© 2008 Mind Full PILATES and YOGA. All Rights Reserved. Photography courtesy of Peak Pilates.
Quality instructor education is a top priority in our studio. The studio maintains the highest standards in teacher training that are available in the industry. Rest assured that when you practice at Mind Full PILATES and YOGA you are receiving specialized instruction from certified Pilates and yoga professionals who also maintain CPR and AED certifications.
Presently, there are training organizations which are taking advantage of the "Pilates and Yoga boom" and offering weekend workshops that claim to certify instructors. A comprehensive Pilates Instructor will have completed a minimum of 600 hours of specialized training. Be aware... Always ask about your instructor's training and experience.
Erin began her Pilates training in California in 2001. Her educational path began with training in the Stott Method of Pilates, mat and apparatus, and has progressed to date with classical Pilates mat certification through Power Pilates in New York City. Erin's personal practice is truly a combination of East and West Coast Pilates! Erin's background includes dance and various sports, specifically swimming. She has seen the life long benefits of consistent Pilates practice through her own rehabilitation of a back injury. Erin strongly believes that the Pilates Method is for all human bodies whether they are conditioned athletes or those simply looking for improved functional movement.
She emphasizes flexibility, core strength and increased body awareness in all her Pilates programming.
Jennifer's love for fitness has been with her all her life! After earning her BS in Legal Studies and a short tour in the United States Navy, she married her husband Dave and had two beautiful boys. Stationed in Topsham, Maine, she earned her ACE Personal Trainer Certificaiton and became head personal trainer for a local gym where she developed and implemented its in-house personal training program. Her love for learning led her to pursuing the ACE Lifestyle and Weight Management Certification. Around this time the Pilates buzz was in the air! Her client's kept asking her what this Pilates Craze was all about...so Jennifer began taking workshops and trainings through the PhysicalMind Institute to find out...Soon her family transferred to the Binghamton area and she began teaching and training at the local YMCA's and was responsible for developing and implementing its personal training programs. She continued studying Pilates at weekend workshops and also obtained her AFAA Group Exercise certification. Incorporating Pilates principles and choreography into her body sculpting classes and client sessions made Jennifer realize she wanted to specialize in the method. She received her comprehensive Pilates certification from Peak Pilates and began private instruction in the homes of clients prior to opening her studio, Pilates Plus, in 2006. With the practice of Pilates continuing to be one of the fastest growing exercise methods she soon knew she wanted to be part of a strong team of instructors with the ability to expand studio services and offerings. In 2008 she helped launch Mind Full Pilates and Yoga and is very happy to be on the the senior teaching team!
Court Jester Athletic Club West
Mind Full PILATES and YOGA Studio
216 Reynolds Rd
Johnson City, NY 13790
607.729.3332 ext 108
Kathy has built an impressive amount of credentials over the years. While at BU she developed several certification courses which allowed many area instructors to receive their first trainings in the fitness industry. Kathy got the Pilates bug in 2000 taking AFAA Mat Science, became a Certified Mat Instructor through Physical Mind, and trained in the Stott Method of Pilates for over 4 years. In 2008 she became a Golf Conditioning Specialist and developed “Pilates for Golf” which is offered at the studio seasonally. Teaching apparatus at the studio since June 2008, she finished the last hurdle to Comprehensive Certification in January 2010. Kathy is an avid downhill skier and former PSIA ski instructor. Summer brings favorite sports of kayaking and hiking as well as the goal to see every National Park with husband, Venley. Current tally is 21 out of 54.
Credentials:
Comprehensively Certified from Peak Pilates
Physical Mind Institute certified: Initiation 101 (Classical Mat Work), Initiation 201
(Standing Pilates), Osteoporosis, Gait, Specialty in Pilates and Golf
Specializes in Yin/Yang yoga
BS Chemistry/Pre-med Allegheny College MASS from Binghamton University
Adjunct Lecturer at Binghamton University for 3 courses: PLAY (Pilates and Yoga),
PLAY Station 2, and Integrated Balance for Sports Performance
AFAA Certification Specialist, Resist-A-Ball Master Instructor, BOSU Master
Instructor
Kathy McGregor
Jennifer Youngs
Erin DiRado
Romina Stanton
Romina, a mother of four children, has recently received her Level I Power Pilates Mat Certification and her personal trainer certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She has spent the last year dedicated to her personal Pilates practice and began apprenticing in the studio in the fall of 2009. She is headed to NYC in March 2010 to obtain her classical mat certificaiton from Power Pilates. She truly enjoys physical fitness and helping others achieve their fitness goals. She believes that practicing Pilates is a very important part of reaching those goals! She is very excited to continue her education in the method Pilates and to share her passion for teaching.
Heather's love of a challenge drove her initiation into classical studio Pilates after the birth of her second child. She used Pilates as a means to regain her “pre-baby” body as well as to improve her horseback riding seat. Heather is a competitive Hunter/Equitation rider and trainer. Heather’s “day job” is to work as a 6th grade Math teacher for Maine-Endwell Middle School having received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Alfred University and her Masters degree in Special Education from Binghamton University. She has been a teacher in the Maine-Endwell school district since 2001. Along the journey of personal improvement, Heather fell in love with the Pilates philosophy and methodology, thus decided to pursue certification. In November 2009 Heather took AFAA Practical Pilates and in January of 2010, she earned Level I Mat Certification through Power Pilates. She is being mentored by Kathy McGregor, Comprehensively Certified, through an informal, in-house training program. She has been taking Pilates System, reformer, tower, chair, jump board, and mat classes at Mind Full Pilates and Yoga since March 2009. Heather’s Pilates path has just begun as she strives to improve her knowledge, personal practice, and teaching skills!
Comprehensively Certified
This certification requires over 500 hours of classroom work, personal practice and teaching hours in order to take the exam. Along the way have been three written exams (one for each level), three practical exams (one for each level) on personal practice and teaching ability for over 500 exercises on 12 pieces of apparatus, and one final comprehensive exam on the entire repertoire. The instructor knows how to use all Pilates apparatus: Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, High Chair, Ladder Barrel, Spine Corrector, Arc barrels, Foot Corrector, Ped-O-Pull, Power Circle, and Sand Bag. It is similar to getting a Masters.
Professionally Certified
This certification refers to an instructor who is certified in all three Levels in the following or most commonly used apparatus: Mat, Reformer, Cadillac or ½ Tower and Power Circle.
Certified
A Certified Instructor has completed classroom work, required personal practice and teaching hours, and passed a practical exam for personal practice and teaching as well as a written exam. There are 2 different avenues: 1) Mat; and 2) Apparatus. Each avenue has three Levels: 1) Introductory & Beginner or Level I; 2) Intermediate or Level II; 3) Advanced or Level III. Some certifying agencies combine avenues so they are pursued concurrently while others have certifications for each piece of apparatus. There are over 12 different pieces of apparatus to learn with over 500 exercises. For example: an instructor can apprentice in Reformer Level I while holding a Mat Level III Certification.
Apprentice
An apprentice instructor is studying to become a certified instructor. The apprentice can teach Introductory and Beginner level classes before and while they are attending classroom instruction, performing personal practice and documenting teaching hours that are required for certification. Here at Mind Full Pilates, we have an in-house training program where apprentice instructors can observe and shadow teach with Comprehensively Certified instructors, who mentor and help the apprentice along the way.
DEFINING PILATES CERTIFICATION
Heather Pufky
Changing bodies one breath at a time
