Meet the Instructor Monday — Shannon

Shannon Ottoson teaches Pilates mat and equipment classes at Rivercity Pilates.

Twitter:    I recently joined Twitter and am working on learning to use it.   My handle is @sotto586.   Tweet me and I will figure out how to reply!

Where are you from?   I grew up in Des Moines with my 4 siblings and I moved to North Liberty in ’99, to work in Cedar Rapids as a mental health nurse.

Favorite food to prepare? I’m not a cook at all! My favorite thing to make myself is my daily Isagenix shake, really!!

Favorite sport or sports team?  I love baseball, I grew up with it, I understand the game, and it is played during the warm months! My favorite team is my son’s team. :)

Why did you choose to practice Pilates?  I started mat pilates in 2001, after my son was born. I had read an article about it and it sounded different. I was hooked after my first class!  The work is so subtle, so deep, and so evolving. It never gets old or easy, and it requires a presence of mind that I really enjoy.

Why did you become an instructor?  I fell in-love with how I felt physically and mentally after I started a regular Pilates practice, and I couldn’t stop talking about it! I felt it was something that has to be experienced, and I truly wanted everyone to feel as supple and as “inside” their bodies as I felt.

Is there something about you that would surprise the students that have attended your classes?  I doubt it, I’m pretty much an open book! I’m really struggling with this one, I’m pretty boring!

What is your favorite song/ group/ genre of music? I grew up on John Denver and love him! For listening I am loving Dave Matthews, and for working out I have been listening to current pop music and it’s like a guilty pleasure!