Stephanie Forster

Stephanie Forster is the founder of Preggo Pilates and the Director of Pre and Postnatal Education at EHS Pilates in San Francisco. She brings over 20 years experience as a Pilates practitioner, dancer, body worker, anatomy and yoga student and choreographer to her teaching, which is infused with irreverence and humor. Her first hand knowledge of pregnancy, birth and Mamahood and deep connection to the local birthing community make her a natural at serving pre and postnatal women. Stephanie is a qualified teacher of the Tupler Technique, and has studied a variety of modalities for healing diastasis recti (split abdominals) and a founding member of the Mamas Resource Network, an eclectic Bay Area network of professionals who serve, support and educate pregnant and postpartum women and their families. She has an M.F.A. in Dance Performance and Choreography from Mills College and has been a dance faculty member of the Rhythm and Motion Dance Program since 2000. When she is not busy in a Pilates or dance studio you can find her chasing after her two young children.

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Moana Luna

“Change happens through movement, and movement heals.” — Joseph Pilates Moana began exercising to battle stress while attending graduate school at SFSU. After graduating with a degree in counseling, she worked in the mental health field and continued to practice yoga, boxing, weight training, and Pilates. She completed the Pilates Teacher Training Program with Ellie Herman in 2007. Relevant training and continuing education includes Buff Bones® Instructor Training; ACE personal training certification;Foot and Gait Therapy Mentorship Program with Nancy Myers; CoreAlign Teacher Training; Balanced Body University (BBU); Pilates Rehabilitation Intensive with Lizz Roman; Preggo Pilates Workshops with Stephanie Forster; Pelvic Power seminar with Eric Franklin; Exercise as a Cure for Anxiety & Depression Seminar (Orinda College); and ACE Personal Training Certification. She enjoys working with a diverse group of clients and providing a fun total body workout that incorporates Pilates principles such as coordination, concentration, and alignment. She is especially interested in the positive impact of exercise on her clients’ mental and emotional well-being.

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Monique Convertito

Monique teaches Pilates with special attention to Foot & Gait, focusing on the importance of correct form and body awareness. Using simple and functional daily movement techniques, Monique has helped many of her clients rehabilitate from hip, knee and foot surgeries. Intrigued by the appearance of the Pilates machines on a morning jog back in 2005, Monique signed up for her first Pilates class with the hope of overcoming shoulder pain and weight gain from her “sit-down” job as a magazine Art Director. After a decade of classes, practice, and study, Monique celebrated becoming a Balanced Body certified Pilates trainer in 2015. In 2020, Monique became a Faculty Member at EHS Pilates in San Francisco , as well as a certified Balanced Body Master Trainer for the CoreAlign. In 2021, she was accepted into the Balanced Body Comprehensive Master Training Program. Monique currently teaches at EHS Pilates in San Francisco, as well as at out of her private home studio. She continues to study and assist Nancy Myers’ Foot & Gait Program and looks forward to teaching with Nancy in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in Spring 2022.  

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Amy Terhar

From a young age, Amy was always interested in movement. She was a gymnast, a dancer, and an equestrian. After moving to San Francisco, she found the Circus School and fell in love with the static trapeze but her dreams of joining the circus were cut short after a car accident in 2002. Happily however, she was introduced to Pilates which helped her heal and provided not only the strengthening and stretching that are essential to rehabilitation but also a greater connection between the mind and the body. In 2014, Amy decided to turn her passion and her hobby into a new career and she embarked upon the Balanced Body Pilates Instructor training program at EHS. She is constantly amazed by and excited about the human body: its strengths and weaknesses, abilities and inabilities, and the beauty of its intricate workings. And as Joseph Pilates said, “The mind, when housed within a healthful body, possesses a glorious sense of power.” In her spare time, she can either be found baking in the kitchen, curled up with a good book, or out hiking.

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Karen Goldstein

Karen Goldstein was first introduced to Pilates when only 18 years old after developing knee problems while studying ballet in NYC. She was sent to the original Pilates studio run by Romana Kryzanowska, a direct disciple of Joseph Pilates. After returning home to the Bay Area, she continued her ballet training with, as her teacher noticed, “much better alignment”. There was no Pilates on the west coast for about 10 years, but when Karen continued to have alignment and pain issues from dancing, she resumed her pilates training under the guidance of Jennifer Stacey in San Francisco. She completed her Teacher Training Certification under Ellie Herman and has also studied extensively with Lizz Roman learning rehabilitation techniques based on the principals of Janda. Karen likes to teach Pilates with an emphasis on form and how it applies to functional life movement. She likes to educate her students to have more freedom in movement, strength, and to learn ways to help themselves when their body/pain issues arise so that they can get along with more ease in their everyday lives.

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Brigitte Brunner

Brigitte Brunner is a Balanced Body master instructor and educator as well as a graduate of Ellie Herman Studios. After completing her Pilates teacher training in 2005, Brigitte began teaching in San Francisco. In 2012 she completed the Master Instructor training program with Balanced Body. Since then she has been one of the educators leading Pilates instructor training programs at EHS Pilates in San Francisco. Relevant Continuing education and training includes: CoreAlign 1 and 2, Lizz Roman rehabilitation intensive, Mary Bowen Pilates and Psyche, Eric Franklin Pelvic Power, Thomas Meyers Anatomy Trains, Marie Jose Blom, Amy Alpers and most recently the Buff Bones Instructor training. Buff Bones is a medically endorsed system for bone and joint health. In her private and group sessions, Brigitte brings energy, passion and attention to detail. Brigitte has also taught extensively in Italy and is fluent in Italian.  

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Blane Ashby

Blane has been practicing and studying Pilates since 1998 and was certified through the Ellie Herman Institute in 2002. While the majority of his time is spent teaching at Parkside Pilates he also teaches at EHS Pilates Studio. From 2003 to present has been a Faculty Instructor of the Teacher Training Instructor Program (TTIP) at the Ellie Herman Institute acting as co-head of the program. In 2007, he became a certified Balanced Body Faculty Instructor. Along with one-to-one fitness training he specializes in injury prevention and recovery. Blane has had much success in assisting and creating programs for clients in their post recovery and injury prevention goals. Through out the week Blane teaches quite a few Pilates based group classes. His popular classes promote a non-competitive atmosphere while challenging the student to reach their fullest potential. Focus of the classes include precision, control, stability, core strength, increasing flexibility all the while promoting enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. Pilates can be quite challenging but should be fun too! Blane has been a dancer for the past 20 years and has performed with Company Chaddick, Huckabay/McAllister Dance, EmSpace Dance, Dance Continuum SF, and 13th Floor Dance Theater. Balanced Body University bbu.pilates.com

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Ruthie Wahlborg

Sharing words and tools for experiencing muscle systems with focused movement, Ruthie confidently coaxes out each person’s ability to swim tranquilly inside their own shapes. The supple, strong muscle is where a person learns to float, truly and metaphorically. Changing someone’s relationship to gravity in a beneficial way is one of the most electrifying aspects of Pilates, as well as it being a sure recipe for grace. Further effects of this sound method include the long, pleasing journey which can deliver a lifetime of a-has, along with lots o’ fun. Ruthie’s Experience:

• Teaching Mat and Equipment Pilates steadily since 2003
• Certified Training with Ellie Herman in 2002
• 2006 worked for Tom McCook at Center of Balance, absorbing an unparalleled amount of true movement wisdom through staff workouts and working on the floor.

Her Other Loves:

• bicycles
• microphones
• swimming pools
• dance floors are real stand-outs for this gal!

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Chris Black

Chris has over 13 years of experience teaching Pilates in the Bay Area. Chris Black was certified by Ellie Herman, and has done extensive rehabilitation training with Lizz Roman. She also has studied with Jennifer Stacey and Carol LeMaitre. Chris is also skilled in working with women through all stages of pregnancy, including post-natal. “Chris Black has made it to my short list of things that make San Francisco a great city. Three years ago I discovered that I had AS, a debilitating back condition, and began trying various treatments with mixed results. Chris has been the first person to give me a feeling of control over how my body feels each day. From the very first lesson, she inspired trust and confidence in her approach. She has a deep understanding of body mechanics, but never gets ahead of what my body is able to do. There’s no such thing as a panacea for back problems, but if you’re willing to put in the work, Chris is the closest thing to it.” – Unsu Lee, Bay Area filmmaker

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Carrie Ferguson

Carrie Ferguson was introduced to the Pilates method after dealing with acute low back pain and tight shoulders, weak stiff neck – a result from long, grueling hours in front of a computer day in and day out as a graphic designer. After a year of strengthening deep core muscles, fine-tuning alignment and posture, staying centered, Carrie knew it was time to follow a new path of self-care and teach others from her experience. Within a year Carrie left the corporate world to pursue and her passion for Pilates. She started her Apprentice training in 2011 and, a couple of years later became a fully certified instructor! This was the best choice she has ever made! She’s so much happier and healthier now in her 40s than she was in her 20s. Carrie’s students often reach that “ah-ha” moment, where they understand and feel the correct muscle group engaging and it’s that moment that they take from their sessions and apply to their daily living patterns, so they may move through life pain-free.

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Cadillac

Pilates lore has it that Joseph Pilates created the prototype Cadillac to enable bed-ridden patients to exercise. His design was simple – a hospital bed with mattress springs attached to the wall. The design has definitely evolved over the years and so have the exercises and stretches one can do on the Cadillac. There are many elements to the machine: leg springs, arm springs, fuzzy loops to hang from, a push-through bar to stretch you out, and even a trapeze. The trapeze was the original add on accessory to the machine, which is why it is also known as a “trap” table. You can isolate almost every muscle group on the machine – it is an excellent tool for breaking down motion into small pieces to restore correct motion patterns. Using the leg springs is one of the best ways to get runners to fully use their hamstrings. Because the Cadillac is such a large piece of equipment it is rarely used in group classes, so the best way to experience this machine is in a private Pilates session.  

Cadillac Class Pricing

1 Class Drop-in	5 Class Pack (90-day expiration)	10 Class Pack (90-day expiration)
$40	$195	$380
Supersaver Card: 3 Class Pack with 15-day expiration $105

 

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For information on private sessions click here.

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Wunda Chair

Challenge your stability, strength, and flexibility. Though the basic design is simple, there are a myriad of exercises that can be performed on the Pilates Wunda chair. It is excellent for strengthening the core muscles, arms, and legs. Exercises are performed lying down, sitting, and standing on the chair, as well as from positions at the sides of the chair.

What is the Wunda Chair?

Like the Reformer, the Pilates Chair is another of Joseph Pilates’ resistance exercise machines. The Wunda chair is a box with one side that can be pressed down against the resistance of springs, like a large pedal. The pedal portion can also be divided into two parts that can be worked independently for more of a challenge.  

Wunda Chair Class Pricing

1 Class Drop-in	5 Class Pack (90-day expiration)	10 Class Pack (90-day expiration)
$35	$170	$330
Supersaver Card: 3 Class Pack with 15-day expiration $90

 

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For information on private sessions click here.

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Reformer

Increase overall strength, flexibility, coordination, and balance while addressing virtually every part of the body. Known for its versatility, the Reformer allows you to perform exercises in a variety of positions. These exercises promote length, strength, flexibility, and balance, leading to daily life improvements such as better posture, graceful and efficient movement, and for many, relief from pain associated with physical imbalances.

What is the Reformer?

The Reformer is a piece of resistance exercise equipment designed by Joseph Pilates. It consists of a platform that moves back and forth along a carriage. Resistance is provided by the exerciser’s body weight and by springs attached to the carriage and platform.

Which Class is Right for You?

Mixed-level group classes are appropriate for those without injuries and with prior Pilates experience. As with all of our mixed level classes, appropriate variations and modifications will be taught for each level. If you are “New to Pilates”, we highly recommend taking at least one private one-on-one session with one our trainers. Private sessions are the fastest way to bring you up to speed for group classes by learning the Pilates language and understanding your body.

Reformer Class Pricing

1 Class Drop-in	5 Class Pack (90-day expiration)	10 Class Pack (90-day expiration)
$40	$195	$380
Supersaver Card: 3 Class Pack with 15-day expiration $105

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For information on private sessions click here.

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Andrea Scarabelli

Andrea came to Pilates as a “practice body” for a friend completing Ellie Herman’s teacher training program in 2002. With Pilates, she found that her lifelong back pain had all but disappeared. She fell in love with the method, and its ability to radically alter one’s quality of life. In 2007, Andrea joined EHS Pilates as a manager and bookkeeper. She completed the Balanced Body teacher training in 2012. Andrea is also a college professor at Cañada College, teaching writing to non-native speakers. Teaching is her passion, whether it is movement or ESL!  
 
 

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Nancy Myers

Nancy has been a movement practitioner for over 20 years. Her injuries due to teaching dance and running were rehabilitated with Pilates at St. Francis Dance Medicine Center with Elizabeth Larkam in 1989.

In 2000, she was certified with Ellie Herman Studios in San Francisco. Nancy has extensive knowledge in anatomy and kinesiology, and she has dedicated her Pilates career to an emphasis on posture and gait analysis and how it applies to the Pilates work. Nancy’s experience spans all types of fitness populations including dancers, professional athletes, pre and post-natal, senior citizens, and clients with injuries and special issues. It is her belief that functional movement is the key to pain relief through better body mechanics.

Over the years Nancy has studied with 1st and 2nd-generation Pilates teachers that have inspired and deepened her understanding of the system. In addition, the work of Vladimir Janda, Thomas Myers, Sherry Brourman, Eric Franklin, and other masters has influenced and inspired her perspective on how she approaches her practice.

She is inspired and learns every day from the bodies she encounters and is grateful to be able to follow her passion to make a difference in a person’s life with every step they take within the inspirational atmosphere that is EHS Pilates.

Nancy is also a consultant for MBT shoes, a certified personal trainer, and group exercise director. She has a BS in International Business and is currently working on her Master’s in Holistic Nutrition. Her Foot and Gait Mentorship program is featured at EHS and she teaches in the US and internationally, both in teacher training and continuing education workshops. She has been interviewed and written about several times in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Nancy’s current projects include authoring “Fabulous Feet” and “Pilates on the CoreAlign”.

Merits

• Director of EHS Pilates Institute’s International Teacher Training Program
• PMA Certified Senior Pilates Trainer with a special focus on Gait Therapy
• Director of EHS Pilates Institute
• Faculty member of Balanced Body University
• CoreAlign Master Instructor
• MBT Trainer/Educator
• EHS Retreats

Specialties

• Pre and Post-surgical rehabilitative pilates
• Postural alignment
• Essential Posture and Gait patterning
• Foot problems
• Pilates-based rehabilitation
• Author of “Fabulous Feet” and “Pilates on the CoreAlign”

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Tracey Sylvester

Tracey started her Pilates career when she joined EHS as a business manager in 2004. In 2007, She purchased the business from Ellie Herman along with her business partner Nancy Myers, and as of 2016, Tracey is the sole owner of EHS. Tracey has completed her teacher training journey and is currently training as an apprentice. Tracey has dedicated the past 12+ years advocating for small businesses; from brick-&-mortar to sole-proprietors. As a member of the Executive Board of the SF Council of District Merchants, board member of the Mission Merchants Association, and member of both the Valencia Corridor Association and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Tracey has a unique opportunity to effect positive change in the community she calls home. Another of Tracey’s passions is to bring a sense of community to EHS Pilates and give her clients an oasis from the day-to-day city grind. Tracey believes that a Pilates studio can be fully integrated by incorporating a wellness center; focusing on energy, health, and strength. She is also passionate about the EHS Mission Collective with periodic events at EHS; bringing the SF art, music and performance community together to celebrate neighborhood, community and culture. Before her time at EHS, she worked in the optical industry for over fifteen years as a general manager, media spokesperson, new business developer, and a licensed optician. Tracey also worked in the service industry and has a passion for food and wine; volunteering for 18 Reasons and Slow Food Nation which keeps her current in farm to table education and trends in the movement. Tracey is a 20+ year resident of the Mission District and has been dancing for the local go-go dance group The Devil-Ettes, off and on, as The Rebel, since 1998.

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