We will teach you how to become a confident and creative Pilates teacher.

The 200-hour Pilates certification in Mat, Reformer and Chair is designed to give you the best education in Pilates.

Jessica’s holistic approach and x-ray vision of the body prepares students to teach to anyone at any skill level.

We go beyond most certifications and teach easy to digest, well-researched biomechanics that can be applied to any exercise form.

We help mold sophisticated trainers.

  • We teach the most important parts of anatomy in interesting and easy ways so you can teach confidently. Anatomy comes to life when can see and feel how the shapes of vertebrae are designed for specific curves of the spine and how best to use Pilates to restore ideal posture. Bones, muscles, and the fascia system are 3D structures that require the study of anatomy in movement. Most anatomy courses ask you to memorize lists; very dry. Instead, you’ll learn useful anatomy through demonstration and lecture

  • Biomechanics, or study of mechanical laws relating to movement of the body, should be able to be applied to all movement. We teach the biomechanics that that have derived from Classical Pilates. We have expanded on these principles from research and experience to give you biomechanical principles that can be applied to any form of movement, even sitting at your desk. Most Pilates certifications focus on the biomechanics of Pilates only. We believe that today people engage in multiple forms of exercise each day and need to know the most basic and advanced biomechanics that can be applied to both a squat and Snake on the Reformer.

  • Teaching large group classes which is a growing trend can be tricky when people of all ages and abilities are present. You will learn how to safely modify exercises in real time so that you give options to someone recovering from labor as well as someone training for a marathon in the same class. You will learn about common injuries and diseases of the spine, hip, neck, shoulder, knee and ankle. You will learn about the specific challenges that Special Populations like pre and post Natal clients go through and how to best support. You will learn the contraindications of each injury so you can make choices on the spot when someone in your class.

  • Building a session for a private client or group class is both a learned skill and an individual style that can inspire students and make them want to come back to your classes. We will study concepts like Theme and Threading to help you build sessions that are safe, effective, fun and engaging not only for your students but for the teacher. We believe that teaching is creative and no teacher teaches the same class. We will give you guidance that is at times very specific, for example, teacher cueing that you can practice saying, but ultimately, we believe that you are here to find your unique voice as a knowledgeable and creative teacher.

What we teach

  • Joseph Pilates, the originator of the exercise form, designed basic Principles of Pilates that emanate from the Classical Pilates system. We include the principles from his book, Contrology, in our teachings in modern ways. The principles of Breath, Concentration, Flow, Control, and Precision for example, are expanded upon for students practicing today. We believe in both preserving the original Principles of Pilates and studying the every-changing areas of research in biomechanics. This way we can teach best practices for ideal fitness levels and health. 

  • Finding ideal moving Posture has less to do with how we look, and much more to do with how we feel.  Classical Pilates promotes better posture in its original form, We couple this with research and hands on experience teaching bodies that live in a very different world than Joseph Pilates did. You will learn common postures and how to spot them so you can make your classes specifically designed to combat the heavy use of technology in our lives. You will learn how to read Posture using techniques from Physical Therapy, Tom Myers Anatomy Trains and tuning the eye to see the Biomechanics and Anatomy that you are building upon.

  • You will hear and learn in real time the best ways to cue exercises using effective visuals. We give you cues that work to move your students in healthy and fun ways.

  • We believe that everything in the body is connected. You will learn about the connective tissue called Fascia thorugh Tom Myers research in Anatomy Trains. You will learn how the breath affects fascia and posture. You will learn to feel and understand your body better when you connect to the breath and understand the mechanics of the breath and effects on the nervous system and posture.

Who You Are

  • Loves Pilates

  • Desires more joy and healthy habits in day-to-day life

  • Wants to be in community with wellness practitioners

  • Enjoys being challenged to think about the body in new ways

  • Loves to learn in depth concepts presented in easy to understand ways

  • Wants to learn how to embody Pilates

How we Teach

  • Learning in small groups allows for deeper discussions, demonstrations and connection

  • We record all our lecture series on zoom so you can watch later and use zoom if life’s emergencies pop up.

  • Unlike most Pilates Certifications that meet all weekend for 5 hour blocks. We meet for 3 hours multiple times a week.

  • Jess is available one-on-one weekly in addition to all the lectures for questions and review.

  • The quizzes and Midterm offer a change to practice what you are learning and understand where you are in your progress. Study guides are given to offer focuses on what material is important to retain.

  • We offer individualized payment plans with Salud Portland.

Barre Certification

well rounded exercises in a short amount of time

small pulsing movements

emphasis on form, alignment, and core engagement

isolated exercises while trunk is stable

repetition is high and range of motion is small

fatigueing each area of the body

Barzell Barre adds to the classic principles of Barre class including:

Barzell Barre includes…

compound exercises to increase metabolism

biomechanics of all exercises

  • Hear Jess' Tedx Talk on her journey from Ballet dance to Pilates instruction