Or-Yah Avni (ory)
A former dancer, Or-Yah Avni (Ory) studied in NYC at the professional Trainee Program at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. She participated in dance projects as well as with her own choreography and performed in various projects including HATCH of Jennifer Muller, The Field, NYU andmore. Her deep interest in different body-mind techniques has led her to continue deepening her education and she completed her yoga training at the Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in NYC and her Gyrotonic certificate. Recently, Ory was certified as a Pilates teacher trainer from the PhysicalMind Institute. The Institute has the distinction of being one of the world’s foremost authorities on Pilates. Or-Yah uses her deep knowledge of various dance and body-mind techniques to create well-structured and organized classes, emphasizing technique and art and incorporating flowing movement, breathing work, and fun. For the past 9 years, she has been teaching in New York, Tel-Aviv and Bangkok www.or-yah.com

Suzanne Sim
From the moment Suzanne experienced her first Pilates class, she felt an instant rapport with its fluid movements which are akin to dance, She also discovered the wonderful stretching it gave the body.  Regular sessions at the Pilates Studio in Bangkok led to noticeable improvements to her body. It was encouraging to see results in such a short time! As her core strength developed, the back aches which she had for years, also decreased. Suzanne completed the Physical Mind Institute’s Pilates training course for mat and equipment at the Pilates Studio Bangkok in May 2006. She had also completed the Movement and Foot Workshop by Leslie Powell in May 2006. Suzanne sees her role as a teacher and facilitator. By directing the clients to better body awareness, they will develop improved posture while building both strength and flexibility. Suzanne would like to enable clients to apply Pilates techniques back into their daily lives at home, work and play

Anna Oodman

I have always loved sports and athletics. I used to compete at a national level in downhill skiing for 10 years and have been running all my life. I really thought pilates was nothing for me until I had a bulging disc after my first child and stumbled into the world of pilates. After just a few session I could walk normally again and after two months I was running, gently again. I had another discepisode after my second boy but due to my corestrength and awareness I managed much better this time around. Now three years later I finished my first marathon in Stockholm under 3.30 and came in 49th. I truly credit this to my pilates regiment as it has fine tuned my body and increased my muscle balance and flexibility. I am also a registered nurse and have worked in Sweden, Hong Kong and Jakarta. My pilates teacher in Jakarta always encouraged me to take the teacher trainingcourse and I was very happy when I got certified now in January under the guidance of Ory and Physical Mind. I love to work with people and to have the amazing tools of pilates to help clients improve their health, wellbeing and life is a gift. I am very proud to be a member of the pilates team.

 

Supattra Detter
Prior to taking up Pilates, Supattra worked as a researcher in Consumer Behavior. After nearly 10 years of sitting long hours in front of computer, there was constant stiffness in her shoulders and neck which caused her tension headache. She felt she cannot continue and was ready to move on. After reading  about Pilates she was very interested and fascinated by claimed benefits of the method as well as how it was invented. In summer 2004, she enrolled in a Pilates Teacher Training Certification program in Albany, California and was certified in early 2005.For Supattra, Pilates is a quality time well spent on oneself. It is almost like a head-to-toe exercise incorporated with body awareness and concentration. Best of all, it is really enjoyable and does not leave one exhausted. Reformer workout is her favorite. What else could be better than exercise while lying down!!

 

Melissa Jimenez
Melissa has been a certified Yoga Alliance instructor for three years and has taught Pilates for one year. Deciding to stay in Thailand, she is finishing up her Pilates Certification here in Bangkok. Traveling the world, trying new experiences and meeting all different people always made her want to incorporate these elements into her everyday work. After finishing up her Pilates and Prenatal Certifications she hopes to expand her teaching skills and be able to work with all types of clients. Approaching classes, with a healing mentality adding different ingredients of Thai massage, nine different forms of Yoga, dance and most of all laughter. Originally from New Jersey, Melissa takes that fun Jersey Girl vibe into all her classes. Looking for a laugh and a push, swing by anytime!

 

Roxana Menzies
Roxana, a native of Canada and Honours BFA graduate from York University is an independent artist traveling, training and working around the globe. She was trained in the Stott Pilates method and received her certification in 2001. Her insatiable thirst and curiosity for knowledge and life pushes her to undertake ventures and studies within the realm of movement. Roxana is thrilled to be a member of a team with high regards for a healthy environment and emphasis on Women's Health. She looks forward to expanding and growing as an instructor and individual in Thailand.Past experiences/achievements include teaching pilates and dance for the Canadian educational system and pilates for studios and wellness centres in Canada, Turkey and France. No longer a full-time dancer, Roxana still dabbles in the artform through a variety of projects and has plans for creating her second full-length production in the near future.

Atinuj Tantivit (Atty)
Growing up in Bangkok, Thailand, Atty was involved in many sporting activities—swimming, sprinting, squash, scuba diving and Ultimate Frisbee — to name a few. While residing in the USA, she scuba dove  for work as a marine ecologist and played Ultimate Frisbee competitively on an all women’s team in Miami, Florida. After knee and ankle injuries that put her in the hands of physical therapists for months, she decided to take up something that was more soothing on her body. She started practicing Bikram Yoga to strengthen her body and continued when she returned to Bangkok in 2004. Since then Atty has been working as a jewelry designer/maker. When at her jewelry studio, she either works on the computer or at a jeweler’s bench. Her lower back, shoulders and neck bother her after many hours of work. She found info about Pilates on a website for professional jewelers—many jewelers found Pilates to be very helpful in easing their pain. She started practicing Pilates when the Pilatestudio was first opened in Bangkok. Since then she’s been hooked. Pilates gave her what she was looking for—a form of exercise that works on both strengthening and stretching the body. Pilates not only eased her pain from working, it also helped with her Ultimate Frisbee skills. And as a bonus, she was able to lose a couple of inches off her waistline that she wasn’t able to lose while doing other type of exercises! She took PhysicalMind’s Initiation and Concentration 101 at the Pilatestudio and is now working as an apprentice teacher.

Pranee
Pranee spent ten years working in the hospitality business in Phuket. She then moved to the U.K with her family .While living there she enrolled her son in a Mommy and me yoga class. Although her son was too young to do any yoga postures, he enjoyed this activity tremendously. It was a good opportunity for him to be with other children in a calming environment. After nearly 5 years in Europe she returned to Thailand in 2004. She started to practice yoga with a private yoga teacher in Koh Samui. When Absolute Yoga opened on the island in 2006, Pranee began practicing hot yoga and flow vinyasa yoga there. She practiced almost daily for 6 months. She started to teach yoga for children at a pre –school in Koh Samui. Pranee enjoyed teaching so much that she decided to further develop her skills in this field. In 2007 she returned to Bangkok and started to teach children yoga at the RIS Swiss School and then at Topsy Turvy International School . In addition, she is currently working with the Core, a family wellness center. For Pranee, teaching yoga for children has brought her much contentment, as she shares her experience with them.

Nat
Nat has always been a physically active person. She did gymnastics as a child and has studied dance for a number of years. She started practicing yoga while working professionally as an IT consultant in New York City in 2003 and has been a dedicated yoga practitioner ever since. Nat was certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor and taught yoga in New York, and as visiting instructor in Florida and Manila before moving back to Thailand with her husband in 2006. Yoga has helped her realize how important it is to nurture body, mind and spirit, and to develop a sense of well-being. In addition, during her pregnancy, practicing yoga was a wonderful experience that proved essential in staying strong and healthy throughout those months, helping her in dealing with the physical and emotional changes that occur during and after pregnancy. In 2007, the pregnancy brought her back to New York to train with Laura Staton and Sarah Perron, the founders of 'Baby Om' Yoga for Mothers and Babies. At the Core, Nat now teaches 'Mommy & Me' class to introduce a dynamic and nurturing yoga practice that mommies and babies can enjoy and receive the benefits from together.

Claudia Fischer
Claudia Fischer is a long time practitioner of conscious living and has lived in Bangkok, Thailand for the last five years. Her interest in body movement began as a child studying ballet and she has developed  this interest while exploring athletics, aerobics and martial art. Thai massage, Pilates and Yoga studies followed in the 1990s. While she completed her Pilates training she expanded her interests to include Gyrotonic Expansion System® and Gyrokinesis®. Claudia is currently expending her Pilates studies with Pilates elders Ron Fletcher through The Ron Fletcher Program Of Study (Tucson/Arizona).

Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams
Joung-ah has practiced yoga for ten years and was teaching pre-natal and post-natal yoga classes inWashington, DC before moving to Bangkok. Her passion for teaching pre- and post-natal yoga stems from personally reaping benefits both physically and spiritually from being a member of strong yoga community during and after her own pregnancy. Joung-ah found her way to yoga while working as an aid worker. Her daily yoga practice was her personal refuge helping her unwind, reenergize and find calm in some difficult and turbulent places. She moved to Thailand with her husband, Craig, and son, Kim Carter, in October 2005. She is currently on leave from UNHCR to spend more time with Kim and write a book. She teaches yoga at several studios in Bangkok, including prenatal, Mommy & Me and soon postnatal classes at the Core and Pilates Studio.

Kate Besleme

Kate is a US-trained and nationally certified massage therapist, doula*, and yoga instructor. She studied therapeutic massage at the Potomac Massage Training Institute (PMTI) in Washington, DC, is professionally trained in Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Traditional Thai Massage, and completed her doula training with Penny Simkin, co-founder of DONA International. Kate also received specialized certification in prenatal and postpartum massage, and infant massage. For the past several years, she has supported women through childbirth in hospitals in the US and in Bangkok. Since moving to Thailand in 2004, Kate has continued to support women and their partners as a massage therapist, doula, childbirth educator, and yoga instructor. In 1996, after years of competitive running injuries, Kate discovered the power of yoga. Since then, she has completed nearly 1000 hours of yoga training, including Bikram Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Kids Yoga, and Vinyasa Yoga, and has actively been teaching in yoga studios in the US and in Bangkok. As a teacher, she encourages her students to discover their physical and mental edge and meet life challenges with awareness, patience, and strength. Prior to coming to Bangkok, Kate spent her professional career in the field of environmental policy and has a Master of Business Administration and a Master in Public Policy.

*A doula is a trained professional who provides information and support to women and their partners during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood.

 

Ben
Ben is a gym person, loves sporting activities, and traveling. She was an English Tour Guide for 7 years, after her trip back from London, she had an Acute Meningitis, she was in the hospital nearly a month. During her treatment, the doctor had injected Morphine in her spine which gave her bad back pain since then. After she was released from the hospital, she felt stiff and could not do sporting activities as much as she wanted to. Her back pain got worse, then she decided to get the Pilates class to strengthen her back and body, after practicing 10 sessions she felt different and better, she found out that Pilates had given her flexibility, strength, focus, balance and made her body in a streamline shape. She continuted practicing Pilates and took the Physical Mind Institute's Pilates Training Course at the Pilates Studio Bangkok.
She is now working as an apprentice teacher at The Core and Pilates Studio. She strongly believe that Pilates is the best body-mind exercise!

 

Marcello
With a rich 15 years background as a professional martial arts in Brazil, teacher and master of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu method, Karate-Shotokan, Capoeira, Weight Trainer, Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher, and Pilates teacher, Marcelo brings to his teaching unparalleled expertise combined with a passion for his work, which he shares generously with all