understand my muscular actions and skeletal structures so profoundly. I've tried repeating phrases she has used in class to myself at home, but it's never the same!
Juliana
Dancer & Yogi
Oakland, CA
Jessica is the most talented, body aware instructor I have ever met. I have owned a wellness center, have hired practitioners and I also do injury prevention and health coaching for a living. I am envious of Jessica's depth of knowledge and skillful application of that knowledge. There is a science that can be taught to addressing injuries and strain in the body, but the really gifted instructors take the science, infuse it with awareness and instinct, and take it to a whole other level - this is Jessica. I am grateful to have found her!
Virginia
Injury Prevention & Health Coach
Santa Cruz, CA
I was new to Pilates when I started taking Jessica’s group class. As an older active woman I was interested in building strength, improving balance and trying something new. I had been doing yoga for about 6 years but was drawn to Jessica’s class because many of my yoga friends raved so highly about her and her class. I took the plunge and only wish I did it sooner. I feel stronger, have improved balance, understand my body in a more functional, intimate way and, while challenging, it’s extremely joyful. Jessica’s teaching style is very welcoming, thoughtful and embraces her students specific needs. As a nurse, I’m appreciative of her thorough knowledge of anatomy and her attention to our mind/body cohesiveness and its importance to our wellbeing. I look forward to class and feel wonderful after each one.
Robin
Retired Nurse
Berkeley, CA
