Amy Bruckmeier - Certified Pilates Teacher
Amy Bruckmeier, owner of THE PILATES STUDIO, is a certified Pilates teacher, rehabilitation specialist, educator and creator of weekly home programs for her clients. She received her formal training from Ellie Herman at EHS San Francisco, and later received a second full certification through Balanced Body University. Amy assisted Master Teacher Lisa Graham at Agile Monkey Pilates Studio in Santa Cruz in the Balanced Body Teacher Certification Program (teaching the complete Pilates repertoire to prospective teachers) in 2008, and again in 2009. She has also trained in muscle/joint rehabilitation with Lizz Roman and Marie-Jose Blom, as well as completed additional study of prenatal/post partum exercise protocols with Core Conditioning. Always eager to learn more about the body, Amy is currently studying assisted muscle activation and strengthening techniques with Giles Gamble, certified as a practitioner and teacher of the Hendrickson Method of Manual Release Therapy, and studying Pilates Training For Athletes with Joerg Chabowski, ACSM.
Amy believes in the body's ability to heal itself, given the proper training. She has written hundreds of home programs; programs that she designs specifically for each client so that her clients can continue their Pilates work in between sessions by doing a custom program at home. Currently Amy is the Rehabilitation Specialist at the Hendrickson Clinic in Kensington, CA. She has had success using Pilates to rehabilitate clients with lumbar disc degeneration, chronic back pain, rotator cuff injury, frozen shoulder and postural imbalances as well as created effective Pilates programs for prenatal and postpartum clients. Amy gave birth to her first child in June 2005 and did Pilates almost everyday up to delivery. She credits her quick recovery after the birth to her prenatal and postpartum Pilates programs.
Amy's client base is varied; currently her oldest client is 80 and at least a third of her clients are men. She works with mothers through all phases of their pregnancies. She is proud that this varied clientele maintains a growing interest and trust in the Pilates method.
Amy has a background in competitive gymnastics, dance, cycling and swimming. When she trained as a gymnast, she trained four hours a day for six years. Through good coaching, hard work and dedication, she not only attained her own personal best but also found deep satisfaction in movement and health. She still retains a disciplined and enthusiastic approach to exercise and the Pilates method.
Amy knows that with work and dedication each person can achieve better overall health and well-being, and this inspires all of her clients and colleagues. Amy finds time to do Pilates herself at least four times a week, and always feels rejuvenated and refreshed after her sessions.
Sandy Endo - Apprentice Pilates Teacher
My path to Pilates began following a bout of sciatica ending many years as a happy runner. Following the birth of two kids, I found instability in my body which wreaked havoc with my athletic pursuits and activities of daily life. A close friend suggested Pilates.
Pilates increased my awareness of proper alignment as it applies to effective and safe body movement. I began re-training my body to move in a way that encourages the body to work in an integrated fashion, not isolating one muscle group at a time as in traditional fitness regimens. I started to feel better, look taller and I stopped slouching in my chair!
In 2005 I became a nationally certified Personal Trainer. As my understanding and appreciation for Pilates grew, the principles of Pilates became a constant thread in the work I did with every client.
I am currently completing my Pilates certification at Turning Point Studio in Walnut Creek, CA. I feel privileged to be learning in an environment where each of the 3 senior instructors have over 10 years experience teaching Pilates for rehabilitation, athletic enhancement and injury prevention. I have been teaching group mat Pilates since 2007 and have been instructing individuals since 2006.
My greatest joy is seeing students discover the strength and flexibility that lies within them. Whatever your level of experience or ability, our sessions will help improve your athletic performance, help you feel better or just get you in shape. And just a warning, I love to laugh – there will always be a sense of humor in our sessions!
You can learn more about me at www.sandyendo.com
Suzanne Breese Ryan - Apprentice Pilates Teacher
Suzanne B. Ryan welcomes you to join her in exploring the wonders of a
method of exercise created by Joseph H. Pilates. In her sessions, she shares the logic of the movements, working with you to achieve a flow from the traditional repertoire. This mind-body discipline includes modifications and props to tailor the training and accommodate a variety of body needs. Suzanne likes to vary the exercises, but follows the basic building blocks of flexion, extension, side work, and strength work. She wants you to have fun and learn as you develop muscle tone, balance, and a generalized sense of well-being.
Suzanne grew up in Vermont in a very athletic household that embraced a diversity of exercise: She loved ballet (even with pigeon-toed feet), the rush of skiing down a snow-covered mountain, the whack of a field hockey ball, and the adrenalin of competitive swimming. Her parents’ household was also very academic: Suzanne earned a Ph.D. in political science at the University of Chicago, after a liberal arts education that included some dance theory, Japanese studies and politics.
Life intervenes, and Berkeley becomes her home—one that includes a professorial spouse, two girls, dogs and a very old bird. Thanks to the urging of her Atlanta-based sister and a well-timed New Year’s resolution, Suzanne discovered Pilates in her mid-forties. From her first “Hundred”, she loved it (although she was initially mystified by Pilates breathing). Suzanne “went after” Pilates in the manner of an academic: She attended classes (lots of them), asked questions, gathered materials, sampled different instructor’s work, read extensively, practiced, and sought out individualized tutoring.
Suzanne began an intensive study of the Pilates mat repertoire with Amy Bruckmeier
and Jennifer Moulton of Studio 74 Pilates. Similar to the first generation of Pilates
learners, Suzanne became Jennifer’s formal apprentice when she began a one-on-one course of study that included anatomy, mat technique & repertoire. Certified in the Mat Practice & General Principles of Pilates in Spring 2007, she began regularly teaching Pilates mat classes at the Berkeley Ballet Theatre and the Downtown Berkeley YMCA. In August 2009, Suzanne completed her complete Pilates Teacher Training program. She trained under Lisa Graham of Agile Monkey in Santa Cruz and Amy Bruckmeier, who follow a program from a leader in the industry, Balanced Body. Pilates is a life-long educational process—like a liberal arts education.
During Suzanne’s sessions, you will learn through dynamic action the main principles of Pilates: breath, control, precision, opposition, flow of movement, centering, and stability. With these principles and regular practice, the restoration of the body to a place of balance is achievable: gain healthy postural alignment (banish slouching), strengthen the core (think abs), relieve overworked muscles (ahhh), refine spinal mobility and embrace a generalized sense of well-being (feel good). Please join her in creating your own Pilates adventure.