"I'm so proud of our Instructors", says Connie Borho, Director of Balance Pilates and Yoga Centers. She should be - she trains them and nurtures them to become the best Pilates Teachers and 'Health Consultants' they can be! Each Instructor at Balance receives some of the best fitness instruction and certification education in the industry, and completes many hours of continued education each year through on-site workshops and conference classes.

"We are really commited to what we teach our students", explains Karol Schmidt, a Balance Pilates Instructor. "All the instructors at Balance live the lifestyles we help our students achieve, and we meet each week to share new teaching methods to help keep our sessions fresh and challenging!"

To help you learn more about the Instructors at Balance, read their messages below. In summary, our Instructors, as is the atmosphere at our studios, are professional but unpretentious, precise but nurturing and supportive, and commited to mind-body fitness yet relaxed and fun-loving! We invite you to come and enjoy your Pilates and Yoga journey with us at Balance!

Carolyn Waygood-Hierak, Certified Peak PilateSystem Level II Trainer, Yoga Teacher   Carolyn combines her experience and admiration for all sports into her training philosophy. A Certified Peak Pilates Level 2 Trainer, Carolyn helps students focus on breath work, core strengthening and control, and body awareness to move from the center of the body in a balanced way. Her teaching style is soft and encouraging. She combines her yoga work with her Pilates discipline, emphasizing the importance of reaching and lengthening to create long and flexible muscles. Carolyn's experience in other sports, such as tennis and running, help her relate to other athletes and guide them toward a more balanced fitness level. Carolyn works with students from age 6 through age 76! She offers in-school yoga classes to elementary aged children, and strives to enlighten our youth in mind-body exercise to help create  greater body awareness and healthier generations. Carolyn continues to enahnce her training experience in order to better challenge her students, and provides teaching experience in Pilates Mat, Pilates Reformer, Cadillac, MVe Chair, Yoga, and more.

Patricia McIntosh,  Certified Peak PilateSystem Level I Trainer    (Stay tuned to read about Ms. McIntosh here!)

Sharon Thomas, Certified Peak PilateSystem Level I Trainer   Sharon is a Peak Pilates Level One Certified Instructor. She began cross training with Pilates to target different muscle groups as a compliment to her running. Sharon credits the detailed movements of Pilates for increasing her body awareness and improving her posture. My body grew stronger, and I felt a new vitality and improved function in my daily life, she explains. Sharon became inspired to become a Pilate’s instructor in order to teach healthy movement patterns to others. She was drawn to the mind -body connection aspect of Pilates as well as developing physical strength and flexibility. When she is not training, Sharon can be found at the movies, reading, cleaning compulsively, or working on her Creative Writing major at Eckerd College.

Natalie Monti,  RYT 200 Certified Peak PilateSystem Level I Trainer, Certified Yoga Instructor   Natalie Monti was inspired to become an instructor after personally experiencing the benefits of yoga. She was so encouraged to see improvements in her strength, flexibility and feeling of wellbeing, she knew she wanted to share this ancient art with others. Today, she is a certified Yoga Instructor, registered through Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour Level. Natalie uses an alignment based approach to asana, with ample props, enabling students to adapt postures to their changing needs while developing skills and strength to safely practice yoga for years to come. Drawing from her teaching background, she tailors safe and productive practices, emphasizing technique, breathing and finding body, mind, and spirit integration. Natalie believes that everyone can enjoy the benefits of yoga. From age 3 to 93, anyone can begin their personal journey. Please join this gentle Instructor, and enjoy your journey through an energizing, and centering yoga session today!