Meet the Instructor: Shaina

Happy Monday!     It’s Meet the Instructor Monday, and today we’d like to introduce you to Shaina, who recently moved to the corridor.

We heard you are moving from New York City to Iowa — can you tell us a little bit about why you are moving?  Moving from Queens, New York to North Liberty, Iowa.   BIG CHANGE.    Making the move to be with my boyfriend who I met through mutual friends who also live in North Liberty.

How long have you been practicing Pilates?  I am relatively new to Pilates.   I took my very first class in June 2013 and fell in love immediately.   I practiced for about a year before starting my certification program.

What made you decide to be a Pilates Instructor?  I became a Pilates instructor for a number of reasons.

• It helped me SO much with my own spinal injuries that I wanted to be able to pass that on and help others.
• I was an athlete all my life and played volleyball in college so exercise was always part of my day to day life.   I struggled finding a form of exercise that I enjoyed and that was safe for my spinal injuries in my adult life and Pilates was definitely the answer.
• It seemed like the perfect time in my life to start something new and it gave me a sense of freedom that I could go anywhere in the world and be able to teach.
• The extra cash doesn’t hurt!  :)

What was your favorite part about living in New York City?   It would be impossible to pick just one thing.    First of all I have lots of family in NY so it has been reallly nice having everyone so close.   The city itself provides an energy that is indescribable.   Not to mention you can do, see, and order anything you want at any time you want.   It truly is the city that never sleeps and I feel very lucky and proud to have lived there and made it my own for 5 years.

Favorite Food?     Like a true New Yorker:   Pizza and Bagels.   I’m a sucker for a good carb!

Hobbies?  I work in digital marketing so Pilates is my hobby!  Outside of the office or studio you can find me hanging out with family and friends, playing with my new puppy Samantha, or binge watching tv shows!

Hometown?   I moved around my whole life so I don’t really have a “hometown”.    I have lived in Michigan, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Ohio, Vancouver, Phoenix, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York and now Iowa in my short 27 years!

Twitter Handle?    Not very active on Twitter but you can follow me on Instagram @shaybo6.

Favorite Pilates Exercise?   Probably a tie between Short Spine and Semi-Circle

Do you have a favorite Pilates teaching moment?     Not too long ago I had a woman come in for her first sessions at my NYC studio.   She had done Pilates years ago and she was trying to get herself back into shape.    I could tell she was uncomfortable with herself and a little overwhelmed by everything.   We took the session slow and when we started doing planks on the Reformer she was very tense and was using her traps to do the work rather than her lats and serratus muscles. We stuck with the exercise and on the last rep she finally made that lat/palm connection and her whole face lit up!   She felt exactly what I was saying and she was so excited and proud of herself.   After that she was so much more relaxed and confident.   The rest of our session was fun, upbeat and productive.   Every time I see a client have an ‘ah-ha’ moment it motivavtes and inspires me to continue teaching and pushing my students!