ABOUT MELA

After years of teaching in Pilates studios and founding my own studio in Los Angeles, a personal journey of healing from childhood trauma inspired my husband and me to leave the city and embrace life on the road in search of an alternative way of living. We converted a coach bus into a tiny home on wheels with a mini Pilates studio on board and began the journey of a lifetime traveling across North America. Through trauma therapy, movement, mindfulness, and breathwork, I experienced profound healing and realized that with my training and experience, I could bring a transformative movement practice to many who don’t have access to the original Pilates method. This, combined with the rise of home workouts during the pandemic, shaped my vision: to offer quality, affordable, authentic Pilates training online while fostering a supportive community that motivates and connects people wherever they are.

I am a certified Classical Pilates Teacher with over 18 years of experience. In 2013, I co-founded Westwood Pilates, a world-renowned Classical Pilates Studio in Los Angeles, where I taught everyone from the rich and famous to mentoring young teens from low-income families. I also taught continuing education classes for Pilates teachers and ran an Apprenticeship Program to certify new instructors. I was fortunate to train with some of the best teachers in the US, including the late Jay Grimes, a first-generation Pilates teacher trained directly by Joe Pilates himself, making me a second-generation Pilates teacher.

In 2017, I graduated from The Work, a highly selective Pilates Graduate Program at Vintage Pilates under Jay Grimes’ direction. This advanced training deepened my understanding of Contrology, as Joe Pilates called it, and enhanced my ability to teach the authentic method effectively. After many successful years as a studio owner, manager, and teacher in the city, I’m excited to extend my reach by sharing the original Pilates method online—making it accessible to anyone seeking to create an authentic, transformative Pilates practice.