Melissa
Instructor
Melissa grew up being active in dance and sports. She began her Pilates practice in 2009 as a way to address back pain and become stronger overall, especially her core. She fell in love with Pilates and found that it also improves flexibility, balance and brings about a wonderful sense of well-being. In 2017, while still immersed in her career as a high school French teacher, she trained at the SweatShop in St Paul to become a STOTT® Certified Pilates instructor in Reformer and Matwork levels 1 & 2. She has been teaching Pilates in Twin Cities studios since 2018. While the Reformer is her favorite apparatus, Melissa loves teaching with various equipment and props, including the cadillac, chair, jumpboard, TRX®, fitness circle and more. She has taken Functional Anatomy and Injuries & Special Populations courses to increase her understanding of body mechanics, functional movement and injury or illness related issues. Her passion is helping people of all ages, from beginners to experienced athletes, develop stronger, more balanced and flexible musculature in order to do sports and engage in everyday activities with better performance and a reduced risk of injury.