the Pilates Fitness Method
- The Pilates Fitness Studio is a fully equipped classical pilates studio faithfully following the method perfected by Joseph Pilates. Using specially designed apparatus, our exercises combine proper breathing techniques, flexibility, strength and stamina training into a precise mind body workout.
Training Options
Private Training
Private Apparatus Training: one-on-one with your trainer
Full 50 Minute Session
Single Session: $75
10 Session Package: $700
30 Minute Session
Single Session $60
Discounted Packages must be used within 90 days of purchase.
Sessions are charged in full if not cancelled with at least 24 hours notice unless rescheduled for the same week.
Duet/Trio Training
Duet Apparatus Training
50 Minute Session: $60 per person
Trio Mat Session: $35 per person
Pilates Fitness does not organize or match clients for duet and trio sessions. Grab a friend or family member and make a booking.
Sessions are charged in full if not cancelled with at least 24 hours notice unless rescheduled for the same week.
Meet your Instructor
Pam England, MFA, CPT, 2nd Generation Pilates Instructor
Pam England, owner of The Pilates Fitness Studio, has been teaching Pilates for over 20 years. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Arizona State University, is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and is a 2nd Generation Classical Pilates Instructor*, certified in 1999 by Master Pilates Elder Romana Kryzanowska and The Pilates Guild of New York. (*Lineage designation: 2nd Generation instructors have completed comprehensive in person training with a 1st Generation Pilates Elder. 1st Generation Elders trained directly with Joseph Pilates.)
My first introduction to Pilates was after a dance injury I suffered in the 1990's. I was in a physical therapy session for an overuse injury to my hip when I noticed a Pilates reformer in the corner of the room. I'd heard about Pilates through my dance training but had been too busy dancing to give it much thought. Now I had a reason to and thought that if the physical therapist found it useful, there must be something to it. I called The Pilates Studio in New York City and found the closest studio was in D.C. So off I went to try.
I was hooked from the first lesson. It felt like dancing: challenging, flowing, concentrated motion. I knew I wanted to study it, and I knew I was destined to teach it. Here was a method that would let me share my love for the art of movement - not just by having others passively watch it, but by experiencing it physically for themselves. It still gives me a great thrill when a new client starts working and I watch their face light up just as mine did. They get it! They feel it! They're dancing!
Well, not really, of course, because one is an art form meant to be on display and the other is not. But there is an art to it, and the qualities of movement are very similar. Centering in dance creates balance and a beautiful aesthetic. So it does in Pilates, but with a goal of creating balanced strength. Control in both creates flowing movement, but the intent in Pilates is to resist the effects of gravity and gain power.
Once I decided I wanted to become a trainer, I decided I also wanted to go to the source or as close as I could get. That was Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates' protege. I quit my job, sold my car and moved to New York City to train with her full time. It was a life changing experience. I trained 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. I met amazing people from all over the world who had come to do the same as I. I worked with the best trainers in the country. My body changed shape. I never felt so strong in my life - physically and mentally. The work was hard but there was always joy in it. Romana would laugh with us as we tried to meet her next seemingly impossible challenge. It is that joy and passion that I've tried to keep with me and duplicate in my own studio.
Pilates is a demanding practice, but it is user friendly by design. Its movements are safe. They build strength progressively, in a way that builds confidence in one's ability. It moves the breath and circulates the blood, creating peace and relaxation in the mind and body. It builds stamina and lengthens the muscles so that one wears their body like comfortable clothes. This is how movement feels to me as a dancer. Once you feel these effects, it's addictive. My mission is to share this empowering addiction with others so that they, too, can move with joy.
