
Premier
Pilates
and Yoga is
lucky to have truly amazing instructors, who are well-trained, fully-certified and who are
able to bring in their years of experience into every session.
Deborah Harris has a
strong background in dance. Her insight into the mechanics of body
movement tends to bring a unique perspective to a Pilates workout. She is deeply committed to helping each client reach their full potential
and to get the most out of every session.
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Deborah Harris - Studio Owner
Deborah
grew up in Lancaster, PA and has a very strong background in dance. She
was completing her BFA in Dance at Temple University when she had a
dance injury and used Pilates to rehabilitate from it. She was fascinated
by the technique's unique ability to concentrate its healing in the
specific area of the injury. She was also drawn in by the focus of
Pilates on complete physical, mental and spiritual well-being. |
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In 1999, Deborah was admitted
into the highly competitive and intense New York City Authentic PilatesTM
Training Program. Over the next year and a half she was instructed,
trained, tested and, ultimately, certified by Romana Kryzanowska, an
internationally acknowledged The Grande Dame of Pilates, who was a star
pupil of Joseph Pilates in the 1940s. |
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Deborah
was also taught by such Certified Teachers of Teachers as Sari
Mejia-Santos, Bob Likens and June Hines. As a part of her training, Deborah completed over 600 hours of
practical instruction in her certification program and clearly demonstrated an
excellence in working on all different Pilates apparatuses, as well as an ability
to work safely and effectively with women and men at all levels of physical fitness and
ability, including those with musculoskeletal injuries. |
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Deborah started to teach at the
Pennsylvania Ballet Pilates Studio in 2001. She worked closely with Greg
Taylor, a physical therapist. This relationship and proximity to the
world of professional dance gave Deborah a chance to apply her training
and perfect her approach to clients with such varying conditions as
dance injuries, scoliosis, multiple sclerosis, hip surgery
rehabilitation, chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, and low back pain.
While
at the Ballet, Deborah has worked with Prima Ballerinas, principles from Cirque Du Soleil,
members of Broadway shows "Fosse" and "Contact." Deborah enjoys the challenge of the rehabilitation work and is
constantly amazed by the quality and of improvement her clients experience
with Pilates. |
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Kathy is a wife and mother of
two. She currently holds certifications through American Council on
Exercise in personal training and group fitness instruction. Her
experience in these fields range from training high school athletes to
the senior population.
She was first drawn to Pilates
when viewing a class at a corporate facility where she was a fitness
associate. After much research, she soon realized the many benefits it
held for the body, mind and spirit and began to pursue a certification
in Pilates. During that process and the many hours of
self-practice
that are required she saw changes in her body that she was never able to
achieve before. Kathy has recently become certified through Peak
Pilates in the instruction of classical Pilates.
She feels very strongly about
the positive impact that exercise, especially Pilates, has on our
emotional health and physical well being. Her clients describe her as
someone who truly knows her stuff and makes every person and every
session feel wonderful and special. |
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Tara Orlando
Tara
Orlando is the newest addition to our facility. Tara graduated from Monmouth
University with a B.A. in Communications and minor in Psychology. After working
for 2 years in Pharmaceutical Advertising she had decided that this path was not
for her.
After
the initial exposure to Pilates, Tara fell in love with this technique. She
loved how her body felt after every class. She proceeded to get trained in
classical Pilates. |
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technique: from teaching a mat class to working with the equipment. Following
her rigorous training she passed the examinations to get certified in both
Pilates Mat and Pilates Equipment.
Tara
is now pursuing her teaching certification in Health and Physical Education
at Kean University. Tara has already taught at numerous New Jersey
locations. She has been complimented on her flow, personal connection with
the clients. Clients have enjoyed the way she ties in her knowledge of
Pilates with the information acquired through her health and physical
education courses. She is currently teaching the full spectrum of Pilates
classes: Pilates mat, Tower, and privates. We are truly lucky to offer her
skills, knowledge and expertise to our clients!
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Lisa Brand
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Lisa
was first introduced to Yoga by her third grade teacher.
“She was truly before her time.
Every morning we sat in a circle while meditating,
practiced breath work and ended with modified sun salutations.”
The peace and serenity she experienced at an early age,
set the stage for what would ultimately be her life passion.
Lisa
earned her BA from the University of Maryland with a double major in Psychology
and Sociology. “I always found human nature fascinating, I love to meet new
people and experience the joy of friendship”.
Shortly
after getting married, Lisa and her husband opened a business and have watched
it grow and prosper for the last thirteen years.
Lisa
is truly blessed with three beautiful and healthy children, who look forward to
nighttime Yoga with Mom.
“Throughout my life I have practiced many different forms
of exercise. Yoga, however, taught me how to respect my body and at the same
time honor both my strengths and weaknesses. I
learned how to stop judging myself and how to remain calm in a chaotic world.”
After,
experiencing the wonderful grounding and peaceful effect Yoga has had in her
life, Lisa decided to become certified to share her knowledge and experiences
with her students.
Lisa is a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200 hour level
and is currently enrolled in a 500 hour certification program to gain greater
knowledge.
Lisa’s instructor and Guru is, Ranjitha Sandeep
(Yoga-Sutra For Life), who trained under Sri Dharma Mittra.
Lisa brings an eclectic mix into her teaching and embraces
all ages and physical statures.
Lisa feels Yoga is for everyone and every Asana pose has a
modification that can be made to fit each
individual.
“I
feel truly blessed and honored to be called a Yoga Instructor.
What we teach people on the mat, permeates into their
lives off the mat. To
be a part of that is truly a gift.”
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Carly Hamlette
Yoga
has been part of Carly's life since she was a child. She was
introduced to yoga by her mom, who taught yoga for children. Carly
began teaching yoga six years ago and is a registered and certified
Yoga teacher through Stefani Pappas's Devalia Yoga. She teaches
various forms of yoga including Hatha, Vinyasa, Yoga Sweat &
Freedom, Yoga for Seniors, and Iron Yoga Fusion.
She
has worked extensively with all different types of bodies and has
always felt that the key to a good yoga practice is finding
playfulness and fun.
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Then,
six years ago, Carly began to suffer from low back pain and read
that Pilates can help to cure these types of ailments. After just a
few sessions, her back pain decreased significantly and she was
hooked! Carly was so intrigued with the way her body looked and
felt that she decided she wanted to share her experience with
others. She became certified in Mat Pilates through Pilates on
Fifth/ Pilates Academy International and has been teaching others
this classical method on the mat for five years.
Though
practicing Pilates and Yoga, she believes that the body can be
healed, nurtured, and can transform into a stronger, healthier
being.
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Prior
to becoming involved with Yoga and Pilates, Dina worked in the business world
for almost 22 years.
While
she enjoyed it, she longed to do something that was meaningful and helpful to
others. When she discovered Yoga and
Pilates, Dina quickly saw that becoming an instructor would be the best way to
realize her goal of loving what she does and experiencing its benefit personally
and for others.
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Dina has
been practicing both for nearly five years and has received her Yoga
certification in Vinyasa Yoga through Balance Yoga Studio in
Woodbridge,
New Jersey.
She am also delighted to have obtained her Pilates Certification Training
with Carly Porrello of Experience ReGeneration, Inc. in South Plainfield,
NJ.
Dina
mainly teaches Vinyasa Yoga but does tailor her classes and private sessions to
each individual’s needs, goals and interests to bring them the most satisfying
and rewarding class she can offer – one that will keep them interested in their
practice and allow them to grow with it.
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Kumi
began dancing at age 6 with The School of New Jersey Ballet. During high school
she regularly performed with the professional company. They toured the east
coast performing the Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and La Bayadere among others.
In 2002 she received a BFA in dance from Tisch
School
of the Arts at NYU. Upon graduation she danced for a modern company called
Refractions in NYC. In 2006 she was certified in Pilates mat and all apparatus
through Physical Mind Institute. Currently she is pursuing a doctorate degree in
physical therapy at Seton
Hall
University.
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Toni has her B.A. in English from Kean
University and is currently in grad school at Fairleigh Dickinson University
obtaining her M.F.A. in creative writing.
Years ago, she was first introduced to
yoga and pilates by her sister, Carly. When Carly took her to her very first
yoga class, she never thought it would become such a big part of her life. She
left the class feeling invigorated, with a sense of peace and accomplishment.
Right away, she began a regular yoga practice. Before she had started yoga, she
could barely touch her knees when folding forward. After just three months, she
was able to touch the ground. |
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That was just one of the many positive
changes she began to notice throughout her body and mind. She knew yoga would be
a life-long practice for her, and after years of deepening her practice she
realized what a great opportunity it would be to share yoga with others through
teaching.
Working years
for a chiropractor, she has a deep understanding of the body and of the
importance of fitness and health. She studied yoga at Balance Yoga Center in NJ
for her teacher training and plans on getting certified to teach pilates mat in
the new year.
Toni
is also a musician. She is a singer/songwriter and plays the piano. She sang on
the Grammy award winning children’s album, “Songs From the Neighborhood”. You
can listen to her original music at
www.myspace.com/tonirosemusic.
Toni believes that meditation is a very important part of yoga. Music is her
favorite form of meditation. In her class, she hopes to help you to find your
favorite form.
She
urges her students to remember, while yoga is a serious practice, most of all it
is a time to get to know yourself and to enjoy all the benefits. Yoga should be
fun!
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Premier Pilates & Yoga - (908) 754 5901
. 53 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, NJ 07059
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