The Staff of Pilates Westwood Welcomes You!

Julie Herbolich
Julie Herbolich holds Pilates certifications from three intensive teacher training programs: Power Pilates, in New York, Absolution in West Hollywood and Long Beach Dance Conditioning. She has an extensive background in therapeutic exercise and has worked in physical therapy clinics designing programs for clients with injuries and working extensively with pregnant and post-partum women. Julie is well versed in the classical Pilates method and uses a systematic and integrated approach with her clients focusing on fitness, flow, balance, precision and core strengthening. Julie holds a B.A. in Communications from Pepperdine University.
 

Marina Baroni
Marina holds a degree in Dance along with an extensive theatrical background. She has 10 years experience as an educator in self-care including exercise, stretching, relaxation, body alignment and body mechanics. She is a certified Massage Therapist and has been trained in the Alexander Technique both in Europe and the United States. She is certified in Gyrotonic® through L.A. Body Kinetics and in Pilates through The Physical Mind Institute. Marina’s approach to helping her clients realize vibrant health is based on the core belief that through self awareness anybody can change those physical and mental habits which are obstacles to well-being. At Pilates Westwood, she offers Alexander Technique, Pilates and Gyrotonic® sessions, either separate or combined according to each individual’s specific goals and needs. Marina is currently studying Ayurvedic Medicine.

Sonia Berezovsky
Sonia has been a certified teacher/trainer since 1997, and she offers sessions in Gyrotonic®, Pilates, and Feldenkrais. She holds a B.F.A. in dance from NYU. She has worked with professional ballet dancers while working at White Cloud West in San Francisco, and she has worked with the elderly and with those with injuries while working in physical therapy and chiropractic offices. She became involved with this work through her intrigue and curiosity invoked by her recovery from a dance injury.
Lihi Berzak
Lihi is a sports enthusiast and has been working out and playing sports since she was a child. Certified in Pilates from Performing Arts and Physical Therapy, she has experienced teaching Pilates, both as a workout and as a form of rehabilitation. Having worked with physical therapists and chiropractors, and dealing with her own injuries, she gives special attention to points of weakness, and sees both posture awareness and stretching as inseparable parts of life. Lihi's teaching involves both hard work and relaxation; it concentrates on being powerful and in control of the body through the mind.
Susan Lynn Bragg
Susan discovered the Gyrotonic Expansion System® after injuries from a car accident led her to explore numerous healing modalities and exercise systems. A joy to execute, the system’s beautiful spiraling movements work on many levels to gently release restrictions in the body while simultaneously increasing strength. Her extensive experience in acting, ballroom dance, horseback riding and martial arts add to her overall understanding of movement. Warm and fun-loving, Susan enjoys her ability to combine Gyrotonic® with the energy work of Reiki to open her clients (ranging from beginners to professional athletes) to new levels of strength, vitality and health.
Angela Brunson
Angela Brunson is an accomplished marathon and ultra-marathon runner. Angela is also active in rock climbing, mountain biking, yoga, and ice hockey. She discovered core training as a way to further develop her athleticism. After training with Douglas Evans for over a year, Angela placed in the top three of every race she entered. As a result, she looks forward to sharing her secret for success with others. Her running background allows her to effectively communicate with other endurance athletes. Angela offers a variety of strength and core exercises in order to help clients attain their fitness goals. She received her personal trainer certificate from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Jay Bulloch, L.Ac. M.T.O.M.
Jay Bulloch holds a Masters Degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine, and is a certified Pilates and Gyrotonic instructor. He has been teaching physical training and Martial Arts since 1988, and Pilates and Gyrotonic since 2000. Jay's lifelong interest in martial arts and healing has lead him to study various modalities of training and medicine which include Acupuncture, Herbology, Nutrition, Tui Na (Chinese Body Work), Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Pilates, and Gyrotonic. After many years of dedicated study and training, Jay has a solid foundation in both the Eastern and Western approaches to physical training and healing and is able to customize an exercise and health regimen to suit any individual's needs, lifestyle, and personality. Jay works with people who have chronic pain issues or injuries, athletes training for peak performance, and people who have busy, stressful lives who want to stay in shape and live healthier lives.
Marni Rosenthal Chaikin
Marni is a certified Stott Pilates Instructor. She has completed courses in Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and all Barrel equipment. In addition she is pre and post natal certified through Jennifer Gianni's Fusion Pilates. Marni was first introduced to pilates in 1995 while studying dance at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. She graduated Cum Laude from NYU in 1999. She is a professional dancer and a member of the Ptero Dance Theater Company and has just recently begun working towards a Masters in Dance at Cal State Long Beach.
  Sara Davis
Ohio native Sara Davis is certified in Acupressure, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue, Swedish and Pregnancy massage. She looks to combine these modalities into a treatment unique and individual to each client. A long time practitioner of yoga and meditation, Sara received her teacher training from Santa Barbara Yoga and Santa Monica Yoga with an emphasis on Yin, Restorative, Hatha Yoga and Mindfulness meditation.
Sara has a passionate commitment to promoting health and wellness in all people and she is very excited to add her energy to the eclectic talent that makes up Pilates Westwood.
Douglas Evans
Douglas Evans is the Founder of Pilates Westwood. He has extensive training and over 15 years of experience in Pilates (PMA Gold Certified), Gyrotonic® (private instruction with Juliu Horvath, Inventor), Functional Core Training (private tutoring with National Academy of Sports Medicine Faculty) and Orthopedic Massage (Hendrickson Method).  Douglas draws from these disciplines to design a program to help people from all walks of life achieve their goals of balanced posture and movement.  He enjoys nurturing the progress of both clients and the staff of Pilates Westwood.
Sheetal Gandhi
Sheetal Gandhi is a professional dancer and choreographer and has performed and created with Cirque du Soleil and Broadway, and danced with companies across the U.S. and internationally. She is also currently a fellow at UCLA, pursuing her Master of Fine Arts degree. Sheetal was introduced to Pilates in 1991 after sustaining several serious injuries from dancing. Sheetal received her Pilates certification Turning Point, Walnut Creek, CA in 2001 and has joyfully been teaching the Method ever since. Sheetal has a high awareness of the subtleties of the body, building strength and balance in her clients from the inside-out.
Chelsea Gilbert
Chelsea developed an interest in Pilates though her personal rehabilitation from dance related injuries. She studied anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology extensively at UC Berkeley, from which she earned a B.A. Chelsea believes that Pilates is a fun and effective technique for helping her clients achieve the core strength and muscle balance necessary for optimal functioning. She has a special interest in working with individuals with Fibromyalgia, recovering from injuries, or who desire to maintain life-long health and pain-free living. She is currently a professional modern dancer and is working on her Masters Degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in mind/body research.
Meghan Pickrell
A dancer since the age of 7, Meghan has been teaching movement and Pilates since 2002. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Dance from University of Colorado – Boulder where she studied all forms of dance, movement analysis, Bartenieeff Fundamentals, anatomy and Pilates. Meghan was then certified in Pilates by Carole Amend from the AIM Academy and has taught Pilates on both the East and West coasts. Her specialties include working with low back pain and she has also worked with Chiropractors and Physical Therapists as part of her Pilates training. Meghan is currently earning her Master’s Degree in Kinesiology at CSUN.

Jennie Schindler
Jennie’s inspiration to teach Pilates and Gyrotonic came from her amazement at the increased flexibility and stamina that she experienced from these methods. Jennie’s approach to teaching is to balance strengthening along with stretching to maximize the body’s muscle capacity. By drawing from Pilates and Gyrotonic, she incorporates an effective workout that invigorates and lengthens the body to achieve improved posture. She concentrates on bringing everyday movement patterns into better alignment. Jennie completed her Pilates certification through a specialized school for Physical Therapists in Pilates. She can work with any body type and incorporates modifications and adaptations for clients based on their limitations. She completed her training in Gyrotonic through L.A.Body Kinetics.

Laurie Sefton
Laurie Sefton has been teaching Pilates and Strength Training for over 15 years. She holds a BA in Dance from UCLA. She is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and has been an active member of IDEA since 1994. She is a certified Pilates instructor with the Physicalmind Institute, however, she teaches both “Santa Fe” and “New York” style Pilates. She is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance.
Leslie Helene Siegel
Leslie holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Dance. Certified in 1992 by the original Insititute for the Pilates Method, Leslie has 12 years teaching experience in Pilates. In her 12 years of teaching, Leslie has studied and taught a wide array of movement disciplines and she brings all of this knowledge and practice into her teaching.

Leslie’s teaching is based upon a patient, dedicated approach to freeing the mind and body from habitual patterns that block free expression. She has helped hundreds of individuals make positive body and life changes including professional athletes and dancers, weekend warriors, senior citizens, and non-exercisers. At Pilates Westwood, Leslie offers private and group training in Pilates, Yoga, & General Flexibility.
  Eric Shah
This Southern California native is an alumni of California State University Long Beach. In addition to being a professional classical dancer, instructor and choreographer, Eric is now working in the fields of Physical Therapy and Body Conditioning using the certified techniques of Pilates, Gyrotonic, Body Code and Massage Therapy. He has had the opportunity to utilize his craft locally and internationally by working alongside groundbreaking professionals in the United States and in Europe. Eric is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Los Angeles Ballet Theatre, a new contemporary ballet company.
Julie Stone
Julie Stone has been a fitness instructor and personal trainer for health clubs, studios and private clients for 18 years. She taught aerobics, body sculpting and weight training in Rome, Padova, and Milan, Italy as well as Los Angeles. A growing interest in body alignment and physical integrity led Julie to discover Pilates. After training at Long Beach Dance Conditioning, she became a member of the Pilates Method Alliance and worked in chiropractic settings. Julie's style of detailed communication and close attention during private and semi-private sessions has helped people of all ages and levels of physical fitness: Achieve better posture and lengthened muscles, enjoy more energy, experience pain relief, gain better balance and improve flexibility and an overall healthier way of life.
Rachel Whiting
Pilates, Gyrotonic Instructor
Rachel Whiting comes to the instruction and practice of Pilates and Gyrotonic® movement therapy as a natural result of and complement to her career in dance. Rachel was introduced to these rehabilitative and preventative techniques while attending Juilliard. As a dancer and faculty member at the Merce Cunningham Dance Studio, she found that the depth and simplicity of the work were a vital component to the understanding of body mechanics, and developing a strong, injury-free body. Rachel is certified in Pilates through Amy Anderson of Colorado Center for Physical Therapy and Polestar Education and in Gyrotonic® from Master Trainer Lisa Marie Goodwin and the Gyrotonic® Ladder apparatus with Master Trainer Debra Rose. In additin to teaching at Pilates Westwood, Rachel is on the staff of the Dance Wellness Lab at Loyola Marymount University. Rachel focuses her attention on movement therapy and body conditioning using the rehabilitative aspects of both Pilates and Gyrotonic® Rachel has a growing enthusiasm to work with people of varying needs, using her wealth of movement and dance knowledge.
Lana Underwood
After graduating from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts , Lana began her pilates training with Power Pilates teachers who studied under Roman Krazanowska, a protégé of Joseph Pilates. She gives credit to the classical system of Pilates for her teaching abilities and her workouts that are challenging and fun. She feels that Pilates is the absolute best foundation for every other form of fitness and movement. Lana is also an avid yogi.

"What I love so much about Pilates is that it is the absolute best foundation for every other form of fitness and movement. Since taking up Pilates, my yoga has improved tremendously. The stamina that I have gained from Pilates is amazing. I have never felt better in my life"
Daniela Escobar
Certified Pilates Instructor
Leslie Turner
Certified Pilates Instructor
Kathleen Carman
Certified Pilates Instructor
Before beginning her Pilates career, Kathleen toured Europe, the Middle and Far East as a professional dancer with many different companies. In 1985, Kathleen began studying with instructor Elizabeth Jones. Ms. Jones used the Pilates method to rehabilitate herself after two back surgeries from a broken back. Kathleen began teaching at the Physical Conditioning Center under Ms. Jones and gained considerable training in using Pilates exercises for rehabilitation. She was certificated in 1994 from the Physical Mind Institute in Sante Fe. Kathleen’s work with scoliosis patients was published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

 

 

1309 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90024
Tel. 310.914.1796
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