Melissa Wirsig opened About Movement Pilates Studio in 1997. She has been certified to teach Pilates by Body Awareness Studio in Atlanta and Polestar Education and has also studied Pilates with Core Dynamics and Stott Pilates.
Melissa graduated from the Delman-Questel Professional Feldenkrais® Training Program in 2001 and became a certified Yamuna Body Rolling® Instructor in 2004. She was certified to teach the Gyrotonic Expansion System in July of 2009. Melissa loves working with people who are new to exercise. She is especially good at teaching body awareness; working with posture and balance; and helping those who have been released by their doctors to exercise following injury.
In 2000, Regina became a certified instructor in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning. Her certification training and teaching of the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning began in 1998 and was overseen by a devoted student of Joe and Clara Pilates, Master Teacher Romana Kryzanowska. Regina also received instruction from the gifted and knowledgeable Teacher Trainers Sari Pace and Juanita Lopez; both wonderful, insightful senior instructors of the Pilates Method. Regina has been dedicated to this philosophy of body conditioning and continues her learning processes in Pilates by taking continuing education courses to better her commitment towards her clients and to help them empower themselves.
Regina received her BFA in Dance from Adelphi University. She has performed with various dance companies in New York, Boston, and Atlanta and has taught all levels of dance from pre-school to college.
From 1985-1990, Regina was Assistant Director of the Cle Douglas Backyard Dance Theatre in Boston. She has taught and choreographed with Spelman’s Dance Extension Program and with other dance programs in Georgia, various church organizations and day care providers. She is also a proud parent of an intelligent, beautiful, and creative daughter who keeps her mom on the move.
Isabelle has lived in Atlanta since 1986 and is currently a resident of Decatur. She became a student of Pilates in 2002 in a successful effort to alleviate debilitating joint pain and muscle weakness due to Crohn's disease. She remained a loyal Pilates practitioner for five years while working as a teacher of small children and later as a manager in the health and fitness industry. As a result of her Pilates workouts and extensive research into dietary and nutritional therapy for Chrohn's disease, she recovered her strength and vitality and now considers herself healthy.
Isabelle received her 600 hour Pilates certification in 2008 from Penelope Wyer-Barrow. She has trained clients with injuries and chronic pain, including neck, back, shoulder, hip and knee problems. She trains post-partem clients, body builders, athletes, those with chronic illnesses, clients who want to lose weight and clients who want to add variety and balance to their workout regimen--she even trains her 92-year-old grandmother! Her clients have seen many benefits from their Pilates sessions, including increased strength and flexibility, pain reduction and alleviation and improved posture and weight loss.
Isabelle graduated magna cum laude from Georgia State University with a degree in English and creative writing in 2001. She spends her free time with her friends and family, especially her 12-year-old sister. She also is a committed audience member, volunteer, and nonsemble performer at Dad's Garage Theatre. She has the sweetest dog and the two most irritating cats in the world.
Lindsay Hill began practicing the classical Pilates method in 2000, attending mat class as often as five times a week. In January 2002, she decided to train under Penelope Wyer of Body Central, Inc. to become a Certified Pilates Instructor while also working toward a Master in Communications degree at Georgia State University.
Lindsay has been teaching Pilates mat classes and private sessions on a regular basis since July of 2002. She is also an ISSA certified personal trainer and enjoys combining Pilates and personal training methods to give her clients the ultimate strength workout. Lindsay is currently studying to become a board-certified holistic health counselor through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN).
Rachel Hovey teaches Pilates because she is a student of movement, dance, human anatomy and wellness. She believes in a holistic approach to exercise, valuing movement that integrates the whole body and stimulates the mind.
Rachel began taking Pilates mat classes in high school in 1995 to compliment her dance education. Rachel went on to the University of Georgia to study dance and was a member of Core Concert Dance Company, a pre-professional modern dance company. There was one reformer in the university’s dance building where she worked on alignment and centering. Rachel pursued a Pilates teacher certification in 2005 to accelerate her dance technique, flexibility and strength. Since her certification, Rachel has been teaching Pilates full-time in a variety of studio settings and at a physical therapy clinic. She believes Pilates can transform the practitioner’s body, health, posture and flexibility and is a great tool for injury prevention or rehabilitation.
Michelle grew up playing sports and now enjoys running races and training for triathlons. She began practicing Pilates in 2001 and fell in love with its mind-body connection as well as the ways that it aided her in other athletic endeavors. Michelle began teaching after receiving her first Pilates matwork certification from the PhysicalMind Institute in November 2004. Michelle became certified by Stott Pilates in Mat and Reformer at John Garey Pilates in Long Beach, CA in March 2007. She also completed her Stott Pilates coursework for the Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels at John Garey Pilates and plans to complete her certification testing for these in the near future.
Michelle loves watching her clients become stronger, more aware of their bodies, and excited about the numerous benefits Pilates offers. Michelle has a B.A. in Spanish from Davidson College and an M.A. in Hispanic Literatures from UCLA, and teaches high school Spanish. She recently moved from Pasadena, California to Decatur and is excited to be here.
Cynthia Marshall is a native of Rockford, IL. She is a certified Pilates Instructor, as well as a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She is certified and a member of several organizations including Power Pilates, Physicalmind Institute, and the Pilates Method Alliance. Her group classes focus on core stabilization and strength as well as helping the individual improve their posture, balance, and coordination. Cynthia is also qualified to instruct private pilates sessions for a more personalized workout. Cynthia's pilates training philosopy is that "No two bodies are alike. Whether you are a professional athlete or are recovering from an accident, everyone can benefit from Pilates. Everything begins and ends with a strong core. This is where I come in. I start by helping the client reconnect with their powerhouse and from there I design a workout based on the individual body to help them receive the best results."
Erin McFarling is a native of Atlanta, Georgia and went to The Paideia School. She left to attend college at the University of Pittsburgh and Graduate school at the University of Miami to become a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Erin has recently returned to Atlanta to be close to her family and works as a Pediatric Physical Therapist for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. While studying Physical Therapy in Miami she became a student of Pilates at Polestar Pilates. Erin underwent training at the Polestar studio in Miami to become a certified Pilates instructor on the mat, barrels, reformer, chair and trapeze table with a focus on rehabilitation. At Polestar she had the opportunity to work with clients with low back pain, clients with Parkinson’s Disease, elite athletes and pre/post natal care. Erin grew up playing soccer through college and never enjoyed the way the rigorous gym workouts and heavy weight lifting made her body feel. With Pilates she was able to find an approach that addressed not only the body but that challenged her mind allowing her to feel rejuvenated and refreshed after her sessions.
Combining her knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the body along with the Pilates repertoire has given her a chance to help others become more aware of their body structure, postural alignment and how to develop a balance between the mind and the body to create a positive movement experience.
Maryn considers her passion for education to be a vessel for happiness in which her students can explore the connectivity and potential of the mind, body, and spirit.
Maryn is a 2001 graduate of the University of Georgia department of Dance where she trained and performed with CORE Concert Dance Company. In the spring of 2001 Maryn formed Three Rings, a performance company that develops multimedia, avant-garde, experimental theater work. After graduating from the university, Maryn received her certification in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning from Penelope Wyer of Body Central, Inc. She has been teaching Pilates in Atlanta, Athens, and Denver since 2002. Maryn has toured the country extensively as a dancer and violinist and is a member of PickleShoes, a dance company based in Atlanta.
In 1995 Chelsea trained as a home birth midwife with the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance. When she and her husband Pierre had their first child she chose to postpone home birth midwifery practice and focus on the mothering journey.
During this time she discovered Pilates mat classes, and was impressed with the precision of the training, as it improved body awareness and sculpted longer, leaner muscles, improving posture and comfort in the body--particularly the spine. In 2000 she trained with Stott Pilates and began teaching beginning and intermediate level mat classes at a small yoga studio in Jamaica Plain, MA, the following year. Chelsea has completed the coursework for the Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels with Stott Pilates and plans to complete her certification testing for these in the near future.
Chelsea is now the proud and busy mother of four children, ages 12, 8, 3 and 6 months. They moved to Decatur in 2004 and she has been teaching Pilates at About Movement Studio and Decatur Yoga & Pilates since 2005.