About
Lori McNeil, Certified Pilates Instructor
(Studio Owner)
Lori has been teaching Pilates since 2007. She was first exposed to Pilates as an alternative to a standard “gym” workout. She considered teaching but it was not until her Pilates instructor was no longer able to teach that she decided to get certified in an effort to continue his work; changing the bodies and lives of the people fortunate enough to have been exposed to its benefits. While pursuing her BASI (Body Arts & Science International) certification, she taught on a part time basis as a second job for several years and was amazed by how Pilates could not only create a fit body, but a pain free body.
In 2009 Lori was in a motorcycle accident, leaving her unable to walk for 5 months. Once she was able to walk again, she decided to make Pilates her career path. She experienced firsthand, how her previous Pilates work contributed to her recovery. She knew that Pilates would be a part of her everyday life, forever. Lori wanted to share with others, her education, experience and compassion for injuries, aches, pains and general desire to live a “Free” existence; moving and living a pain free and fit life.
Lori has had the wonderful opportunity to work with some of the best mentors and teacher trainers in the field of Pilates and by becoming a studio owner she is at a point where her time can now be spent honing her skills in order to better the experience for her clients.
“By becoming an independent studio owner, I have more freedom to network with other studios, studio owners and explore other teaching styles without being bound by the rules and regulations that can come with being an employee. I have the freedom to grow and learn from others in my field. Please join me in changing your mind and your body.”
Ricki Fortuna
Certified Pilates Instructor
Bio Coming Soon!
Heidi Stark
Certified Pilates Instructor
Bio Coming Soon!
Courtney Bulis
Certified Pilates Instructor
Bio Coming Soon!
Danica Sawtelle
Licensed Massage Therapist
You can find me working, on site at Hard Candy Pilates LLC- Gig Harbor Wa
A graduate of Alexandar School of Natural Therapeutics, I have been practicing massage since 2015. I am a member of the AMTA Washington Sports Massage Team and certified in multiple modalities including Trigger Point and Structural Integration therapies.
Not long after my mother died of cancer, I became interested in learning about integrated approaches to healing, realizing that medicine was much more than I had originally been exposed to. After nearly 12 years in the medical industry, I decided it was time to get “hands-on” with massage therapy and nutritional studies.
Originally from New York State, my service in the US Navy brought me to Washington nearly two decades ago. I am an active member of my community, volunteering with Tacoma’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), as well as Friend-to-Friend America. I enjoy running, hiking and being outdoors, recently completing the Las Vegas Rock n’ Roll half-marathon with my husband. I am also a proud mother of two wonderful sons and two energetic dogs.
Book Danica Now
Joseph Pilates
Born in a small town near Dusseldorf, Germany in 1880, Joseph Pilates was a small and sickly child. At an early age, Joe was given an anatomy book by a family doctor and this began his study of the human body. Using movement of his own body to learn and memorize every page of the book, by 14 he was modeling for anatomy books himself. His father a gymnast and his mother a naturopath, Joe later became a skilled boxer, gymnast, circus performer, skier and diver; he also practiced yoga and Zen meditation.
Through his own physical transformation, Joe came to realize the simple truth that Movement heals. During WWI, Joe was interned in a camp for German nationals as an “enemy alien.” This is where he began to develop his system of original exercises that he later called ‘Contrology.’ He attached springs to hospital beds, allowing bedridden patients to move against resistance, which later led to the design of the equipment used today.
In 1918, a virus outbreak occurred, leaving thousands of people dead, expect for Joe’s trainees. This Joe claimed, testified to the benefits of his work. Returning to Germany after the war ended, Joe trained military police and worked with personal clients. He left Germany and moved to New York and met his wife Clara. In 1926, they opened a fitness gym next to New York City Ballet. ‘Contrology’ – today known simply as Pilates – soon became a staple for dancers, used to strengthen, balance and rehabilitate them.
Clara and Uncle Joe, as he lovingly came to be known, continued their training of both dancers and pedestrians for decades. Joe trained clients until he died at age
87. Clara continued to teach and run the studio until her death 10 years later. Hollywood celebrities discovered Pilates in the 70s, and the Pilates boom began. The media started to follow Pilates around 1980, and soon the West Cost was on the Pilates ride.
“I’m fifty years ahead of my time.” Joe claimed. Today proves him right! Pilates continues to evolve with society, millions of people practice, simply put Pilates is… Movement for Life. Benefits of Pilates Improves Posture and Flexibility Increase Balance and Energy Tones and Strengthens Reduces Stress Facilitates optimal function of internal organs Increase lateral rotation and flexion (twisting or bending at waist) Reshape and Elongate muscles Prevent Injury (golf, walking, running, daily life), Build stamina, Live pain free, Burn fat, Firm your thighs, lift your seat, and flatten your abs!
Pilates seeks to develop an equal balance of the abs and low back musculature in order to build strength, flexibility, and muscle tone. Movement in one direction is lengthened and controlled into the next, while oppositional muscles stabilize. This allows Pilates to lengthen and strengthen muscles simultaneously. Helping to create an energized, pain-free, flexible and strong body. Mind/ body connection during Pilates is as lucrative as physical discipline. When a mind – muscle connection to the body is made during an exercise the client learns that this connection, along with precision and control during a movement, leads the body to a whole new adventure. Pilates is a way of life. “A few well designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of doing calisthenics or forced contortion.”