Eleni Derke
Instructor
Eleni has been practicing yoga for over 30 years and as a yoga instructor she intuitively moved and repeated the yoga poses to give her students a workout. When she discovered Pilates she fell in love! She finally found an exercise modality that incorporated all the aspects of yoga, linking breath to movement, reducing stress, and improving flexibility and strength.
The genius of Pilates and all the equipment proved too hard to resist and she began the Club Pilates Teacher Training certification course almost immediately after becoming a founding member of Club Pilates Downtown Jacksonville in 2019. Eleni became certified to teach every Pilates apparatus just before the COVID closures of 2020. During that time, she was able to teach private sessions and when the studio re-opened, she began teaching classes for the studio.
Shortly thereafter, Eleni suffered a serious accident, breaking 3 ribs, puncturing and partially deflating a lung and fracturing the 1st thoracic vertebra. Luckily and with the help of a hearty Pilates practice under her belt, she fully recovered at age 60 just 3 short months after the accident. Pilates strong muscles helped maintain bone density and strength. Eleni would love for you to share her fun-loving attitude towards exercise and her creative use of our studio equipment.