Fifteen Years In, I’m Still Learning: How Romana’s Pilates Continues to Shape My Teaching

From student to teacher — and back again. How Romana’s Pilates continues to challenge and inspire me every year.

Fifteen Years In, I’m Still Learning: How Romana’s Pilates Continues to Shape My Teaching

How ongoing study in the Romana’s Pilates lineage keeps my teaching sharp, grounded, and evolving.

When I began my Romana’s Pilates training at Trish Garland’s studio in Los Angeles, I had already been teaching Pilates for eight years. I thought I understood the work — until I experienced it through the Romana’s Pilates International lens. That experience completely changed how I saw, practiced, and taught the Method.

Romana’s Pilates — the direct lineage from Joseph Pilates through Romana Kryzanowska — taught me that Classical Pilates is far more than choreography or equipment. It’s a precise language of movement, built on discipline, rhythm, and intent. It’s a system that challenges both the body and the teacher to stay fully present, curious, and humble.

Relearning the Method

Under Trish Garland’s mentorship, I began to see the Method differently. Every movement had purpose, every transition mattered, and every repetition demanded full attention. It wasn’t just about how an exercise looked — it was about why it existed, what it built, and how it connected to everything else in the system.

That education stripped away the fluff, the trends, and the shortcuts. It reconnected me to the original purpose of the work: to create strength with control, flexibility with precision, and flow with integrity.

A Community of Lifelong Learners

What continues to inspire me about Trish’s studio is the community of teachers who gather there. Many of them have decades of experience — yet they still come to observe, take lessons, and refine their craft. There’s a shared understanding that mastery isn’t a destination; it’s a practice.

Being surrounded by teachers who are still evolving keeps me accountable. It reminds me that the best instructors never stop learning. The work itself demands that we stay students — always refining, always curious.

Learning from the Lineage

Continuing to study with Moses Urbano and Cynthia Lochard, two deeply respected Romana’s Pilates International teacher trainers, reinforces that lesson every time. Each workshop reveals something new — a subtle correction, a fresh perspective, a deeper connection. Exercises I’ve taught for years still surprise me. That’s the beauty of Classical Pilates: the more you study, the more it reveals.

Why Ongoing Education Matters

Fifteen years into my career, I’ve learned that continuing education isn’t a luxury — it’s a responsibility. Attending workshops, observing seminars, and staying connected to the lineage keeps my eye trained and my teaching honest.

That commitment to lifelong study directly shapes what we do at Breakthrough Pilates. Whether it’s a Private Lesson or one of our Practically Private small-group classes, every session reflects the same dedication to depth, authenticity, and growth. Clients can feel the difference when their teacher is still learning.



Closing Reflection

Romana’s Pilates didn’t just change how I teach — it changed how I learn.
After 15 years, I still see myself as a student of the Method. Every lesson, every seminar, every correction reveals something new. And that’s what makes Classical Pilates timeless — it keeps evolving, as long as we keep showing up to study it.

If you’re curious about Romana’s Pilates International, Classical Pilates teacher training, or simply want to experience authentic instruction on original Gratz apparatus, visit Breakthrough Pilates — West Hollywood’s premium Classical Pilates destination.